Live updates: Lions hang on, beat Bears 24-20
Lions hang on, beat Bears 24-20
Final stats
Passing
Matthew Stafford (DET): 28-of-39, 298 yards, 2 TD
Jay Cutler (CHI): 17-of-23, 245 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing
Ameer Abdullah (DET): 10 carries, 44 yards
Matt Forte (CHI): 17 carries, 76 yards
Receiving
Calvin Johnson (DET): 10 catches, 137 yards, 1 TD
Marc Mariani (CHI): 6 catches, 80 yards
Special teams
Matt Prater (DET): 3-of-3 extra points, 1-of-2 field goals (59)
Robbie Gould (CHI): 2-of-2 extra points, 2-of-2 field goals (49, 34)
Bears chip away, trail 24-20
Chicago kicker Robbie Gould made a 34-yard field goal, his second of the day, to cut the Lions lead to 24-20 with 5:39 left in the fourth quarter. Big plays plagued the Lions defense throughout the drive. Completions of 14 and 17 yards gave quarterback Jay Cutler and the Bears good field position before the drive stalled.
Lions retake lead, go up 24-17
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with Eric Ebron on a 1-yard touchdown pass, to give the Lions back the lead. Stafford connected with Joique Bell (36 yards) and Theo Riddick (18) to set up first-and-goal at the Chicago 4-yard-line. With 8:46 to go, the Lions lead 24-17.
Forte, Bears, tie game at 17
Bears running back Matt Forte scored the game-tying touchdown -- a 23-yard screen from Jay Cutler -- to even the score at 17-17 with 13:20 left in the fourth quarter. The play was set up by a 45-yard pass from Cutler to Deonte Thompson.
Johnson catch gives Lions 17-10 lead
The Lions answered Chicago's touchdown with one of their own -- a 36-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson. Detroit went 72 yards in eight plays on the way to the score. With 1:15 left in the third quarter, the Lions lead 17-10.
Bears tie game at 10
After forcing the Lions to punt, the Bears needed only three plays to tie the game. Quarterback Jay Cutler connected with receiver Josh Bellamy on the 34-yard score. With 5:28 left in the third quarter, the Lions and Bears are tied, 10-10.
Bears get on the board, trail 10-3
After a pair of big plays to give the Bears good field position inside Lions territory, before the drive stalled, Chicago kicker Robbie Gould made a 49-yard field goal to cut Detroit's lead to 10-3 with 9:03 left in the third quarter.
Halftime stats
Passing
Matthew Stafford (DET): 17-of-23, 159 yards, 1 TD
Jay Cutler (CHI): 7-of-10, 63 yards, 2 INT
Rushing
Ameer Abdullah (DET): 4 carries, 23 yards
Matt Forte (CHI): 9 carries, 35 yards
Receiving
Calvin Johnson (DET): 5 catches, 69 yards
Marc Mariani (CHI): 3 catches, 32 yards
Special teams
Matt Prater (DET): 1-of-1 extra points, 1-of-2 field goals (miss 54, make 59)
Prater good from 59, Lions up 10-0 at half
Lions kicker Matt Prater made a team-record 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, to give Detroit a 10-0 lead over the Bears. The drive was set up by a Tahir Whitehead interception. Whitehead's fumble recovery late in the first half last week against San Francisco propelled the Lions to the 32-17 win over the 49ers.
Prater misses from 54, Lions still up 7-0
Lions kicker Matt Prater missed a 54-yard field goal attempt -- only his second missed field goal of the season. With 6:56 left in the first half, the Lions maintain a 7-0 lead.
Lions force red zone pick, still up 7-0
Late in the first quarter, it looked like the Bears were on the verge of a touchdown of their own. However, Lions cornerback Nevin Lawson and safety James Ihedigbo had different plans. Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler threw to the right corner of the end zone, where receiver Cameron Meredith and Lawson were tangled up. Lawson tipped the pass into Ihedigbo's hands, for the interception. With 2:22 left in the first, the Lions lead 7-0.
Lions score first, lead 7-0
The Lions offense made short work of the Bears defense on the game's first drive. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with tight end Tim Wright on a 9-yard touchdown pass to give Detroit the early lead, capping a nine-play, 77-yard drive. With 10:14 left in the first quarter, the Lions lead 7-0.
Pregame notes: Jones out for Lions
The Lions and Bears kick off in about 10 minutes, for what is the last game of the season for both squads. Per Josh Katzenstein, Lions defensive end Jason Jones is inactive, snapping his streak of 31 consecutive starts. There is also an air of uncertainty hanging around Detroit coach Jim Caldwell. The speculation about his future with the team is no secret, but his fate ultimately rests with whomever is hired to be its general manager. It has also been said that defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is expected to interview for reportedly the soon-to-be vacant Cleveland Browns coaching job, currently held by Mike Pettine.
One thing is certain, the next few weeks should prove to be quite interesting in and around Allen Park.
