Detroit Lions pulled off touchdown trifecta in Chicago for first time in nearly 50 years

On a day filled with streaks ending and such, the Detroit Lions also had a rare touchdown trifecta on Sunday.

The Detroit Lions not only pulled out a win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, they ended some streaks in the process. A 13-game overall road losing streak, a stretch without back-to-back wins dating back two seasons, a long streak without a defensive touchdown and an even longer streak without a 14-point fourth quarter comeback all came to an end.

Among Detroit’s four touchdowns against was a passing touchdown (Jared Goff to Brock Wright), a rushing touchdown (actually two, from D’Andre Swift then Jamaal Williams) and the aforementioned pick-six from cornerback Jeff Okudah.

That trio of touchdowns in the same game for any team can be rare. But for the Lions, perhaps not surprisingly all things considered, it hadn’t happened against the Bears on the road in almost 50 years.

Detroit Lions produce rare touchdown trifecta vs. the Bears on Sunday

On Nov. 18, 1973, the Lions beat the Bears 30-7 at Soldier Field. Larry Walton and Bill Munson connected for two touchdowns through the air, Altie Taylor had a rushing touchdown and Dick Jauron had a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The note from Lions’ public relations related strictly to road games in Chicago, which naturally creates a slightly narrower segment of games and maybe reduces the impact of the note. But the Lions play in Chicago every year, and generally don’t win a lot outdoors on the road. So it is a meaningful anecdote in a broad sense.

More important than the rare touchdown trifecta for the Lions were what some of the scores represented on Sunday. Swift’s touchdown narrowed a 24-10 margin to 24-17 early in the fourth quarter, Okudah’s pick-six tied the game at 24 and Williams’ touchdown was the winning score. Detroit rallied to win when it looked like they were destined to lose, with three touchdowns shifting momentum, boosting momentum or providing the decisive points in the fourth quarter.