BREAKING
Bear Down: Mitchell Trubisky leads Bears to comeback win over Lions
Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky commandeered three touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. (Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports)

Bear Down: Mitchell Trubisky leads Bears to comeback win over Lions
by - Senior Writer - Sun Sep 13 21:53:23 GMT-05:00 2020

DETROIT — Mounting a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, the Chicago Bears (1-0) pulled off an impressive come-from-behind victory at Ford Field to begin the 2020 NFL season. The Bears defeated the rival Detroit Lions (0-1) 27-23 in the Week 1 matchup after trailing by 17 points at the start of the fourth quarter.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was 20-of-36 for 242 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions through the air. All three of his touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter. A pivotal interception by defensive back Kyle Fuller in Lions territory culminated in a go-ahead touchdown for the Bears with 1:54 remaining. Trubisky connected with wide receiver Anthony Miller near the sideline for a 27-yard touchdown grab that essentially provided Chicago with a season-opening victory.

Play-by-Play Summary:

First Half:

Bears, punt: The Bears opened with a three-and-out and punted.

Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, 1:42

Score: Bears 0, Lions 0

Lions, punt: The Lions also started with a three-and-out.

Drive: 3 plays, 1 yard, 1:20

Score: Bears 0, Lions 0

Bears, turnover on downs: A 13-yard pass from Trubisky to Allen Robinson and a 13-yard end-around run by Cordarrelle Patterson advanced the football onto the Lions' side of the field. The Bears stalled out and decided to go for it on fourth-and-7 at the Detroit 34, which saw Trubisky throw it behind Ted Ginn Jr. for a turnover on downs.

Drive: 8 plays, 41 yards, 3:01

Score: Bears 0, Lions 0

Lions, field goal: A 15-yard penalty on Fuller helped the Lions out on their first scoring drive. The Lions settled for three on the possession, with kicker Matt Prater chipping it in from 27 yards out.

Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:27

Score: Bears 0, Lions 3

Bears, field goal: The Bears responded with their own field goal. Running back David Montgomery caught a pass on the drive. He fought through a groin injury and started on Sunday. Cairo Santos kicked a 35-yarder to even the score.

Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 5:00

Score: Bears 3, Lions 3

Lions, punt: The Bears forced a three-and-out.

Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, 0:57

Score: Bears 3, Lions 3

Bears, punt: Lions linebacker Jamie Collins Sr. was ejected for lightly headbutting a referee on this drive, almost as if he was demonstrating what a Bears player did to him by lowering his helmet. That and a 12-yard pass to Patterson highlighted the possession, which ended in a punt.

Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 3:16

Score: Bears 3, Lions 3

Lions, field goal: Matthew Stafford connected with wideouts Danny Edelman and Marvin Jones Jr. for a pair of lengthy pass plays. Stafford also scrambled for 13 yards. Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 93 yards in his Lions debut, received a couple of handoffs on the play. Prater tacked on a 32-yard field goal.

Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5:11

Score: Bears 3, Lions 6

Bears, field goal: Robinson opened up this drive with a 22-yard catch. A face mask penalty on the Lions helped the Bears' cause, but, yet again, the Bears stalled out in the red zone. Santos kicked a 28-yarder to tie the game at 6-6.

Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 3:31

Score: Bears 6, Lions 6

Lions, punt: Another Lions three-and-out led to a punt.

Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, 0:57

Score: Bears 6, Lions 6

Bears, punt: The Bears gained just three yards before punting.

Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards, 0:25

Score: Bears 6, Lions 6

Lions, touchdown: After a solid punt return by Jamal Agnew, tight end T.J. Hockenson caught a 16-yard pass and a 24-yard pass en route to rookie running back D'Andre Swift punching it in from one yard out.

Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 0:21

Score: Bears 6, Lions 13

Bears, end of half: A seven-yard carry by running back Tarik Cohen ended the first half.

Drive: 1 play, 7 yards, 0:19

Score: Bears 6, Lions 13

Second Half:

Lions, touchdown: The Lions drove it down the Bears' throats to open the second half, culminating in Hockenson catching a 4-yard touchdown pass.

Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:23

Score: Bears 6, Lions 20

Bears, punt: Montgomery picked up 20 yards on three straight carries, but the Bears punted soon afterward.

Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, 3:08

Score: Bears 6, Lions 20

Lions, field goal: Peterson galloped for a 21-yard gain on the first play of the drive and then caught a nine-yard pass and rushed for 10 more yards. A pass interference call put the Lions in field goal range, and Prater ended up making a 44-yarder.

Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 4:10

Score: Bears 6, Lions 23

Bears, touchdown: Trubisky led the Bears to their first touchdown with a 59-yard drive that featured an 18-yard pass downfield to Miller and a diving 22-yard catch by Robinson. Tight end Jimmy Graham, who signed with the Bears in the offseason, caught a two-yard pass in the right side of the end zone for his first catch and touchdown as a Bear.

Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 4:40

Score: Bears 13, Lions 23

Lions, punt: Multiple penalties hindered the Lions on a short drive.

Drive: 6 plays, 8 yards, 2:55

Score: Bears 13, Lions 23

Bears, punt: Trubisky scrambled for 20 yards, and a face mask added to his gain. He got strip sacked on a third-down play not long after that, with the Bears recovering the fumble, and Chicago was forced to punt.

Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 2:18

Score: Bears 13, Lions 23

Lions, missed field goal: Peterson pulled off a pair of 14-yard carries to help get Detroit into field goal range, but Prater's 55-yard try was wide right.

Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 4:24

Score: Bears 13, Lions 23

Bears, touchdown: Miller caught two short passes but used his speed to convert them into gains of 18 and 17 yards, respectively. Graham hauled in a 16-yard pass that was initially ruled a touchdown before a replay review pulled the ball out to the 1-yard line, where Graham's knee touched. Wideout Javon Wims proceeded to catch a one-yard touchdown in the left side of the end zone.

Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 1:04

Score: Bears 20, Lions 23

Lions, interception: On third down, Stafford threw a pass over the middle that caromed up in the air and got picked off by Fuller, who returned it to the Detroit 37.

Drive: 3 plays, 59 yards, 0:23

Score: Bears 20, Lions 23

Bears, touchdown: Miller fought off a defender and made a great catch up the sideline before lunging across the goal line for a 27-yard touchdown, giving the Bears their first lead of the contest. The Bears tallied 21 first quarter points for the first time since 2014 and overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit for the first time since 2015.

Drive: 2 plays, 37 yards, 0:41

Score: Bears 27, Lions 23

Lions, end of game: Stafford and Amendola hooked up for a 32-yard gain that placed the ball at the Bears' 16. Soon afterward, Swift dropped what would have likely been the winning touchdown. Stafford's pass on the final play of the game was also incomplete, and the Bears emerged victorious.

Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 1:54

Final Score: Bears 27, Lions 23

Statistical Breakdown:

Chicago Bears: 1st Downs: 26; Total Plays: 65; Total Yards: 365; Total Drives: 12; Yards per Play: 5.6; Passing Yards: 214; Rushing Yards: 149; Red Zone: 2-4; Penalties: 6-48; Turnovers: 0; Defensive/Special Teams TDs: 0; Time of Possession: 29:05

Detroit Lions: 1st Downs: 25; Total Plays: 72; Total Yards: 426; Total Drives: 12; Yards per Play: 5.9; Passing Yards: 288; Rushing Yards: 138; Red Zone: 2-5; Penalties: 8-77; Turnovers: 1; Defensive/Special Teams TDs: 0; Time of Possession: 30:55

"Bear Down" Team MVPs:

Passing: Mitchell Trubisky (QB): 20/36, 242 YDS, 6.7 AVG, 3 TD, 0 INT, 1-26 SACK, 104.2 RTG

Rushing: David Montgomery (RB): 13 CAR, 64 YDS, 4.9 AVG, 0 TD, 10 LONG

Receiving: Anthony Miller (WR): 4 REC, 76 YDS, 19.0 AVG, 1 TD, 27 LONG, 6 TGTS

Defense: Kyle Fuller (CB): 4 TOT, 3 SOLO, 0 SACKS, 0 TFL, 1 PD, 0 QB HITS, 0 TD, 1 INT

Special Teams: Cordarrelle Patterson (KR): 3 NO, 110 YDS, 36.7 AVG, 45 LONG, 0 TD

Up Next: The Bears' home opener at Soldier Field in Chicago will take place on Sunday, Sept. 20, against the New York Giants (0-0). The Week 2 matchup will begin at noon CDT. The Bears lead the all-time series 34-24-2 and defeated the Giants 19-14 last November. The forecast calls for warm temperatures and sunny skies that afternoon.

Highlights:

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