CHICAGO — They came to Soldier Field wearing the jerseys of their favorite players: St. Brown, Montgomery, Gibbs, Joseph, Hutchinson, Sewell, LaPorta and Goff.
They outnumbered the Paytons, Ditkas and Urlachers.
They honored their team’s past with Barry Sanders jerseys.
They filled all sections of the stadium with Honolulu blue.
They came bearing signs about kneecaps and moldy bread.
And they passionately cheered on defensive third downs, takeaways, touchdowns and much more as if they were in Ford Field.
So let’s edit the dateline on this story.
DETROIT — The Lions gave their fans plenty to cheer about in a 34-17 lambasting of the Bears on Sunday. Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns on 23-for-32 passing. He had a 137.0 passer rating and was sacked just once. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while receiver Jameson Williams made five catches for 143 yards and an 82-yard touchdown.
When you’re this bad, division rivals tend to occupy seats in your stadium, while others remain vacant. Inside Soldier Field, Bears chairman George McCaskey sat nearby those donning Honolulu blue and applauding the exciting things that Goff, Gibbs, Williams, tight end Sam LaPorta, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, safety Kerby Joseph and other Lions were doing.
It must have been a painful experience for McCaskey, regardless of how well rookie quarterback Caleb Williams (26-for-40, 334 yards, two touchdowns, 107.7 passer rating) played at times. The Lions, once the laughingstock of the league, are Super Bowl contenders. They’re competing for the top seed in the NFC.
“I mean, I wasn’t surprised,” said Bears tight end Cole Kmet, who had a touchdown catch in the second quarter. “If I’m a Lions (fan), pretty good season. If I’m a Bears fan, I get it. It’s cold, and we’re not doing too well right now.”
The first “Jared Goff” chants broke out after Goff stumbled in the backfield, appeared to lose the football (as “fumble” was yelled out by the Lions’ offensive line), regained his footing and tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open LaPorta to punctuate Detroit’s first possession in the second half.
Everything that happened was by design. Lions players revealed that after the game. The play is called Stumble Bum — and the Lions got it from the Green Bay Packers, who did it a win against the Bears at Soldier Field in the season opener last season. Quarterback Jordan Love hit tight end Luke Musgrave for a 37-yard gain, but he tripped and failed to score.
The Lions topped that on Sunday.
“It worked like a charm,” Goff said.
And the Oscar goes to….@JaredGoff16 @jahmyr_gibbs1 🤣🤣🤣#DETvsCHI | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/5djB17D9JT
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 22, 2024
“Ben, that was one of his brainchilds,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.
“Ben” would be Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson — who should be on the top of the Bears’ list of candidates for their looming head coach search. He called Stumble Bum against the Bears because he knew it would work. The Bears defense froze, and LaPorta was wide open. On top of that, Johnson’s offense amassed 475 yards as it stayed hot on a cold day.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn also was included on the Bears’ list for what he’s done to field a top-10 unit despite Detroit’s lengthy list of injuries. Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores should get an interview, too.
How does McCaskey feel about all of that? He can potentially go from seeing Johnson, Glenn and Flores beat his team this season to hearing how and why they did it in interviews next month. To find their next head coach, the Bears must meet with the coordinators of their NFC North rivals. It’s a sobering, frustrating and hopefully infuriating reality for the Bears’ top decision-maker.
Under McCaskey, the Bears have hired their head coaches from outside the division, even from outside the country. But now the Bears brass — seemingly led by team president/CEO Kevin Warren — might have to convince Johnson to leave the Lions to come to Chicago.
Before the game, NFL Network reported that Johnson is “intrigued” and “he is going to be willing to listen” to the Bears. It’s an ironic twist on the saying “if you can’t beat them, join them.” This is more like: “you beat us; please — I’m begging you, please — join us.”
McCaskey might not want to fire general manager Ryan Poles. McCaskey was the one who drove to O’Hare International Airport to pick up Poles after hiring him in 2022 after interviewing 13 candidates for GM. But McCaskey has to at least consider that scenario, as problematic and as painful as it might be for him.
Seeing all the Lions fans inside Soldier Field and then Goff easily dissecting the Bears defense behind Johnson’s play calling could be McCaskey’s tipping point. It was the Bears’ ninth consecutive loss.
What if Johnson wants to work with another GM, perhaps a member of the Lions’ personnel department? Can McCaskey really say no to that if Johnson is the Bears’ top choice?
In the final five minutes on Sunday, another “Jared Goff” chant broke out in front of the press box as Williams scrambled out of the pocket on second-and-10 and gained 11 yards.
Lions fans hung out late at Soldier Field, while Bears fans went home. Lions fans gathered en masse in the south end zone and cheered on Detroit’s final defensive stop and then around the northeast tunnel where their beloved team left the field.
In the final 30 seconds, another “Jared Goff” chant began.
There’s plenty to be happy about when it comes to the Lions these days. Not so much with the Bears.
“I do know that it’s exciting to be where we’re at,” Campbell said. “It really is. To me, this is why you want to coach and play in this league. This is when your eyes get opened, when competition is at its highest, people are breathing down your neck or you’re chasing somebody and you’re at the top. It just doesn’t get any better than this. This is what it’s all about. Can it get frustrating? Can it get stressful? Yeah, it gets all those. But also it’s the drug — it’s the drug. This is what you live for. Look, some can’t. Some can’t handle this. It’s too much for them. Players, coaches, teams, it’s just too much. But not our group. This is the good stuff, man, and we’re in the middle of it right now.”
(Photo: Junfu Han / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
