The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears face off for the 190th time on Sunday in Week 16 of the 2024 season. The Bears hold a commanding 105-79-5 lead in the series between the two teams, but they have lost four of the last five.
That’s because the two teams are headed in opposite directions right now. For the Lions, it’s Year 4 under Dan Campbell, and the franchise has set numerous records this season, including longest winning streak (11), best start to the season (12-1), and if they win one of their remaining three games, they’ll set the franchise record for wins in a single regular season (13).
The Bears, on the other hand, are set to rebuild once again. Gone is coach Matt Eberflus, and it isn’t clear at this point whether general manager Ryan Poles is safe. Chicago tried to revive the franchise with the drafting of Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but it’s been an up-and-down season for the rookie quarterback. Yes, he’s gone eight straight games without throwing an interception, but the Bears offense is not succeeding:
That said, these two teams have played competitive football just about every time they’ve faced each other, and there’s reason to believe this game will be no different. The Lions defense is decimated by injuries, and that could help kickstart a struggling Bears offense.
But the Lions offense remains lethal. They’re first in the NFL in scoring, and that hasn’t slowed down at any point this season. With Chicago’s flailing defense following Eberflus’ firing, we could be in for another shootout on Sunday.
We’ll be providing live updates for Lions vs. Bears right here. Simply refresh this page after the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, and watch the drive-by-drive analysis, scoring updates, and highlights fill up the page.
First quarter
The Detroit Lions won the toss and opted to defer. That turned out to be a decent decision, as the Bears went three-and-out thanks to pressure from Ifeatu Melifonwu and Za’Darius smith on third down.
The Lions offense had to do some bonus work after a Jameson Williams scuffle with Tyrique Stevenson cost Detroit 15 yards when the Lions receiver spun the ball in front of the Bears defensive back. But they were up to it with a 17-yard pass to Sam LaPorta and a 28-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
After a pair of Jahmyr Gibbs runs, the Lions faced a third-and-3 inside the Bears 15-yard line, but Jared Goff couldn’t find anyone open and Detroit settled for a field goal. 3-0 Lions.
The Bears second offensive possession was even worse, as the Bears fumbled an exchange between Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, and Lions defensive end Josh Paschal recovered.
The Lions immediately got into the red zone with a 26-yard screen pass to Gibbs.
This time, the Lions would cash in on the goal line. It took Gibbs three times from the 1-yard line, but he eventually plunged into the end zone for a 10-0 Lions lead.
The Bears finally looked like they were about to get into scoring position when Odunze had his second fumble after gaining 19 yards on a screen pass. Amik Robertson got credit for the forced fumble, Jack Campbell recovered it.
Detroit moved into Bears territory with a 17-yard pass to Williams and Gibbs followed it up with back-to-back rushes of 12 and 11 yards.
As Detroit worked their way into the red zone again, the stumbled again, failing to convert a third-and-6 and settling for another short field goal attempt. Jake Bates was good from 34 yards to make it 13-0 Lions at the end of the first quarter.
Caleb Williams did connect with Keenan Allen for a 21-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter, giving the Bears the ball in Lions territory for the first time all game.
Second quarter
Chicago’s time on the Lions’ side of the field wouldn’t last long. A holding penalty forced them into a third-and-20, and a screen pass to D’Andre Swift came up 10-yards short, leading to a punt.
Detroit would take over on their own 7-yard line. But the Lions would immediately strike. After a 10-yard run to Gibbs, Goff found Jameson Williams for an 82-yard touchdown and a 20-0 Lions lead.
The Bears nearly had another three-and-out, but Williams found Odunze for 15 yards on a third-and-8 to move to midfield. Then in field goal range, the Bears opted to go for it on fourth-and-3, and Williams went right back to Odunze for another 13 yards down to the Lions’ 18-yard line. On the play, Bears left tackle Braxton Jones appeared to suffer a serious injury and was carted off.
Eventually, the Bears would find the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet. 20-7 Lions.
Three straight plays to Gibbs (two passes, one run) gained 26 yards for the Lions, moving them quickly into Bears territory. Jermar Jefferson got involved with a 10-yard catch of his own. After another couple Gibbs touches, the Lions faced a third-and-3, but Gibbs was stopped a yard short. The Lions were likely going to run the clock down to the two-minute warning, but they wanted to get the Bears to jump offsides first, and Chicago obliged, giving the Lions a fresh set of downs.
On the first play out of the stoppage in play, Goff hit Williams on a play-action pass all the way down to the 6-yard line. On third-and-goal, Amon-Ra St. Brown navigated through Bears defenders for an impressive touchdown on a WR screen. 27-7 Lions.
With 58 seconds left, the Bears had two timeouts to help cut into the lead. It only took them three plays, as Keenan Allen snuck behind the Lions defense for a 45-yard touchdown. 27-14 Lions.
Detroit had 33 seconds and three timeouts to add to their lead before halftime. A couple of passes to Sione Vaki got the Lions into Bears territory. They eventually got close enough for Jake Bates to try a 60-yard field goal, but a penalty on Hogan Hatten moved it to 65 yards. Bates’ kick was no good, and it was 27-14 at the end of the half.
Third quarter
On the first play of the half, Goff found Williams, who found the edge for a big 25-yard gain.
A pair of Gibbs runs moved the chains into Bears territory. A personal foul from Jaylon Johnson gave the Lions 15 free yards down to Chicago’s 21-yard line. Then the Lions pulled a “fake stumble” trick play for a 21-yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta. 34-14 Lions.
