Author: Paula Pasche

After a first quarter eerily similar to the Lions’ game against the Browns a week ago, the Lions got on track offensively and defensively for a 27-24 win over the Bears at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sunday.

It was the third NFC North road game the Lions have won. They have also beaten the Vikings at Minnesota and the Packers at Green Bay. Oddly enough, the Lions are 4-1 on the road and 2-3 at home.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions.)

The Lions are now 6-4 while the Vikings beat the Rams, 24-7, to move to 8-2. The NFC North rivals meet at Ford Field on Thursday for a key Thanksgiving battle.

Five reasons the Lions won:

1. Kicker Matt Prater nailed a 52-yard field goal with 1:35 left to give Detroit a 27-24 lead.  Bears kicker Connor Barth missed 46-yard field goal wide right with 3 seconds left. Good snap, good hold, but it wasn’t even close. If it was good, the game would have been tied and gone into overtime and who knows what would have happened then.

2. When the Lions fell behind 10-0 early in the first they kept their composure. They had plenty of time, they showed discipline and patience — two trademarks of a Jim Caldwell coached team.

3. The offense was resilient in the second quarter with two touchdowns — a 28-yard touchdown catch by Marvin Jones and a 2-yard run by Ameer Abdullah. Detroit was up 21-17 at the half. Still the Lions had trouble running the ball finishing with just 65 yards — Theo Riddick with 35, Abdullah with 22. Matthew Stafford got off to a slow start but finished 21 of 31 for 299 yards, two touchdowns, one fumble lost and a 120.2 rating.

4. Cornerback DJ Hayden recovered a Mitchell Trubisky fumble and ran it 27 yards in for a touchdown early in the second quarter to get the Lions on the board. They were down 10-7 at that point. Always helps when the defense pitches in with a score. It was the fifth defensive touchdown this season. The play seemed to provide a spark on both sides of the ball.

5. The Lions won despite the defense giving up 222 rushing yards with 125 of them from running back Jordan Howard who averaged 8.3 yards per carry. They knew they had to stop him but they could not. He also scored on a 12-yard run in the second quarter. Prior to this game the Lions defense had given up an average of 110.6 rushing yards per game.

BONUS: It was cold (wind chill was 23 at start of game) and windy at Soldier Field, but the Lions were as ready as they could be. They practiced outdoors all last week in Allen Park including Wednesday in the pouring rain. Caldwell’s mantra is he wants to have an indoor team with an outdoor mentality. It looks like he’s succeeded with that.

ALLEN PARK — It would be easy to overlook the Chicago Bears. They’re 3-6 and unlikely to make any noise in the NFC North race.

However, the Lions mantra is one game at a time. Next up they face those Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Lions (5-4), who have won two straight, have to keep stacking wins if they hope to overtake the Minnesota Vikings (7-2).

They’ve practiced outdoors all week — even in pouring rain on Wednesday — to be ready for any weather condition they may face at Soldier Field.

“I played in a bunch of games there. I played early in the season, played late in the season. Like you said you never know what you’re going to get. That’s how we’ll prepare. You got to go out there and see the way the game’s unfolding, see the way the weather is either affecting the game or not affecting the game,’’ quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “But our biggest opponent is their defense. From our offensive standpoint, they’re really talented. They’re big, physical guys up front. They can get after the passer, stop the run, and their guys on the outside do a really nice job of keeping everything in front of them. So, we’ll have a good challenge for us to go with whatever the weather brings.”

Five things to watch against the Bears:

1. For the first time this season, the offensive line as envisioned by GM Bob Quinn last spring, will be on the field at the same time. Look for left tackle Taylor Decker to play more than he did last Sunday in his first game back since shoulder surgery in June. Right guard T.J. Lang was out in the win over the Browns with a concussion. The line could prove to be a tremendous asset for the final seven games this season starting with the Bears. Coach Jim Caldwell credits his assistant coaches for keeping the line mostly effective no matter who has been a starter. “They don’t blink at a challenge, and you’re presented with challenges all the time in this business. And our approach is, no matter who it is, we’re going to coach who shows up, and our job is to go win a game regardless of the circumstances,’’ Caldwell said. “So, I think they’ve taken that on and worked with it. We haven’t been perfect, but I think we’ve got them headed in the right direction.”

2. Matthew Stafford has been lights out in the last two games with a combined 610 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He should have more time with the offensive line up to speed. Stafford has won three of the last four contests at Soldier Field with a 17-14 loss last season.

3. The Lions’ run game must be efficient because the weather could curtail the passing game. This is the case every week but it’s critical against at Soldier Field. “I’m not necessarily concerned about how we get it, but the (rushing) yards, the possessions, and all those things are key. I don’t care if it comes in big plays. I don’t care if it comes increment by increment, small bit size. The big thing is to get it going and make certain we’re consistent in that area,’’ Caldwell said. “So, that’s the most important thing.” The Lions have rushed from more than 100 yards in two of their eight games, most recently on Sunday in the win over the Browns.

4. Darius Slay, Glover Quin and the Lions’ secondary should make life miserable for rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky who has completed 51.3 percent of his passes in five starts with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s somewhat mobile, averaging 22 rushing yards per game. “Right now they haven’t opened it up for him,’’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.

5. Rookie Kenny Golladay is always a downfield threat, same with tight end Eric Ebron. “Well it just adds — you know, the more guys that can make plays, whether that’s underneath, way down the field, handing it to him, tossing it to him, whatever it is. The more of those guys we can put on the field and let impact the game, the better for us,’’ offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “That was a really good throw and just a heck of a catch and run after by Kenny Golladay. So, he hasn’t been back with us on the field very long, we’re going to keep him coming and sort of do that with our whole offense.’’ Golladay missed five games before returning in the win over the Browns where he had two catches for 64 yards.

PREDICTION: Lions 24, Bears 14