Jared Goff connected with Sam LaPorta for two touchdowns and the Detroit Lions extended their winning streak to 10 games by holding off the visiting Chicago Bears, 23-20 on Thursday.
The streak matches the franchise record established during their first season in Detroit in 1934. The Lions snapped a seven-game losing streak in their annual Thanksgiving Day game.
Goff passed for 221 yards, while David Montgomery had 124 scrimmage yards. Jahmyr Gibbs added a combined 104 yards for Detroit (11-1), which owns the best record in the NFC.
Caleb Williams threw for 256 yards and three second-half touchdowns for the Bears (4-8), who have lost six straight. DJ Moore caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Chicago’s poor clock management on its last possession allowed Detroit to hold on.
The Lions outgained the Bears 279-53 in the first half and grabbed a 16-0 lead.
Detroit controlled the ball for nearly eight minutes after the opening kickoff but settled for a 30-yard Jake Bates field goal. The Bears went three-and-out on their first possession.
The Lions then methodically moved 90 yards down the field in 10 plays and scored on the first play of the second quarter, a 3-yard pass from Goff to LaPorta.
The Lions added 36 and 48 yard field goals by Bates.
The Bears got on the scoreboard on the opening possession of the second half. Williams finished off the 74-yard drive with a 31-pass to Keenan Allen.
The Lions answered with a touchdown. That drive was completed by Goff’s 1-yard toss to LaPorta to make it 23-7.
Chicago cut the deficit to 23-13 on Williams’ 9-yard scoring pass to Allen with 13:40 remaining. Williams threw an incompletion on the 2-point try.
Bates missed a 45-yard field goal try with 8:42 left. The Bears then made it a three-point game with 5:36 remaining on Williams’ 31-yard scoring pass to Moore.
The Lions were forced to punt on their next possession but it was downed on the Bears 1-yard line. A pass interference penalty against Detroit on fourth-and-14 allowed Chicago’s drive to continue in the final minute.
After a sack left the ball on the Chicago 41-yard line with 32 seconds left, the Bears failed to call a timeout on third down and the clock ran out on a Williams incompletion.
