The enthusiastic Detroit Lions fans at Soldier Field echoed the cheers a couple times on Sunday, notably as the clock ticked down the Lions’ 34-17 victory over the Chicago Bears. “Goff was jarred! Fans chanted, “Jar-ed Goff!” in support of the Lions quarterback, who oversaw an offensive performance that spanned 475 yards. The Detroit fans congregated in a corner of Soldier Field over the tunnel where the Lions players left, just minutes after the Bears players left for a depressing, rapidly empty locker room after their ninth consecutive defeat.
If the Lions’ 13th victory celebrations weren’t so anticipated, they might have been more of a dagger on the Bears’ home pitch. Despite their injury woes, the Lions have a lot of what the Bears lack. That was demonstrated on Sunday when they were able to take advantage of the Bears’ errors and jump out to an early 20-0 lead, forcing the Bears to play catch-up the entire time.
Against the severely damaged Lions defence, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passed for 334 yards, the third-highest total of his rookie year, and two touchdowns. Williams’ performance was but a footnote in the Bears’ current second-longest single-season losing run in team history, as they gave up an 82-yard touchdown throw, lost two first-quarter fumbles, and committed 10 penalties overall, five in each half.
The Bears’ 10-game losing skid from 2022, which continued into 14 games in a row at the beginning of the 2023 season, was the longest. Cole Kmet, a tight end for the Bears who played for all of those teams, said on Sunday that it was difficult to see the positive aspects of the performance.
Kmet remarked, “I’m kind of done doing that.” It seemed like you were looking for the good in everything two years ago. When it’s 34–17, I find it difficult to be honest with myself and look for the good.
Williams undoubtedly made a number of big plays, including a few to Keenan Allen, a seasoned wide receiver who finished the season with nine catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. The fact that the Bears only have two games left and that the man behind yet another impressive Lions offensive performance may be available for the Bears head coaching opening when those two games are over are possibly the other advantages.
Against the severely damaged Lions defence, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passed for 334 yards, the third-highest total of his rookie year, and two touchdowns. Williams’ performance was but a footnote in the Bears’ current second-longest single-season losing run in team history, as they gave up an 82-yard touchdown throw, lost two first-quarter fumbles, and committed 10 penalties overall, five in each half. The Bears’ 10-game losing skid from 2022, which continued into 14 games in a row at the beginning of the 2023 season, was the longest. Cole Kmet, a tight end for the Bears who played for all of those teams, stated on Sunday that it was difficult to see the positive aspects of the performance.
Kmet remarked, “I’m kind of done doing that.” It seemed like you were looking for the good in everything two years ago. When it’s 34–17, I find it difficult to be honest with myself and look for the good.
Williams undoubtedly made a number of big plays, including a few to Keenan Allen, a seasoned wide receiver who finished the season with nine catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. The fact that the Bears only have two games left and that the man behind yet another impressive Lions offensive performance may be available for the Bears head coaching opening when those two games are over are possibly the other advantages.
According to an NFL Network report on Sunday, Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Lions and the head coach of the NFL’s top scoring offence, is “intrigued” by the Bears’ position and is open to hearing what the Bears’ leaders have to say. That report was made prior to Goff throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns, including a hilarious play that went viral in which he and running back Jahmyr Gibbs both pretended to fumble before Goff passed to Sam LaPorta for a 21-yard touchdown. Lions coach Dan Campbell claimed that Johnson came up with the idea for the play.
“They definitely had a few good plays,” Bears nickelback Kyler Gordon remarked. However, I don’t believe they were acting in a normal manner. Simply carrying out your duties was all that was required. Everyone must win their individual matches. That is the true determining factor. It’s a team sport. Each of us makes a contribution by winning our one-on-one matches. Since holding the Lions to 23 points in a Thanksgiving setback in Detroit, the Bears defence has given up at least 30 points per game in each of their last three defeats. Naturally, that defeat was the last straw for head coach Matt Eberflus, who was let go the following day.
On Detroit’s first drive, the Bears stopped the Lions to a field goal. However, the defence only had two plays off the field until Josh Paschal, a defensive lineman for the Lions, recovered after Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze mishandled a pass. Williams then accepted responsibility for his failure to put the ball in the proper location. Gibbs ran for 23 yards on the following play after the Lions took control at the Bears’ 36-yard line. After eventually rushing for a 1-yard score on his third attempt from the 1-yard line, Gibbs, who had 109 rushing yards in the game, gave the team a 10-0 lead.
Four plays into the next possession, Odunze fumbled once more, taking a 19-yard reception before being stripped by linebacker Mitchell Agude and safety Brian Branch. The Lions were leading 13-0 after linebacker Ben Niemann recovered it and Jake Bates made a field goal from 34 yards out.
It’s only the minor details. not carrying out correctly. “We can’t give up too soon,” Odunze stated. “Those things sort of take away any progress you’d like to make.” A lot of focus has been placed on simply scoring points in the first half. It’s difficult to establish that rhythm when you do those things. Later in the game, Odunze recovered to make some huge receptions, including two on fourth down during Bears scoring drives. However, the Bears were already 20 points behind at those points.
The Lions’ drive following the Bates field goal included Goff’s best play. Wide receiver Jameson Williams of the Lions received Goff’s 82-yard ball in stride after eluding safety Jonathan Owens and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Williams sailed into the end zone to give the Lions a 20-0 lead as Owens struggled to keep up. Goff responded, “Just runs fast,” when asked what the secret to Williams’ touchdown was.
Our relationship keeps getting stronger,” Goff remarked. Even when it’s not flawless, he is unquestionably one of our league’s top deep threats. He is capable of making that play today and finishing it in the end zone, and perhaps there will be more of that. Last week and this one didn’t seem great. That was just another way that the teams differed on Sunday. The Lions were discussing how to prepare for their immediate future as well as what lies ahead as the playoffs draw closer. For now, Caleb Williams and the Bears just have the 2025 season to build.
Williams stated, “There are a lot of different situations that occur during games that you can learn from, and I’ve learnt from this year.” “I believe every shot is important for this team and for me personally.”
Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins leave with injuries
Halfway through the second quarter, left tackle Braxton Jones appeared to have sustained a major injury to his left ankle. Jones appeared to be in immediate discomfort after getting hurt during one of Odunze’s fourth-down convert catches. As Bears personnel placed an air cast on Jones’ left leg and carried him off, the whole Bears sideline stepped onto the pitch to support him.
Jones played in his first game since suffering a concussion the week before. After the game, Bears interim coach Thomas Brown stated that he was unsure if Jones had visited the hospital. After attempting to play with a calf injury, Bears left guard Teven Jenkins also left in the first half. Jones and Jenkins were replaced by offensive lineman Jake Curhan and Larry Borom.