Lions Keep Pace

After having their 11-game win streak snapped against the Buffalo Bills last week, the Detroit Lions showed no mercy against a desperate Chicago Bears squad at Soldier Field on Sunday, racing out to a 20-point lead before pulling away in the second half of a 34-17 victory.

For the Lions, it was a franchise-record 13th win on the season.

Detroit scored on its first six possessions (excluding a last-chance field-goal attempt before halftime) and set a new single-season franchise record for points scored (493), as Detroit (13-2) maintained control of the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 seed, with two games remaining in the regular season.

“It takes a special group of guys to emotionally and physically, psychologically bounce back after a tough loss, especially after you haven’t lost in a while,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I told the guys I did know that was a … franchise-record 13 wins, has never been done. And I told them one day we’ll be able to look back and enjoy that. But not yet.”

With the Philadelphia Eagles falling to the Washington Commanders, 36-33, the Lions have regained a commanding lead for the No. 1 seed. As Washington’s Jamison Crowder scored the go-ahead touchdown with six seconds left, the Lions’ locker room erupted into cheers. If the Seattle Seahawks can knock off the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday evening, the Lions will be in a position to clinch both the North and a first-round bye in a Week 17 game at San Francisco.

“It means a lot, because when I got here, we went 3-13-1,” said safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, who made his season debut on Sunday. “S—, to see we’ve got 13 wins, it means a lot that I got to experience this and I was part of the change.”

“Last week was tough, but I think the outside was more worried than actually us as a team was,” receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “Because we know the type of players that we have in this locker room, the coaches. This is what we’ve built. One game is not going to deter us for end goal and what we’re striving to do.

Campbell said fending off teams to close in on the No. 1 seed and a second straight NFC North title is “why you want to coach and play in this league.

“This is when your eyes get open, when competition is at its highest, people are breathing down your neck or you’re chasing somebody and you’re at the top,” Campbell said. “It just doesn’t get any better than this. This is what it’s all about. Can it get frustrating? Can it get stressful? Yeah, it gets all of those (things). But it’s also the drug. It’s the drug. It’s what you live for.”

The Lions’ most dastardly deed of the day came on their opening drive of the second half. Quarterback Jared Goff and running back Jahmyr Gibbs pretended to trip on a play-action fake, which opened up tight end Sam LaPorta for a 21-yard touchdown pass to put the Lions up 20 points. After the game, Lions players said the play was called “Stumble bum.”

“As soon as the ball was snapped I just heard the crowd go, ‘Oh!’ I’m like, ‘Perfect, everyone is thinking he probably fumbled it,'” St. Brown said. “I looked back and it’s a touchdown.”

In the Lions’ first game without running back David Montgomery, Gibbs shined as the lead back. Though the Lions said he would split his workload with running backs Craig Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson, Gibbs had 23 carries for 109 yards and totaled 154 yards from scrimmage, including 45 receiving, torching the Bears to complete the Lions’ season sweep of Chicago and improve to a 5-0 record in the NFC North. Detroit accumulated 475 yards of offense as a team.

“I didn’t think we missed a beat with him taking on a little bit more of those,” Campbell said.