Stafford throws 3 TDs, Lions rally to beat Bears 34-30
CHICAGO (AP) — The Detroit Lions won their first game under interim coach Darrell Bevell, rallying to beat the slumping Chicago Bears 34-30 on Sunday.
Adrian Peterson scored from the 5 after Romeo Okwara strip-sacked Mitchell Trubisky with about two minutes left, capping a big comeback. Matthew Stafford threw for 402 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions (5-7), who came away with a wild win following a major shakeup after a Thanksgiving loss to Houston. They fired general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia while elevating Bevell, their offensive coordinator.
Detroit trailed 30-20 early in the fourth period after Trubisky threw an 11-yard touchdown to Cole Kmet on a bootleg. Chicago's Bilal Nichols then intercepted a short pass intended for Jesse James.
But the Lions turned things around down the stretch, sending the Bears (5-7) to their sixth straight loss.
Detroit cut it to 30-27 with 2:18 left on Stafford’s 25-yard pass to Marvin Jones Jr. Then Bears had a third down at their 17 when Okwara stripped Trubisky. John Penisini recovered and the Lions took over at the Chicago 7.
Peterson ran it in two plays later for his second touchdown of the game, and the Lions came out on top after losing four of five. Peterson ran for 57 yards, and the Lions snapped a five-game losing streak to Chicago.
Stafford completed 27 of 42 passes. The 12-year veteran has 3,278 yards, the ninth time he has surpassed the 3,000 mark.
Jones had eight catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Quintez Cephus caught a 49-yard touchdown pass.
The Bears are on their worst skid since they dropped eight in a row in 2002. And the latest loss figures to fuel more speculation about coach Matt Nagy’s future. He lit into his team following a blowout at Green Bay last week, then watched a 10-point lead disappear in the final moments.
BEARS STATS
Trubisky was 26 of 34 for 267 yards and a touchdown. The 2017 second overall draft pick played turnover-free ball until the strip-sack after giving it away three times against the Packers in his first start since Week 3.
David Montgomery ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 13-yard TD in the first quarter and a 4-yarder in the final minute of the half to make it 23-13.
Cordarrelle Patterson ran for 59 yards and a touchdown. He also returned the game’s opening kickoff 45 yards, leading to a field goal. Allen Robinson caught six passes for 75 yards.
INJURY REPORT
Lions: RT Tyrell Crosby (ankle), CB Mike Ford (back) and S C.J. Moore (ankle) were hurt. Moore was injured blocking on a third-quarter punt return. ... WR Kenny Golladay (hip) missed his fifth straight game.
Bears: TE J.P. Holtz hurt his shoulder.
UP NEXT
Lions: host Green Bay on Dec. 13.
Bears: host Houston on Dec. 13.
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