Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears Box Score on Jan 03, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Jan 3, 2016

CHICAGO -- If this becomes the final game with Detroit for Calvin Johnson and the final game with Chicago for Matt Forte, they both gave their fans something to remember, before Jay Cutler threw his third interception with 1:51 remaining to seal a 24-20 victory for the Lions over the Bears on Sunday.

The victory gave Detroit a two-game sweep of Chicago for the third consecutive year and boosted coach Jim Caldwell's chances of keeping his job as the Lions went 6-2 the second half of the season after starting 1-7.

Johnson caught 10 passes for 137 yards, including a diving catch of a 36-yard Matt Stafford pass for a touchdown in the third quarter. Stafford threw three touchdown passes a completed 28 of 39 passes for 298 yards.

Forte had 110 yards rushing and receiving, and he matched the Johnson touchdown on the next possession by doing a masterful job of tip-toeing down the sideline with a Cutler screen pass for a 23-yard touchdown play that tied the game at 17.

Coincidentally, just as both players' futures are in doubt, both of their touchdowns came at the same spot, into the east corner at the south end zone of Soldier Field.

Both players are long-time mainstays who are now past their 30th birthdays. The rebuilding Bears might not re-sign Forte, who is a free agent, and the Lions may find Johnson's $24 million salary cap number too high next year.

What proved to be the game's winning touchdown came on the Detroit possession following the Forte score. Running back Joique Bell rambled 36 yards with a screen pass before the touchdown came on a 1-yard toss from Stafford to tight end Eric Ebron.

Robbie Gould cut the margin to four with his second field goal, and the Bears had one last chance, reaching the Lions' 37-yard line with two minutes remaining, but Cutler -- who had not thrown more than one interception in a game all season -- threw his third in the game to kill the drive.

The Lions led 10-0 at halftime, but the Bears tied the game for the first time with scores on their first two possessions of the third quarter.

An opening drive resulted in a 49-yard field goal by Gould, and then after the Lions couldn't move from their 13-yard line following the kickoff, Chicago took advantage of a short field to tie the game.

The Bears started at the Detroit 41 after a punt and, on third-and-3, Cutler hit wide receiver Joshua Bellamy in the end Zone with a 34-yard touchdown pass, nicely lofted over rookie cornerback Quandre Diggs, who had his back to the line of scrimmage.

That's when Johnson and Forte took over.

Detroit scored a touchdown on a drive from the opening kickoff in the first quarter on a 9-yard pass from Stafford to tight end Tim Wright.

Chicago's first possession got to the Lions' 5-yard line but Cutler then threw an interception in the end zone. The Lions got inside the Bears' 40 on three straight possessions in the second quarter, scoring only on the last one when Matt Prater hit a 59-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, following Cutler's second interception.

NOTES: WR Alshon Jeffery, placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury by the Bears last week, finished the season with 54 catches for 807 yards and four touchdowns in nine games, his least-productive year since becoming a full-time starter following his 2012 rookie season. With Jeffery's contract expiring, the Bears must make a decision whether to tag him as their franchise player or let him go in free agency. Despite missing seven games, Jeffery led the Bears in receiving yardage for the third year in a row. ... Lions K Matt Prater, who had made 21 of 22 previous field-goal attempts, missed his first attempt Sunday from 54 yards in the second quarter. ... The Bears finished the game without CB Alan Ball (hand) and DE Mitch Unrein (concussion). Bears K Robbie Gould's two field goals gave him 33 for the season, breaking his own team record of 32 set in 2006.