Missing three key starters, the Detroit Lions fell short against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field resulting in their third straight loss.
The Detroit Lions entered this Veterans Day game against the Chicago Bears in Soldier Field without their shut down cornerback Darius Slay, Pro Bowl offensive guard T.J. Lang, or their starting tight end Luke Willson, which left the team seriously lacking in a vital game.
First Quarter
Detroit won the game’s opening toss and deferred possession until the second half which meant Lion punter Sam Martin came in to kick the ball to Chicago to begin the game. For the first play, running back Jordan Howard gained nine yards for the home team.
Bear receiver Anthony Miller came down with Mitchell Trubisky‘s first pass attempt and Chicago kept their tempo up with another quick first down gained by tight end Trey Burton.
Chicago wideout Allen Robinson caught a Trubisky pass for 35-yards to get to Detroit’s three-yard line and running back Tarik Cohen immediately punched the ball into the end zone on the next play for a touchdown but the extra point was missed, 6-0 Chicago.
The Lions took over from their own 25-yard line ready to answer Chicago’s score. Matthew Stafford found his receiver Kenny Golladay for his first pass on a 7-yard completion. Kerryon Johnson ran for four yards to gain the Lions’ first first down of the game and tight end Levine Toilolo gained another 16-yards through the air.
After a defensive offsides penalty, Stafford suffered his first sack of the game for a loss of nine yards. On 3rd & 5, the Lions handed it off to Kerryon but he fell short of the first down. Detroit then decided to go for it on 4th & 2 and a great effort by their rookie runner Johnson made the first down conversion.
On the next third down of the drive though, linebacker Roquan Smith burst through Detroit’s offensive front to sack Matthew Stafford for the second time on the drive and the Lions punted it away for the first time.
Beginning from their 10-yard line, Chicago opened up their next possession with two straight running plays. The Lions were then drawn into the neutral zone and they converted a third-down play for their opponents with the penalty. Next, receiver Allen Robinson adeptly found a hole in the defense for a gain of 27-yards through the air and Trubisky then hit his tight end Ben Braunecker for another chunk gain of 20 yards as the Bears drove their way deeper and deeper into Lion territory.
Trubisky tried to scorch Detroit’s secondary again with a deep pass to receiver Taylor Gabriel but Lion defender Quandre Diggs came up with stellar coverage on the play. Tarik Cohen was swallowed up in the backfield for a loss of five to force the third down but on the next play, Mitchell Trubisky hit Allen Robinson for a 36-yard touchdown strike. This time the Bears converted the extra point as they extended their lead, 13-0 Chicago.
Detroit took over again offensively and the bruiser running back LeGarrette Blount was held for no gain as that play ended the first quarter.