Bears @ Lions
Final Score: Lions 31, Bears 26
Writer: Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on X/Twitter)
Hello Darkness my old friend; I’ve come to watch you lose again. I am a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, as faithful readers already know, so I’ve been through a lot. This one will stick with me for a while despite the Bears having nothing at stake. Chicago controlled the first 28 minutes of the first half and then the first 26 minutes of the second half. They forced three picks, almost stole two more passes, and recovered a fumble. Justin Fields completed 70 percent of his passes and ran for 100 yards. With four minutes left in the game, Chicago was winning 26-14. Well, you can imagine how this ended: Chicago gave up a quick touchdown, went three and out, gave up another touchdown, and then safetied themselves to end it. Chicago laughably loses yet again while Detroit improves to an impressive 8-2. Here’s what I saw.
Four Up
- Justin Fields – He played an excellent game; it was one of his best career outings. He left it all on the field and has to be the most heartbroken Chicago Bear.
- David Montgomery – He played well, broke a 20-yard run, and scored the game-winner against his former team.
- Bears’ defense – Chicago’s defense tallied three interceptions, forced a huge fumble, and almost had a pick-six as well
- WR1s – D. J. Moore and Amon Ra St Brown both played great and both had ‘woah’ moments among their highlights
Three Down
- Bears’ rushing attack – Chicago struggled to run the ball. Give credit to Detroit’s run defense; they didn’t make it easy for the Bears’ running backs and offensive line.
- Tyler Scott – He lost a big fumble and seemingly quit on a late deep ball that would have saved the game for Chicago.
- Jared Goff – Goff had a miserable day with three picks and almost two more; a pair of late drives saved his stat line.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Justin Fields: 16/23, 169 yards, TD, 2 sacks | 18 carries, 104 yards, fumble
Justin Fields finally returned from a thumb injury and it was still clearly bothering him as the broadcast repeatedly showed him shaking his hand. Regardless, Fields played a great game today. Early on, it was clear that Chicago wanted to get Fields running. I saw two designed carries and a scramble on the first drive for about 30 yards. Fields was also throwing well, hitting his receivers while staying on the move. Fields’ best throws were the 24-yard gain to Darnell Mooney and the touchdown to D. J. Moore. On both plays, Fields hit tight windows and stayed patient while he waited for the play to develop. His best run was a late 30-yard scramble down the sideline. It wasn’t all perfect: Fields missed a deep shot to Moore by airmailing him. It should have been another long score for his WR1. Fields nearly had yet another bomb, but Tyler Scott appeared to slow down on the play and potentially misread it. Either way, Fields showed up and showed out this week.
Running Back
Khalil Herbert: 16 carries, 35 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
D’Onta Foreman: 6 carries, 14 yards, TD
Roschon Johnson: 6 carries, 30 yards
The Bears’ rushing attack struggled all around today, so much so that it felt like the few nice runs they managed were more luck of the draw. Detroit had things bottled up and Khail Herbert and D’Onta Foreman just couldn’t find much space. I remember a handful of plays where the runner was met in the backfield with no chance to create; this included a pitch play where the defender almost beat the pitch in getting to the runner. Foreman was hurt after halftime with what was reported as an ankle injury. Roschon Johnson had a nice run or two, but no Bears running back really distinguished himself today.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
D. J. Moore: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 96 yards, TD
D. J. Moore did D. J. Moore things in this one. Fields hit him over the middle on the first drive for a nice gain. Moore then converted a fourth-and-short on the next drive. Late on the same series, Moore had a step on his defender deep, but Fields airmailed it. Touchdown aside, Moore’s best reception, and his Mooreiest moment, came on the last drive of the first half. He caught a short pass on third and long and was wrapped up quickly. Moore slithered out, kept moving forward, and somehow converted for a first down that helped Chicago score a field goal.
Darnell Mooney: 1 target, 1 reception, 24 yards
Darnell Mooney only saw one target, but it was a great catch. He got open near the sideline and Fields hit him in stride while on the run. Mooney did technically have two more looks, but both plays were called back due to defensive penalties. I still love Mooney’s ability to stretch the field, but this offense obviously cannot support a WR2 from a fantasy perspective.
