The Bears survived the first leg of their huge three-game, 11-day stretch with a 34-22 victory over the Lions on Sunday afternoon. Mitch Trubisky threw three touchdowns and the defense forced three turnovers to help overcome another shaky performance from kicker Cody Parkey.
Trubisky continues to look like the real deal under center for head coach Matt Nagy. The second-year QB completed 23 of 30 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns against the Lions’ defense, plus he ran in another score himself.
Those big numbers helped the Bears overcome the struggles of Parkey, who missed two field goals and two extra kicks in the game. Thankfully the team didn’t need those eight points in order to come away victorious.
The Bears improved to 6-3 with the victory and hold onto their spot alone atop the NFC North standings. Relive the team’s Week 10 victory here:
Final score: Bears 34, Lions 22
Bears 34, Lions 22: The Lions get the ball back with 1:04 remaining and zero timeouts, so they’ll need to get moving quickly and hope for a stunning finish here.
Bears 34, Lions 22: Anthony Miller gets called for a fairly weak unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after making his fifth catch of the afternoon and signaling for a first down. Pretty sure stuff like that happens pretty regularly in every football game.
Bears 34, Lions 22: A Mitch Trubisky run gets the Bears a much-needed first down to continue milking the clock. The Lions don’t have any timeouts left, so they’re unable to stop the clock at this point.
Bears 34, Lions 22: A delayed screen to Kerryon Johnson allowed him to run into the end zone practically untouched, then the Bears held up on the two-point conversion to keep the lead at 12 points. An unsuccessful Lions challenge lobbied the call on the two-pointer and cost them their final timeout.
Bears 34, Lions 16: Kenny Golladay makes another big catch over Prince Amukamara on fourth down to keep the Lions’ drive alive.
Bears 34, Lions 16: After Anthony Miller illegally smacks the ball out of bounds on their first attempt, the Lions successfully execute an onside kick that gives them possession with 8:26 remaining in the game. We’re not quite done here yet as the Bears’ special teams issues persist.
Bears 34, Lions 16: Matthew Stafford hits Kenny Golladay for his first touchdown pass of the afternoon, but he’s forced to throw the ball away on the two-point conversion attempt.
Bears 34, Lions 10: The Lions lose the challenge, so the Bears punt it away.
Bears 34, Lions 10: The Lions are challenging for a safety after Mitch Trubisky was tackled right at the goal line, but the referees put the ball inside the one-yard line. If the Lions lose the challenge, the Bears will have to punt from their own end zone.
Bears 34, Lions 10: What a sequence from the defense. Two sacks force the Lions into a fourth-and-15, then Matthew Stafford throws an interception on a deep ball when they go for it. Prince Amukamara might’ve been better off dropping the pass from a field position perspective, but that can be easier said than done in the heat of the moment.
Eyes on the prize the entire time. #DETvsCHI | #DaBears https://t.co/3oT3UN9yKc
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 11, 2018
Bears 34, Lions 10: Bryce Callahan checks back in, so it appears he’s been cleared for whatever was checked on.
Third quarter: Bears 34, Lions 10
Bears 34, Lions 10: Marvin Jones draws a pass interference penalty that gets the Lions near midfield as the third quarter comes to an end. Bryce Callahan also recently left the game, seemingly to undergo concussion protocol. DeAndre Houston-Carson is in for him.
Bears 34, Lions 10: LEONARD FLOYD SACK!!! After coming close on the last series, he stayed with it and finally got his hands on Matthew Stafford. That’s his first sack of the season.
Bears 34, Lions 10: Who needs a good kicker when you can just keep scoring TDs, right? Allen Robinson takes it in from 26 yards for his second touchdown catch of the day and fourth of the season, then Mitch Trubisky hits Trey Burton for the two-point conversion.
5 catches.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 11, 2018
125 yards.
2 TDs.@AllenRobinson ladies and gentlemen.#DETvsCHI | #DaBears https://t.co/IwHOgJ0oQK
Bears 26, Lions 10: Leonard Floyd was so close to getting his first sack of the year, but Matthew Stafford just got the ball away in time. After a Lions punt, the Bears’ offense takes over at midfield.
Bears 26, Lions 10: Tarik Cohen returns to the game with a solid punt return, so it appears he’s okay going forward.
Bears 26, Lions 10: ANOTHER UPRIGHT?!? HOW?!? Cody Parkey appears to be cursed.
#Bears players, including Mitch Trubisky, Jordan Howard and DeAndre Houston-Carson, went up to kicker Cody Parkey on the sideline and gave him supportive high-fives and hugs. He's missed four kicks today -- all off the uprights.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) November 11, 2018
Bears 26, Lions 10: Tarik Cohen is walking the sidelines after being shaken up on the previous play. His status will be worth monitoring here.
Bears 26, Lions 10: And then the defense delivers! Adrian Amos recovered a Kerryon Johnson fumble after a great punch-out move by Prince Amukamara on the running back.
Bears 26, Lions 10: Cody Parkey with another miss, this time on a 41-yard field goal attempt. He’s hit the uprights more than he’s made kicks today.
Bears 26, Lions 10: How does Anthony Miller get so wide open again? The wideout found some huge open space for a 55-yard pickup that pushes him over 100 yards for the day.
Got that Memphis Grind goin'!#DETvsCHI | #DaBears https://t.co/rnBBqapIxn
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 11, 2018
Bears 26, Lions 10: Matt Prater slips through a 52-yard field goal after the drive stalls out. Bryce Callahan made a very good play on third down to get the Lions’ offense off the field.
Bears 26, Lions 7: The Lions are moving after a 32-yard catch by Marvin Jones off a perfectly placed Matthew Stafford pass. Despite the lack of point production, Stafford is now 10-of-12 for 122 yards in the game.
