The Detroit Lions were able to keep their winning ways rolling, defeating their divisional rivals, the Chicago Bears, on Saturday afternoon.
The 7-6 Detroit Lions knew they needed to beat the 4-9 Chicago Bears in a rare Saturday afternoon matchup in the Motor City. That’s if they wished to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Well, go ahead and check that “W” off the list.
The Lions handily defeated their NFC North foes 20-10 in the important Week 15 matchup. Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford had an excellent day, completing 25 of his 33 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Any concerns about Stafford’s injured throwing hand have likely disappeared following this excellent outing.
As for the Lions poor rushing attack, this group did just enough to give the Motor City the victory. Veteran running back Theo Riddick rushed for 49 yards on eight carries before suffering a wrist injury. Rookie runner Tion Green also had 35 rushing yards on 10 touches. Former starter Ameer Abdullah toted the rock only once for eight yards.
Detroit’s wide receiver corps came up big for the Motor City on Sunday. The combination of Marvin Jones, Golden Tate and Kenny Golladay racked up 10 catches for 147 yards. But it was slot receiver T.J. Jones that recorded a touchdown.
Tight end Eric Ebron led the team with five receptions for 33 yards and a score, building on the career day he had last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (10 recs, 94 yds)
Defensively, the turnover machine we witnessed earlier this season returned to Detroit in this game. Cornerback Darius Slay recorded two interceptions against the Bears, boosting his total to seven picks on the season. That’s currently leads the NFL and bodes well for his first possible Pro Bowl nomination next week.
Cornerback-turned-safety Quandre Diggs also posted an interception. Diggs also had a sack. So did defensive tackle Akeem Spence, giving him 2.5 sacks on the year.
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Next up for the 8-6 Detroit Lions, they’ll travel to Ohio to face the 5-8 Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium next Sunday, December 24th. That Christmas Eve contest is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 p.m. EST.