Cole Kmet: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 20 yards
I don’t recall a big Cole Kmet moment today. He had a nice grab on a pass thrown a bit too high, but he confidently pulled it down. That was about it, though. I like Kmet from a talent perspective, but he is a victim of low pass volume here.
Tyler Scott: 2 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards, fumble (lost)
Tyler Scott had two awful moments today, both of which could be considered game-losing moments. Scott’s catch in the first half was fumbled and lost to Detroit, leading to a 34-yard touchdown drive. Scott ran free late in the game, but he slowed down as the ball came his way. He still put a hand on it, but couldn’t haul it in. This was on the Bears’ last drive with the lead, and it would have likely sealed the game.
Equanimeous St. Brown: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards
Marcedes Lewis: 1 target
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 23/35, 236 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT, 2 sacks | 2 carries, 3 yards
Jared Goff had a miserable day today until the last four minutes when Chicago forgot how to cover check-down throws. If we eliminate the last two minutes of the first half and the last two drives (i. e. four more minutes), Jared Goff had 50 passing yards and three interceptions for most of this football game. However, on those three hurry-up drives, he tallied 186 yards and two scores. Goff’s first interception resulted from his receiver running into a defender; both fell while another Chicago defender took away the pass. Goff’s next pick went right to a linebacker. That one was completely his fault; it was just a bad decision. His third was deflected by a defensive lineman. Goff almost threw a pick-six as well, but it was dropped. For all of these negatives, Goff carved up Chicago on his hurry-up drives and led the team on an excellent game-winning drive while using up most of the remaining clock. Goff hit a lot of short throws and relied on YAC to do in the Bears. Kudos to him for plugging through a tough outing and still pulling out the W.
Running Back
David Montgomery: 12 carries, 76 yards, TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards
David Montgomery was solid today, seemingly enjoying the chance to get revenge on his former team. He broke one big run, a 20-yard gain on which he followed great blocking and ran through a tackle attempt by a safety. Monty’s touchdown came in a goal line situation; it was a relatively easy one-yard plunge.
Jahmyr Gibbs: 8 carries, 36 yards, TD | 6 targets, 6 receptions, 59 yards
Jahmyr Gibbs seemed mostly quiet today except on the team’s hurry-ups when he ate. Gibbs’ touchdown was an excellent play call: all of his blocking went right, taking the majority of the defense with it. Gibbs took advantage of the over-pursuit, sprinted left, and took the edge to score. I wouldn’t say I saw an elite rushing weapon operate today, but it’s clear what Gibbs can do. He looked great as a pass-catcher and should be used more in this way; he has smooth hands and looks natural in space.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Amon-Ra St Brown: 11 targets, 8 receptions, 77 yards, TD
Amon-Ra St Brown played well today, helping secure the win. ARSB was involved on the team’s first four drives. He displayed his trademarked excellent hands and reminded us all how good he is at getting open. He made some “wow” catches, and his best came late. With Jared Goff under pressure, ARSB made a sweet grab for a 16-yard gain.
Jameson Williams: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 44 yards, TD
Jameson Williams was mostly a non-factor, but he made his presence known late. Williams caught a long ball from Goff after outrunning a pair of defenders to make it 26-21 and revitalize Detroit’s hopes. He has big play ability but lacks the prerequisite target volume to offer consistent week-to-week value. It was nice to see him score and make the most of his touches, but he’s clearly behind ARSB and Sam LaPorta when it comes to reliability from a fantasy perspective.
Sam LaPorta: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 18 yards
Sam LaPorta was quiet in this one. His first target I saw was a disappointment; it looked like he and Goff were not on the same page, and it almost led to a monumental pick. LaPorta broke in and Goff threw out. LaPorta made some late grabs, but he was a non-factor. I wouldn’t read too much into one off-day, especially given how his QB struggled in this one.
Josh Reynolds: 2 targets, 1 receptions, 11 yards
Kalif Raymond: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards
Donovan Peoples-Jones: 1 target