The Chicago Bears (3-7) suffered a 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions (3-6), where the defense blew a 14-point lead and Cairo Santos missed an extra point in a one-point loss.
The good news? Quarterback Justin Fields continues to show that he’s an absolute star in the making. He rushed for 140-plus yards for the second straight game, leading Chicago with 147 yards. Fields also accounted for four touchdowns for the second straight game. So while the Bears lost, they certainly won with Fields.
There were no shortage of standout performances — both good and bad — in this loss, including some impressive outings on offense.
Here’s a look at our studs and duds from the Bears’ loss to the Lions.
STUD: QB Justin Fields
Justin Fields remains the most important bright spot as the Bears continue to lose football games. Coming off a record-setting performance against the Dolphins, Fields once again was a magician on the field in Sunday’s loss to the Lions. He led the Bears with 147 rushing yards on 13 carries and two scores, including an insane 67-yard rushing touchdown. He also completed 12-of-20 passes for 167 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a 99.4 passer rating. Fields wasn’t perfect — he threw a pick-6 in the fourth quarter, but he responded with that 67-yard score. Fields continues to impress despite less-than-ideal circumstances, and that’s the most important thing.
DUD: K Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos has been a reliable kicker for the Bears, but he had a costly mistake that ultimately decided the game. After Fields’ 67-yard touchdown run, Santos missed on the extra point attempt to give Chicago a 30-23 lead. It was a miss many hoped wouldn’t come back to haunt them, but that’s exactly what happened. While Santos hasn’t missed a field goal all season, he’s not missed three extra points on the year. Santos also had a kickoff that went out of bounds to give the Lions prime field position in the second half.
STUD: TE Cole Kmet
Cole Kmet has found new life over the last three weeks, where he’s become an instrumental part of the Bears’ passing offense. Kmet led the Bears with four catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns. It’s the third straight game that Kmet has scored a touchdown, and his second consecutive with multiple touchdowns. Unfortunately, Kmet was hurt after Jeff Okudah ran into him on the final drive. Matt Eberflus didn’t elaborate on Kmet’s status, that will come this week, but the hope is it’s not too serious and the Bears can get him back for the Falcons game.
DUD: CB Jaylon Johnson
Bears CB1 Jaylon Johnson had a rough game against the Lions, which included a couple of penalties and struggles in pass coverage. While the hands-to-the-face call was questionable, Johnson got burned all day. Johnson was playing through an oblique injury, but there’s cause for concern about his development in Year 3, as he hasn’t emerged as a top cornerback the Bears need him to be.
STUD: LB Jack Sanborn
Undrafted rookie Jack Sanborn had himself a day against the Lions, and he’s looking like one of Ryan Poles’ most exciting rookies. Sanborn led the Bears with 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also had a couple of sacks and should’ve had an interception. Sanborn had a beautiful, leaping interception of Jared Goff, which unfortunately was negated by a bogus penalty on Jaylon Johnson. Sanborn has been a nice consolation after the Bears traded away Roquan Smith, and his future certainly looks bright.
DUD: Bears pass protection
The Bears really missed Teven Jenkins against the Lions, where pass protection remains a big area of concern and a focal point heading into the 2023 offseason. Chicago’s offensive line struggled mightily in pass protection — against a mediocre Detroit pass rush. Fields was sacked three times, including twice on their final series as they looked to pull off a comeback. Rookie left tackle Braxton Jones especially struggled with a couple of holding calls and struggled in pass protection.
STUD: RB Khalil Herbert
While Khalil Herbert’s stat line isn’t particularly flashy, he had a solid game for the Bears. Herbert was second in rushing (behind Justin Fields) with 57 yards on 10 carries, and he ran through some guys to pick up first downs. He had one more carry than David Montgomery. Herbert also thrived in the kick return game, which included a 50-yard kickoff return. Unfortunately, Herbert exited the game with a hip injury in the fourth quarter.
DUD: Bears defense in fourth quarter
There was a time this season when the Bears defense was at its best in the second half, particularly the fourth quarter. That certainly wasn’t the case on Sunday, where Chicago’s defense blew a 14-point lead. Sure, Justin Fields threw a pick-6 that was part of Detroit’s 21 fourth-quarter points. But he made up for it with his 67-yard rushing touchdown the following drive. This Bears defense made it easy on the Lions. They still can’t stop offenses on third down; they have no pass rush; and they can’t stop the pass. This is one of the worst Bears defense in a while.
DUD: Officiating
Again, I’m not one that likes to point the blame at officiating, but this is the second straight week where the Bears have been screwed by the refs. There were several questionable calls (and no-calls) by the officials, including a personal foul on Kyler Gordon after Jared Goff tripped over himself out of bounds. By all accounts, Chicago should’ve won the game after Jack Sanborn picked off Jared Goff in the fourth quarter. Instead, a phantom hands-to-the-face call on Jaylon Johnson (who shoved the player in the chest) led to a Lions touchdown that completely flipped the game. In all, the Bears had nine penalties for 86 yards. The Lions? Two penalties for 15 yards.
