Fourth Quarter
A seven-yard catch by Cohen opened up the fourth quarter and Chicago followed that up with a trick play that gained the first-down and generated a facemask penalty on Detroit. On 2nd & 10, Cohen popped wide open once again, as he was covered by Nevin Lawson, and Chase Daniel perfectly dropped the ball into his running back for his second touchdown pass of the game, 16-13 Chicago.
On the next possession, Blount opened it up with a gain of one on the ground. Golladay caught Stafford’s next attempt for 11-yards and after that, Zenner gained another four yards on a screen pass. On the next third down play, Stafford withstood pressure from Khalil Mack as he found Golladay once again for a gain of 23-yards. Stafford hit Blount with a pass out of the backfield for a gain of eleven.
Riddick gained another eight yards down to the Chicago 3-yard line and on 2nd & 2, Blount gained a single yard. The 3rd & 1 play ended in a misfire from Stafford and the Lions settled for a 20-yard field goal from Matt Prater to tie the game up, 16-16 all.
Chicago picked up offensively from their 25-yard line, and tested young corner Mike Ford deep but the defender won that play with the breakup. The Lion defense forced a quick third down and on that play, Glover Quin was the first Honolulu blue jersey to get home to Daniel for a sack in a big play for Detroit’s defense.
In an even bigger play for Chicago’s defense though, safety Eddie Jackson intercepted Stafford for a 41-yard pick six, 23-16 Chicago.
Blount gained seven yards on the next series and wideout Andy Jones converted for the first down. A penalty by the Bears kept the Lions moving forward and soon afterward LeGarrette rumbled his way down the field for a big gain of 27 yards. Ellington came down with another catch to make it 3rd & 4 and Kenny Golladay moved the chains with a 12-yard catch that led right into the two-minute warning.
At the Bears’ 12-yard line, the Lions gained a yard via a rush by Blount. On the next snap of the ball, Golladay very nearly came down with an amazing grab but on the next play, Stafford threw his second pick of the game as Kyle Fuller came down with the ball.
The Bears converted the first down on a play Detroit had to have and the game ended in heartbreak for Lions fans, 23-16 Final.
At this time, I’d just like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! There are plenty of things in this life to be thankful for and I hope this holiday season is a memorable one for everyone and their friends and family.
The third game of the Lions’ current three-game homestand culminates on 2 December as head coaching wunderkind Sean McVay, quarterback Jared Goff, and the high-octane Los Angeles Rams come to play in Detroit in Week 13.
Incidentally, former Lion Ndamukong Suh makes his first visit back to his old stomping grounds for the very first time since his 2015 free agency departure. Here’s hoping that Detroit can pull off the improbable and send the Rams back to the West Coast with a loss!