Lions remain hot behind QB
LIONS 20, BEARS 17
detroit» Matthew Stafford got a shotgun snap, dropped back, slid left, rolled right and ran up the middle through three defenders with a shot to stop him.
Stafford’s go-ahead, 7-yard touchdown with 3:17 left made up for his two interceptions in the fourth quarter, one that was returned for a score, and helped the Detroit Lions beat the Bears 2017 on Sunday, dropping the Bears to 3-10.
With the middle finger on his right hand taped up and covered by a white glove, Stafford struggled to throw at times. When it was time to run and score, he wasn’t going to stop himself short of the end zone.
“It’s fourth quarter, go time, you’ve got to make a play,” Stafford said. “I surely wasn’t going to slide on the 2.”
The NFC North-leading Lions (9-4) have won five straight and eight of nine, moving them a step closer to winning a division title for the first time in 23 years.
“Our goals are much bigger than winning this game,” receiver Anquan Boldin said.
Matt Barkley completed two passes that put the Bears in a position to at least attempt a tying field goal in the final minute, but both were negated by flags, before turning the ball over on downs from the Detroit 44.
“You can’t really recover from two holding penalties back to back,” said Bears guard Ted Larsen, who was called for holding, as was left tackle Charles Leno.