The Chicago Bears hadn't beaten the Detroit Lions since 2012 and hadn't won a home game in nearly a year, but they broke both of those streaks with a 17-14 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
After the Bears and Lions exchanged ineffective opening drives, Chicago's offense clicked into gear on their second possession. Brian Hoyer and Jordan Howard both made good plays, as Hoyer completed first down passes to Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal and Howard picked up some solid rushing yards out of the backfield.
At the end of the drive, it was Hoyer that made a play happen with his legs as he got the Bears on the board. Scrambling out to the right, Hoyer bought himself time and fired a pass into the waiting hands of Royal for a touchdown and a 7-0 Bears lead.
After that possession, both teams settled into a defensive rhythm, and despite their injury-depleted status, Chicago's defense had a strong opening quarter. In total they only allowed 21 yards to the Lions in the first 15 minutes of the game, and they maintained a seven-point lead through the end of the quarter.
The second quarter saw that narrative continue to play out, but Matthew Stafford finally got into a rhythm late in the half. The Bears' secondary did eventually put the clamps down on the Lions, but not before Detroit got within range for Matt Prater's 50-yard field goal that made it a 7-3 game with about two minutes remaining in the first half.
The Lions got another opportunity late in the half as their offense got going again, but the Bears' defense made a big play to deny the chance. On a poor route by Golden Tate, Jacoby Glenn cut underneath the pattern and snagged an interception along the sideline to keep Chicago ahead going into halftime.
A lengthy drive for the Lions got them into scoring range early in the third quarter, but the Bears' defense once again made a big stop when they needed to. On third-and-goal, John Timu got a great break off of the snap and made a tackle in the backfield, forcing the Lions to settle for a short field goal that made it a 7-6 game.
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The Bears responded with a long drive of their own, highlighted by a 64-yard reception by Royal that got the Bears within the red zone. On third down, Hoyer found a wide open Zach Miller in the end zone to give Chicago a 14-6 lead late in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was similarly kind to Chicago's offense, as both Howard and Royal continued their strong play in the game. A miscue by Hoyer did prevent the Bears from scoring a touchdown however, but the Bears did get a short field goal from Connor Barth to extend their lead to 17-6.
Late in the game, it appeared that the Bears were going to cruise to victory, but a touchdown return on a punt by Andre Roberts made it 17-14. The Bears did recover the ensuing onside kick, and they held on for the victory.
