Lions beat playoff-bound Bears 19-16 on Bates’ 42-yard field goal as time expires

By Canadian Press on January 4, 2026.

CHICAGO (AP) — Jared Goff led five scoring drives, Jake Bates kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired and the Detroit Lions regrouped to beat the NFC North champion Chicago Bears 19-16 on Sunday after blowing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Bears (11-6) stumbled into the playoffs with back-to-back losses, though they secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC with Washington beating Philadelphia. Chicago will host Green Bay in a wild-card game next week and would have home-field advantage in the divisional round if it beats the Packers.

Caleb Williams set the franchise’s single-season passing record and threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as the Bears wiped out a 16-0 deficit.

The Lions (9-8) ended a disappointing season on a winning note when Bates nailed a 42-yarder. A 26-yard pass from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown helped set up the field goal, and Detroit came out on top after losing three in a row.

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Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press