Bears figure out Lions rookie QB David Blough — eventually

DETROIT — When rookie David Blough was named the Lions’ surprise starting quarterback Wednesday night, the Bears gathered to watch film. There wasn’t much — only 43 snaps from four preseason games with the Browns.

It was film from the Lions’ last game, though, that led to Blough’s first career touchdown pass Thursday.

Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara made note of Redskins cornerback Quinton Dunbar’s interception on a dig route in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Lions. When Kenny Golladay ran a dig on the Lions’ third offensive play, Amukamara bit.

It was a dig-and-go, though. Golladay, a St. Rita and NIU alum, ran wide open for a 75-yard touchdown on the first completion of Blough’s career.

“That was just me trying to be greedy and trying to get one,” Amukamara said after the Bears’ 24-20 victory at Ford Field.

The play was clever.

“We were hoping they would think a guy like me would come in, throw some check-downs, so we were going to throw it around a little bit,” said Blough, a Purdue alum.

They did on the second drive, too. Blough marched the Lions 78 yards for a touchdown.

“We didn’t know how they were going to use him,” Bears inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski said. “It was all guessing games. They ran a lot of things that we expected. They did a good job extending plays, scrambling, getting out of the pocket. They did a lot of things we thought they were going to do.”

In his first two drives, Blough went 4-for-6 for 131 yards and two touchdowns. He was 18-for-32 for 149 yards from that point on, though, looking mortal.

Down four, Blough got the ball with 2:12 to play. Kwiatkoski thought he intercepted Blough about a minute later when he dove for a pass, but officials ruled the throw incomplete.

Roquan Smith’s roughing penalty against running back Ty Johnson got the Lions to the Bears’ 27, but Blough scuffled, throwing a one-yard pass and an incompletion before Smith sacked him for a loss of 13 yards on a double-mug blitz.

That set up fourth-and-22 — and an Eddie Jackson interception when Blough lofted a prayer as more blitzers came.

After picking off his first pass of the year, Jackson pointed the finger at the Bears, not the Lions, for Blough’s early success.

“It was really nothing he did,” Jackson said. “It was on us. We came out sluggish the first two drives.”