DETROIT — Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and avoided mistakes, allowing the Detroit Lions to stay in the playoff picture with a 20-10 victory over the Chicago Bears on Saturday night.

Detroit (8-6) has won two straight and needs to close the regular season with two more wins to keep its postseason hopes alive.

The Bears (4-10) have lost six of seven, sealing a third season with double-digit losses in three years under embattled Coach John Fox.

Stafford threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to TJ Jones with 6:10 left in the first half after Fox chose to punt on fourth-and-1 from the Chicago 45. He threw an 8-yard pass to Eric Ebron for a 20-3 lead early in the third quarter after Darius Slay’s first of two interceptions in the game.

Stafford was 25 of 33 for 237 yards and didn’t turn the ball over for the first time since Week 11.

The Lions led 13-0 before Theo Riddick fumbled late in the first half and Chicago took advantage with Mike Nugent’s 41-yard field goal 2 seconds before halftime.

Advertisement

Chicago rookie Mitchell Trubisky had season highs in completions (31), attempts (46), yards passing (314) and interceptions (three) including one to safety Quandre Diggs in the end zone early in the fourth.

Trubisky threw a 9-yard TD pass to Benny Cunningham to make it 20-10 with 2:32 left. The Bears got the ball back 25 seconds later on their 6 and moved the ball to the Detroit 25 before Slay’s second interception ended their comeback hopes.

Bears safety Chris Prosinski and offensive tackle Tom Compton went into concussion protocol.

Detroit guard T.J. Lang left the game with a foot injury, which limited him in practice and led to him being listed as questionable to play.

Packers: Green Bay activated quarterback Aaron Rodgers from injured reserve Saturday, a day before he starts in a must-win game at Carolina.

Rodgers broke his right collarbone at Minnesota on Oct. 15, had surgery and was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 20. He returned to practice on a limited basis on Dec. 2, was cleared by the team’s medical staff Tuesday night and took the first-team reps this week.

Advertisement

Seahawks: Seattle placed safety Kam Chancellor on injured reserve, waived guard Mark Glowinski, and promoted linebacker Kache Palacio and cornerback Mike Tyson from the practice squad Saturday.

Chancellor wasn’t expected to play again this season due to a neck injury sustained against the Arizona Cardinals in November.

Dolphins: Miami running back Damien Williams and special teams standout Michael Thomas will miss Sunday’s game at Buffalo.

Falcons: Atlanta running back Tevin Coleman and left guard Andy Levitre have been ruled out for Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay.

Coleman teams with starter Devonta Freeman in one of the NFL’s most effective backfield duos. He has been in the concussion protocol since a Dec. 7 victory over New Orleans.

Levitre’s streak of 140 consecutive starts since entering the league ended with the Saints game because of a triceps injury.

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.