Halftime: Bears 26, Lions 7
Bears 26, Lions 7: The Bears go conservative for a couple plays to wrap up the first half with a 19-point lead. Detroit will get the ball to open the second half.
Bears 26, Lions 7: It took three tries from the one-yard line but Kerryon Johnson went over the top to score his second career touchdown. Getting on the scoreboard is good news for the Lions but it took them roughly seven minutes, which doesn’t leave much time in the half.
.@AyeyoKEJO hoppin' over the defense for the touchdown. #OnePride https://t.co/Vd9A2nax9D
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 11, 2018
Bears 26, Lions 0: The Lions have found some offensive rhythm on their fourth drive of the game, and they need to score ASAP to make this interesting. We’re less than three minutes to halftime.
Bears 26, Lions 0: Mitch Trubisky with the QB keeper for his third rushing touchdown of the season. The Bears now have a 244-44 lead in total yardage.
#10 gettin' in on the TD 🎬!#DETvsCHI | #DaBears https://t.co/Xmulpn1Yij
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 11, 2018
Bears 19, Lions 0: An illegal formation call on the Bears pushes them back to first-and-goal at the Lions’ 6.
Bears 19, Lions 0: Mitch Trubisky breaks out of the pocket for an eight-yard gain, then the Lions’ defense gets busted for a late hit after the QB runs out of bounds. That was an easy call for the referee … and hopefully the guy who got ran over on the sideline is okay.
Bears 19, Lions 0: Bryce Callahan, who already had a big sack early on, picks off Matthew Stafford to give the Bears another chance to extend their lead. That’s the Bears’ 22nd takeaway of the season, which matches their total from ALL OF LAST SEASON.
Callahan says, "MINE!"#DETvsCHI | #DaBears https://t.co/XNZDHuTGpa
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 11, 2018
Bears 19, Lions 0: As easy as it gets. Anthony Miller is absolutely wide open and needs to break just one tackle to go 45 yards for the touchdown. The Lions’ secondary appears to be a mess right now … but the same goes for Cody Parkey, who misses ANOTHER extra point. C’mon dude.
Bears 13, Lions 0: Another defensive stop for the Bears, who have held the Lions to just 41 total yards through two drives. Prince Amukamara might want to get a new jersey at halftime, though:
Prince Amukmara's misspelled #Bears jersey today, and his misspelled jersey in 2016 when the #Jaguars played at the #Bears. pic.twitter.com/5mNfyv8M4z
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) November 11, 2018
First quarter: Bears 13, Lions 0
Bears 13, Lions 0: Welcome back, Allen Robinson! The receiver’s third catch of the game was a beauty for 35 yards and the Bears’ second score of the game. Mitch Trubisky actually seemingly threw the ball short but Robinson did an impressive job adjusting to get around the defender and get his hands on the ball.
.@Mtrubisky10 goes deep to @AllenRobinson for SIX!
— NFL (@NFL) November 11, 2018
📺: FOX #DaBears https://t.co/FH5SHcMGaZ
Bears 6, Lions 0: Mitch Trubisky finds his fifth receiver of the game, Ben Braunecker, as the Bears are driving into Lions’ territory again. Matt Nagy just took the timeout to hone his strategy for scoring another TD here.
Bears 6, Lions 0: The Bears’ second sack of the day and Roquan Smith’s third sack of the year comes as a crucial third-down stop that pushes the Lions back out of field goal territory. Instead of a 55-yard attempt from Matt Prater, the Lions punt the ball away to play the field possession game.
That drive is OVA! Courtesy of @RoquanSmith.#DETvsCHI | #DaBears https://t.co/3u41wSMJ0v
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 11, 2018
Bears 6, Lions 0: Kerryon Johnson converts a fourth-and-2 opportunity for the Lions to keep their opening drive alive. They’re already in field goal territory.
Bears 6, Lions 0: After Leonard Floyd gets called for offsides on the Bears’ first defensive play of the game, Bryce Callahan delivers on the blitz to take down Matthew Stafford and set up a second-and-long for the Lions.
Bears 6, Lions 0: What an opening drive. Mitch Trubisky went a perfect 5-of-5 for 61 yards and Tarik Cohen punched it in from up close to wrap up the eight-play, 75-drive opener. However, Cody Parkey hit the upright on the extra point, continuing his shaky play at kicker.
Bears 0, Lions 0: The Bears open the game with the ball after a touchback. Here are today’s captains:
#Bears captains: Michael Burton, Bryce Callahan, Patrick Scales
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) November 11, 2018
Before the game
The Bears begin one of the most crucial stretches of the 2018 regular season with a home matchup against the Lions on Sunday afternoon. The game, which begins at noon CT, starts an 11-day run in which the Bears will play three consecutive games against NFC North opponents. The results will go a long way toward determining who wins the division.
Coming off back-to-back wins over the Jets and Bills, the Bears narrowly stand atop the standings with a 5-3 record. The Vikings are directly behind them at 5-3-1, and the Packers and Lions are both still in the mix despite being below .500. The crowded standings put extra importance on the coming weeks, when the Bears could make a statement by extending their lead.
The good news for Chicago is that its returning to full strength, or somewhere close to it, after being without Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson for the past two games. Both players are listed as active and slated to return to duty Sunday after some welcomed recovery time. It’s fair to say that the defense is excited to have its cornerstone and “multiplier” back in the fold.
The Lions have been a mixed bag this season. They had a very good run from Weeks 3-7, winning games against the Patriots, Packers and Dolphins, but are coming off back-to-back losses. Whether you look at the passing game, running game or defense, they’ve been mediocre. Still, any team that can beat New England and Green Bay deserves the Bears’ full attention.
How to watch Bears vs. Lions
Time: 12 p.m. CT
TV: FOX
Live stream: FOX Sports Go