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Jared Goff Leads Lions' Late Rally to Beat Bears

Former Cal QB directs game-winning drive in closing seconds to help Detroit improve to 8-2
Jake Curtis|
Jared Goff Leads Lions' Late Rally to Beat Bears
Jared Goff Leads Lions' Late Rally to Beat Bears

Former Cal quarterback Jared Goff certainly did not have his best game, but he produced big plays when it mattered most in the Lions' 31-26 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Goff threw three interceptions, his most picks in a game in four years, helping Chicago to take a 26-14 lead with just 4:15 left in the fourth quarter. And before Sunday NFL teams were 0-83 when trailing by 10 points or more in the final four minutes.

That's when Goff went to work.  On Detroit's ensuing possession, Goff went 5-for-5, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams to cut the deficit to 26-21 with 2:59 remaining.

Detroit got the ball back at its own 27-yard line with 2:33 left, and Goff proceeded to complete 5-of-7 passes on a 73-yard drive that ended with David Montgomery's 1-yard scoring run with 49 seconds left.  Goff then threw a two-point conversion pass to Sam LaPorta, giving the Lions a 29-26 lead.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields was sacked and fumbled, resulting in a safety for the final score.

Goff's final numbers were decent: He was was 23-for-35 for 236 yards and two touchdowns.  Those three interceptions ruined his passer rating, but his play in the fourth quarter saved the Lions, who have the second-best record in the NFL. Only the Eagles, at 8-1, have a better record, and they played the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.

The Lions' 8-2 mark is the team's best record through 10 games since 1962, when they started 11-2 and finished 11-3 in a 14-game season.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell lauded Goff's performance when it mattered most after struggling for most of the game.

"Here's what we know about Goff: At the very least he's going to be mentally tough and physically tough, and you can always count on that," Campbell said. "And today he showed his resiliency. And when we needed those plays, and he showed up in no-huddle mode, it was awesome."

The Lions host the Green Bay Packers next week.

Cover photo of Jared Goff by Junfu Han, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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