Chicago Bears defeat Detroit Lions by 26-24 – NFL Week 17 Recap
Chicago Bears won by 26-24 after a good competition with Detroit Lions during Week 17 game on Sunday, December 30, 2012, at Ford Field, Detroit, MI.
Lions, who are standing at last position in National Football Conference (NFC) North at 4-12, performed well in the game, but Bears’ strong defence forced four turnovers and reduced their rushing attempts.
Lions kicker Jason Hanson kicked a 44-yard field goal in first quarter. At 04:33, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Earl Bennett, and led the score to 7-3.
Cutler completed 18 of 31 passes for 257 yards and he got sacked twice in the game.
A few minutes later, Bears kicker Olindo Mare kicked a 33-yard field goal and ended the quarter with 10-3.
In second quarter, Bears running back Matt Forte rushed for 1 yard and scored a touchdown. He carried the ball 24 times for 103 yards in the game.
He said:
"It's just aggravating to have to wait and see what has to go down. We took care of our part, so that's all we can bank on right now."
Mare scored a 40-yard field goal and took the lead to 20-3.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who got sacked once in the game, threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kris Durham, when 12 seconds were left to end second half.
Stafford got second chance to score a touchdown when he threw a 10-yard pass to tight end Will Heller in third quarter.
Mare kicked two more field goals (of 28 yards and 20 yards) in third and fourth quarter respectively.
Lions wide receiver Brian Robiskie received a 9-yard pass from Stafford and scored a touchdown at the end of fourth quarter.
After a few poor performances, Stafford played well but could not save his team from eighth straight loss. He completed 24 of 42 passes for 272 yards and scored three touchdowns with an interception.
Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was not happy with their poor record in this season.
He said:
"The thing I'm most concerned with is getting this team back to where we all want it to be."
According to the Associated Press, Bears head coach Lovie Smith is disappointed with the way the season has ended for them. He said:
"Of course, I think we're moving in the right direction. To me, you count all of the years, all nine of the years. You talk about the last three or so. The last three -- disappointing last year, disappointing this year. But a 10-6 season normally gets you
in and we just didn't do enough."
Bears have finished the season with 10 wins without qualifying for the playoffs.
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