DETROIT — There’s not enough money in the NFL salary cap to buy the mental toughness the Bears’ defense desperately needs. You have to develop that on your own — through the heat of battle and in real time.
The Bears learned that hard lesson in a dispiriting 31-26 loss Sunday to the Lions at Ford Field. With linebacker Tremaine Edmunds returning after missing two games and with defensive end Montez Sweat playing for the first time with a full week of practice, the Bears’ defense was as strong as it has been in two seasons under coach Matt Eberflus.
And, for the most part, it looked like it. The Bears mostly throttled quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions’ second-ranked offense, getting interceptions from cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, linebacker T.J. Edwards and Edmunds.
But when the Lions desperately needed points quickly, they willed their way to touchdowns three times with drives that made the Bears’ defense suddenly look helpless. The Lions had a 10-play, 75-yard drive in 96 seconds in the final 1:47 of the first half, then two soul-crushing drives in the final 4:15 to overcome a 26-14 deficit: 75 yards on six plays in 76 seconds to pull to 26-21 and 73 yards on 11 plays in 2:04 to take the lead.
‘‘Pretty frustrating,’’ said cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who rued two missed interceptions that could have resulted in pick-sixes. ‘‘The whole game we whupped their ass, and then they pulled through when it mattered.’’
On the three drives on which the Lions imposed their will, they averaged 8.3 yards per play (27 plays, 223 yards). On their other seven drives, they averaged 3.6 yards per play (32 plays, 115 yards) with three turnovers.
‘‘It’s very frustrating,’’ Sweat said. ‘‘Feel like we had them beat. We won the turnover battle. We were leading at the end of the game. Just a tough one.’’
Like everyone else, Edwards was at a loss to explain it.
‘‘For the most part, we beat them all game,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s a really good football team we just played. We did a lot of good things — a lot. But we’ve got to find a way to minimize the bad and find a way to make those plays in crunch time when it comes down to it. We’ve got the guys to do it, for sure.’’
Even a little resistance might have helped. With the Bears leading 26-14 after Cairo Santos’ 39-yard field goal with 4:15 left, Goff threw short passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown for 16 yards and running back Jahmyr Gibbs for 13 before hitting Jameson Williams deep for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 2:59 left.
After a three-and-out by the Bears’ offense, another flurry of small chunk plays greased the skids. Goff threw a short pass to running back David Montgomery for 13 yards. Montgomery rushed for 12. Short passes to Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta gained eight and nine yards. Montgomery went up the middle for 10. Goff threw another short pass to St. Brown for eight. Suddenly, the Lions were at the Bears’ 7-yard line with 38 seconds left. Defeat seemed inevitable, tarnishing what should have been a notable step for the defense.
‘‘That’s what hurts,’’ Edwards said. ‘‘We all know it in here; we all believe it. We’re at a point where we’ve got to find a way to win those close games.
‘‘Everyone’s obviously disappointed, [but] I don’t feel discouragement. There was a lot of encouragement after what happened today. We played some really good football in all three phases. We’ve just got to find a way to [win] at the end. We will, for sure.’’
