Jake Bates split the uprights from 42 yards as time expired, capping a dramatic Lions comeback victory over the Bears at Soldier Field. Detroit rallied after Chicago erased a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter, with Jared Goff orchestrating the final drive that positioned Bates for the game-winner. The 19-16 result closed Detroit’s season at 9-8 while Chicago secured the NFC’s No. 2 seed despite the loss.
Caleb Williams threw for 212 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, breaking Erik Kramer’s 30-year-old franchise passing record with 3,942 yards on the season. But the Bears offense managed just 270 total yards against a Lions defense that forced critical stops when needed. Detroit controlled possession for nearly 36 minutes behind Goff’s 331-yard performance and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 139 receiving yards.
Table of Contents
Game Information
Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026 Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 57,036 Weather: -2°C, Partly Cloudy, 10 km/h NW Wind Broadcast: FOX Duration: 2:53
Detroit Lions: 9-8 (4-5 Away) Chicago Bears: 11-6 (6-2 Home)
Box Score
Team
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Final
Detroit Lions
3
10
3
3
19
Chicago Bears
0
0
0
16
16
Passing Statistics
Detroit Lions
Player
Comp/Att
Yards
Avg
TD
INT
Sacks
QBR
Rating
Jared Goff
27/42
331
7.9
1
1
2-15
66.4
86.5
David Montgomery
0/0
0
0.0
0
0
1-5
0.0
0.0
Total
27/42
311
7.9
1
1
3-20
—
86.5
Chicago Bears
Player
Comp/Att
Yards
Avg
TD
INT
Sacks
QBR
Rating
Caleb Williams
20/33
212
6.4
2
1
1-7
56.6
86.9
Total
20/33
205
6.4
2
1
1-7
—
86.9
Rushing Statistics
Detroit Lions
Player
Carries
Yards
Avg
TD
Long
Jahmyr Gibbs
19
80
4.2
0
14
David Montgomery
8
42
5.3
0
9
Total
27
122
4.5
0
14
Chicago Bears
Player
Carries
Yards
Avg
TD
Long
D’Andre Swift
10
40
4.0
0
10
Kyle Monangai
6
14
2.3
0
6
Luther Burden III
1
10
10.0
0
10
Caleb Williams
1
1
1.0
0
1
Total
18
65
3.6
0
10
Receiving Statistics
Detroit Lions
Player
Rec
Yards
Avg
TD
Long
Targets
Amon-Ra St. Brown
11
139
12.6
0
30
15
Jameson Williams
6
74
12.3
0
23
8
Kalif Raymond
3
52
17.3
0
24
3
Jahmyr Gibbs
3
33
11.0
1
15
5
Isaac TeSlaa
1
18
18.0
0
18
1
David Montgomery
1
13
13.0
0
13
1
Anthony Firkser
2
2
1.0
0
6
3
Total
27
331
12.3
1
30
36
Chicago Bears
Player
Rec
Yards
Avg
TD
Long
Targets
Colston Loveland
10
91
9.1
1
27
13
Jahdae Walker
2
36
18.0
1
25
3
Luther Burden III
3
35
11.7
0
13
4
Cole Kmet
2
16
8.0
0
19
3
Kyle Monangai
1
15
15.0
0
15
1
DJ Moore
1
11
11.0
0
11
3
D’Andre Swift
1
8
8.0
0
8
2
Total
20
212
10.6
2
27
29
Defensive Statistics
Detroit Lions
Player
Total
Solo
Sacks
TFL
PD
QB Hits
Jack Campbell
11
4
0.0
0
1
0
Daniel Thomas
7
2
0.0
0
0
0
Aidan Hutchinson
6
4
1.0
1
0
2
Malcolm Rodriguez
4
4
0.0
1
0
0
Avonte Maddox
4
3
0.0
0
1
0
Rock Ya-Sin
4
2
0.0
0
1
2
Derrick Barnes
3
3
0.0
0
1
0
Jalen Mills
2
2
0.0
0
0
0
D.J. Reed
2
1
0.0
0
0
0
Tyler Lacy
2
1
0.0
0
0
0
Mekhi Wingo
2
1
0.0
0
0
0
Tyleik Williams
1
1
0.0
1
1
0
Others (8 players)
8
2
0.0
0
0
0
Total
56
30
1.0
3
5
4
Chicago Bears
Player
Total
Solo
Sacks
TFL
PD
QB Hits
Tremaine Edmunds
8
7
0.0
0
0
0
Jaquan Brisker
8
5
0.0
0
2
0
Kevin Byard III
8
2
0.0
0
1
0
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
6
5
0.0
0
0
0
Nahshon Wright
6
5
0.0
0
0
0
Jaylon Johnson
5
5
0.0
0
0
0
Andrew Billings
4
3
1.0
1
0
2
Gervon Dexter Sr.
4
2
1.0
1
0
3
T.J. Edwards
4
2
0.0
0
1
0
Montez Sweat
4
2
0.5
0
0
2
Grady Jarrett
3
2
0.5
0
1
1
Jaylon Jones
3
2
0.0
0
0
0
Austin Booker
3
0
0.0
0
1
0
Dominique Robinson
2
2
0.0
1
0
0
Others (7 players)
7
4
0.0
0
0
0
Total
75
48
3.0
3
6
8
Turnovers
Interceptions
Detroit Lions
Player
INT
Return Yards
Avonte Maddox
1
0
Total
1
0
Chicago Bears
Player
INT
Return Yards
Kevin Byard III
1
21
Total
1
21
Fumbles
Detroit Lions: None
Chicago Bears
Player
Fumbles
Lost
Recovered
Caleb Williams
1
0
1
Total
1
0
1
Special Teams Statistics
Kicking
Detroit Lions
Player
FG Made/Att
FG %
Long
XP Made/Att
Points
Jake Bates
4/5
80.0
42
1/1
13
Chicago Bears: No field goals or extra points attempted
Detroit’s fourth consecutive winning season came at Chicago’s expense, though the Bears clinched home-field advantage through the divisional round with Washington’s victory over Philadelphia. Williams finished with 3,942 passing yards, eclipsing Erik Kramer’s 1995 franchise record of 3,838 yards. The rookie quarterback’s fourth-quarter heroics nearly completed another comeback, but Byard’s interception with 2:11 remaining proved meaningless when Chicago’s offense stalled on three plays.
The Lions controlled nearly 36 minutes of possession and converted six of 13 third-down attempts while limiting Chicago to four conversions in 11 tries. Detroit’s red-zone struggles—converting just one of four opportunities into touchdowns—allowed the Bears to mount their late rally. Chicago hosts Green Bay in the wild-card round Saturday night, while Detroit enters the offseason at 9-8 after missing the playoffs despite winning nine games for the fourth straight year.
