For the 12th time this season, the Lions trailed in the fourth quarter. For the eighth time this season, the Lions came back and won.
A Matthew Stafford rushing touchdown gave the Lions a 20-17 lead with three minutes to play today, and they hung on to beat the Bears and improve their record to 9-4, including 8-4 in games they trailed in the fourth quarter.
The 2016 Lions are now the only team in NFL history that has come back to win in the fourth quarter eight times in a season.
It was a hard-fought game and one in which Bears quarterback Matt Barkley did everything in his power to help his team win. Unfortunately, a pair of costly holding penalties called back consecutive great passes from Barkley that could have moved the Bears into game-tying field goal range.
It wasn’t a pretty win for the Lions, but it was one that will keep them at least two games up on the Vikings and Packers in the NFC North. Detroit is the favorite in the division with three games to play, something few expected before the season.