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Game Recap: Bears beat Lions at Soldier Field

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The Bears rebounded from last weekend's disappointing loss to the Browns with an impressive win over a division foe Sunday at Soldier Field.

Powered by a balanced offense and opportunistic defense, the Bears evened their record at 2-2 with a 24-14 victory over the Lions.

After failing to get into the end zone last weekend in Cleveland, the Bears scored touchdowns on their first two possessions Sunday on David Montgomery runs of 4 and 9 yards.

The Lions, meanwhile, reached the Bears' 8, 5 and 3 on their first three drives. But they were held scoreless as the Bears defense produced two takeaways and forced Detroit to turn the ball over on downs.

Montgomery rushed for 106 yards on 23 carries before exiting the game with a knee injury with 11:00 left in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Bears rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns on 39 attempts.

Making his second NFL start, Justin Fields completed 11 of 17 passes for 209 yards with one interception and an 82.7 passer rating. Darnell Mooney caught five of those passes for 125 yards.

Here's what transpired in the game:

First half

After winning the coin toss and choosing to receive the opening kickoff (instead of deferring to the second half), the Bears marched the length of the field on their first drive to take an early 7-0 lead.

Montgomery capped a 9-play, 75-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Montgomery rushed for 31 yards on six carries on the drive, while Fields completed 3 of 3 passes for 29 yards, all to Mooney.

The Lions responded by advancing to the Bears' 8. But on first-and-goal, as quarterback Jared Goff approached the line of scrimmage to change the play, the ball was snapped. It caromed off Goff, hit the right guard and then was caught in the air by defensive tackle Bilal Nichols.

Fields then showed off his arm and his legs. The rookie quarterback rainbowed a 64-yard completion to Mooney and then picked up another first down with an 11-yard scramble on third-and-4 from the Lions' 20.

Detroit again marched inside the Bears' 10, but the Lions turned the ball over on downs on fourth-and-goal from the 5. Running back D'Andre Swift broke open in the end zone, but Alec Ogletree leaped high to deflect Goff's pass, which fell incomplete.

The Lions advanced to the Bears' 3 on their third possession. On third-and-goal from the 3, Robert Quinn sacked Goff, causing a fumble that Khalil Mack recovered.

The Bears turned the ball back over to the Lions, however, as Fields' pass intended for Mooney was deflected by linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and intercepted by cornerback Amani Oruwariye at the Lions' 39.

Second half

The Bears extended their lead to 21-0 on their first possession of the second half on Damien Williams' 4-yard TD run. One play earlier, Fields completed a perfectly-thrown 32-yard fade pass to Mooney.

The Lions finally got into the end zone late in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 21-7 on Goff's 4-yard TD pass to receiver Kalif Raymond.

The Bears answered as Cairo Santos drilled a 33-yard field goal, widening the margin to 24-7 with :10 left in the third quarter. Key plays on the drive included Montgomery's 24-yard run out of the wildcat formation and Fields' 27-yard pass to Allen Robinson II.

Goff and Raymond connected for a second touchdown, this time a 25-yarder on a post pattern, to close the gap to 24-14 with 11:17 to play.

On the game's next play from scrimmage, Montgomery sustained a knee injury on a 5-yard carry and exited the game.

The Lions then advanced to the Bears' 8. On fourth-and-1, Detroit passed up a 26-yard field goal attempt and Goff threw an incomplete pass, turning the ball over on downs.

Watch the Bears' Week 4 game against the Detroit Lions unfold through the lenses of our sideline photographers at Soldier Field.

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