Bears defense saves the day with a couple picks off Matthew Stafford to beat Lions

It might not matter who the Chicago Bears start at quarterback. Their defense is good enough to win a lot of games by itself.

The Bears had to start Chase Daniel at quarterback because Mitchell Trubisky had a bruised shoulder and didn’t have enough time to get healthy for the Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions. Daniel played OK, and the Bears defense brought home a win. Two crucial interceptions of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in the fourth quarter were the difference in the 23-16 victory.

In the fourth quarter, with the game tied, Stafford stared down tight end Michael Roberts running an out route. It wasn’t hard for Bears safety Eddie Jackson to break on the route, and he jumped in front of Roberts for a pretty easy pick-six. It was a nice play by Jackson, a smart gamble, and a terrible play by a veteran quarterback like Stafford.

Then with the Lions down to the Bears’ 11-yard in in the final two minutes, Kyle Fuller picked off Stafford. The Lions had a decent excuse on that one. Fuller bumped into Roberts, then came off him to intercept the pass in the end zone. Fuller picked it off and there were no flags, despite protests from the Lions. The Bears ran out the clock after that and improved to 8-3. They lead the NFC North.

In 1985, Steve Fuller started five games for the Bears. He didn’t play well but the Bears went 4-1 in those games. It’s because the defense was one of the best ever. This Bears defense isn’t the 1985 version, but it also doesn’t need a ton of help from the offense.

Bears and Lions struggled on offense

The Bears and Lions both came into the game shorthanded on offense. The Lions missed receiver Marvin Jones and running back Kerryon Johnson, and that caused them to have a very conservative game plan.

The Bears weren’t conservative. They ran their normal offense with Daniel. It just wasn’t as effective. The Bears got little going in the run game, and mostly didn’t try. Daniel was solid but rarely got much going downfield. He finished 27 of 37 for 230 yards.

Still, Daniel kept the Bears in the game. He threw a pair of touchdowns to running backs and the Bears had a 16-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Lions made some strange decisions

The Lions had a few odd moments. Their entire game plan was strange. They were fearful of Khalil Mack and the Bears pass rush, so nearly every pass by Stafford was quick. The Bears defense just swarmed all of those short passes, and Detroit didn’t do much to adjust. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to have strong-armed Stafford turn into a check-down artist.

Then there was the two-point conversion decision by the Lions. The Bears went for two after their first touchdown, something that appears to be Bears coach Matt Nagy’s default. They didn’t get it. Then when the Lions went ahead 13-9 late in the third quarter, they went for two as well and didn’t get it. That loomed pretty large in the fourth quarter.

The Lions drove deep into Bears territory in the fourth quarter and faced a third-and-1 at the Bears’ 2-yard line. They replaced LeGarrette Blount, one of the best short-yardage backs in football, and spread the field. Stafford threw a pass that bounced off his receiver’s head in the end zone. Then, instead of going for it on fourth-and-1, the Lions settled for a 20-yard field goal and a 16-16 tie. Had they kicked the extra point earlier, they’d have had the lead.

In the end, the Lions needed to play much better to win. It was close, and the Bears defense made the plays needed to get the victory. The Bears are cruising toward a division title, and even though teams like the Saints and Rams get more attention, nobody is going to want to face Chicago’s defense in the playoffs.