5 Takeaways from Detroit's 20-14 Win in Chicago
The Detroit Lions traveled to Chicago with a playoff berth already clinched, and it showed in a sloppy, lethargic effort. Detroit managed to eke out a 20-14 comeback victory over the Bears.
The win was neither pretty nor easy. Despite Chicago surprisingly benching starting quarterback Jay Cutler and taking the field with the NFL's worst scoring defense, the Bears held the lead entering the fourth quarter and consistently dictated the action for much of the afternoon.
A victory is better than a loss, though the mood around social media following the game felt more like a wake than a celebration. Once again the Lions struggled with an opponent they were expected to beat far more convincingly.
Detroit improves to 11-4, the team's first 11-win campaign since 1991. The victory sets up a winner-takes-all game in Green Bay next week between the Lions and Packers, who defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-3 to also improve to 11-4.
Next week's victor will capture the NFC North title, which would be Detroit's first-ever time earning that honor. If the Lions don't improve the level of play significantly, they're unlikely to break that drought.
Here are five quick takeaways from Detroit's win.
All game statistics are from ESPN's box score.
The Running Game Saves the Day
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On an afternoon where Matthew Stafford wasn't at his best, the Detroit ground game proved critical.
The Lions ran for a season-high 138 yards, churning out an average of 5.3 yards on 26 carries. It was just the fourth time all year Detroit cracked the 100-yard barrier on the ground.
For the first time in several weeks, the load was divided much more than what has been the Joique Bell show recently.
| Carries | Yards | Avg. | |
| Joique Bell | 13 | 74 | 5.7 |
| Reggie Bush | 7 | 54 | 7.7 |
| George Winn | 1 | 5 | 5.0 |
| Jed Collins | 1 | 3 | 3.0 |
Both Bush and Bell scored touchdowns, while Winn and Collins both converted third downs with their single efforts.
Detroit's offensive line blocked much better than in recent weeks, helping pave the way for the unprecedented rushing prowess. Right tackle Cornelius Lucas and right guard Larry Warford both made the notes several times for key blocks to help spring Bush and Bell.
The Lions found some success running against the Packers in the first meeting, toting the rock for 113 yards in Detroit's 19-7 victory back in Week 3. A similar effort will be needed to win in Wisconsin next week, and Sunday's win over Chicago proves the potential is there.
Dominic Raiola Is an Embarrassment to Detroit
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The picture here is worth thousands of words, many of them expletives:
"The Raiola stomp: https://t.co/WWh2LwwfjJ
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 21, 2014"
Dominic Raiola has to know better than this. He has to be a better leader and example than this.
The 14th-year center has suffered through some truly miserable seasons in Detroit. It's understandable if he's a little surly. Yet he once again demonstrated mindless selfishness and a decided lack of respect for the game.
Raiola can expect a fine and perhaps a suspension, as noted by Fox's Mike Pereira:
"Could Detroit's Dominic Raiola be suspended for stomping on a Chicago Bear? Here's my take via @kfc: https://t.co/64D1zLBDkz
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) December 21, 2014"
Raiola's selfish, embarrassing action here could very well keep him off the field for the critical game in Green Bay.
Special Teams Dropped the Ball
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Detroit definitively lost the special teams battle in Chicago. There are plenty of fingers of blame to point around the locker room, too.
Jeremy Ross gets the first finger, and boy did he earn it. As seen on this "highlight" video from NFL.com, the return specialist makes a Gob Bluth-like huge mistake.
Even worse, the Bears cashed it in for a touchdown on the very next play, a beautiful floating screen pass from Jimmy Clausen to Matt Forte.
Next came Julian Stanford, whose close proximity and questionable contact with punter Pat O'Donnell bought the Bears a cheap first down.
"Julian Stanford called for roughing the kicker. Bad call, but gives the Bears a first down after punting on 4th and 23.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) December 21, 2014"
Different replay angles make the call questionable; O'Donnell certainly sold it with the acting aplomb of Robert De Niro before the once-great thespian became a caricature of himself.
Chicago ultimately converted that gaffe into seven points, too.
Then there was what goes into the box score as a blocked Matt Prater field goal. It was more like a duffer displaying a bad short game around the green, as Prater misstepped on his approach and kicked a divot behind the ball instead of the pigskin itself.
"And it wasn't even so much that the #Bears blocked it, but Prater kicked it into them.
— Andrew Dannehy (@ChiBearsAD) December 21, 2014"
That botched field goal came after Chicago had scored consecutive touchdowns to take the lead, an inopportune time for a failed conversion.
Detroit's special teams have been pretty reliable in the last few weeks, even the previously inept field-goal unit. Their failures today nearly cost the Lions a road win.
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Underwhelming Effort from the Defensive Line
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Chicago's offensive numbers aren't exactly gaudy.
- 170 yards passing on 39 attempts
- 64 yards on 22 carries
- Four three-and-out series
Yet it sure seemed like the Bears were more successful than that while watching the game.
Perhaps that's because they strung together two straight touchdown drives spanning the second and third quarters. Another long drive failed only because the Bears threw a fourth-down pass in the end zone to backup tackle Eben Britton in double coverage, a mystifying choice.
Chicago ran the ball much more effectively than the first matchup back on Thanksgiving. This tweet from the end of the first quarter says a lot:
"Matt Forte already has 28 rushing yards, 22 more than the first meeting w Detroit.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) December 21, 2014"
Detroit notched just two sacks on the day, both by Ndamukong Suh. The embattled Chicago offensive line, playing without top guard Kyle Long, played better than it has in weeks. There was a much better run/pass balance too—something the Bears had abandoned lately.
"Bears are tied 7-7 b/c the Lions have allowed them to be, but Bears OL has protected better than expected & play-calling is more balanced
— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) December 21, 2014"
Detroit's defensive line came up big when it had to, amping up the intensity in the final quarter. Chicago's final three drives:
- Five plays for 14 yards, punt
- Three plays for zero yards, punt
- Six plays for 24 yards, interception
Clausen was sacked once and hit at least twice on those climactic drives in the final five minutes.
The finish was nice, but if the Lions want to find success against Aaron Rodgers they need to play 60 strong minutes on defense instead of just five.
Glover Quin Comes Up Big...Again
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Lions safety Glover Quin is quickly earning wide respect for his growing knack at making big plays in timely moments.
Detroit sure needed his heroics in Chicago. Quin picked off Clausen (who impressed in place of benched Cutler) down the left sideline to snuff out the Bears' final drive.
"INTERCEPTION. Glover Quin picks it off and the Lions get the ball back with 1:56 to play leading 20-14. Listen Live http://t.co/S5ZDC6b8SW
— 97.1 The Ticket (@971theticketxyt) December 21, 2014"
That pick was Quin's seventh on the season, giving him the league lead. His ball-hawking skills are hot at the right time:
"Glover Quin notches 7th INT, his fourth in last 4 games. #DETvsCHI
— Paula Pasche (@paulapasche) December 21, 2014"
He finished 10th in Pro Bowl voting among fans, but right now it's hard to argue any safety in the league is as important to his team's success as Quin. He entered Sunday as the No. 2-ranked safety according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Quin is a big reason why the Lions are playing for a division title next Sunday, and his propensity for game-changing plays gives Detroit a real chance to win in Green Bay.
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