DETROIT -- The Bears were the better team for 55 minutes Sunday in Detroit.
Their defense forced four turnovers and Justin Fields looked crisp in his return, helping the Bears take a 26-14 lead over the Lions midway through the fourth quarter at Ford Field.
But the Bears have often struggled to finish under head coach Matt Eberflus and Sunday was no different as the Lions ripped off two touchdowns in the final five minutes to stun the Bears 31-26.
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The Bears were the picture of complimentary football through three-and-a-half quarters, but let go of the rope in the final minutes.
Fields made good decisions, played free, and showed why many still hold out hope that he can prove he's Bears' franchise quarterback. Fields' unique ability and high-upside talent can be the great equalizer against more talented teams. It was Sunday.
The third-year quarterback went 16-for-23 for 169 yards and one touchdown while adding 104 yards on the ground.
The Bears picked off Jared Goff three times and Chicago forced another turnover on specials teams.
Bears Analysis
With five minutes left, the Bears were on the way to the most impressive win of the Matt Eberflus era.
Then, it all fell apart.
Here's what we learned in the Bears' 31-26 loss vs. the Lions:
What rust?
The Bears saw Fields "improve" throughout the week of practice, but still some rust was expected after a month on the sideline.
It didn't appear on the first drive of the game, as Fields engineered a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game to give the Bears a 7-0 lead. Fields went 3-for-4 for 38 yards on the drive while adding 28 yards on the ground. D'Onta Foreman capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Missed opportunities
The Bears' defense gave the offense multiple chances to take an early two-score lead Sunday, thanks to back-to-back takeaways on the Lions' first two possessions.
Rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson picked off Jared Goff on the Lions' opening possession. Fields and the Bears' offense marched the ball into Lions territory and looked to be on the verge of going up 14-0. But D'Onta Foreman was dropped for a loss of 6 on first-and-10 from the Lions' 38 and Fields overthrew an open DJ Moore on second down.
The Bears wound up punting.
The Bears' defense quickly gave the offense the ball back when linebacker T.J. Edwards picked off Goff on a pass over the middle. Edge rusher DeMarcus Walker was in Goff's face, and Edwards dropped into the passing lane to grab the interception.
But the offense once again couldn't capitalize. Two plays after Edwards' pick, Fields hit Tyler Scott for a short gain, but the rookie wide receiver fumbled, and the Lions recovered deep in Chicago territory.
Chicago's defense had a chance to make another game-changing play to keep the Lions off the board, but it slipped through their fingers.
On first and goal from the Bears' 8-yard line, Goff dropped back and fired a pass to the left side. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson read it perfectly and jumped the route for what would have been a pick-six. But Johnson couldn't squeeze, and the pass fell incomplete, giving the Lions new life.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored on the next play from scrimmage to tie the game at seven.
The Bears should have been able to put the Lions on their heels early, but they let them hang around. When you let the better team hang around, it almost always comes back to bite you.
Deflating drive
Trailing 10-7, the Lions got the ball with 1:47 left and promptly moved down the field with ease thanks to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
With Detroit getting the ball to start the third quarter, the Bears' defense needed to hold the Lions to a field goal on the final drive of the first half.
But on third and goal from the 7-yard line, the Lions went back to their star receiver. Detroit lined St. Brown up in the backfield before motioning him out as the inside slot in a three-receiver set to the right. St.Brown ran a quick curl and created just enough space against linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to make an impressive catch while dropping to his knees.
It was a deflating end to a promising first half for the Bears. Chicago controlled the first half but went into the locker room trailing by four due to an inability to take advantage of the Lions' miscues.
Third and fourth times are a charm
The Bears trimmed the Lions' lead to 14-13 midway through the third quarter and quickly gave themselves a chance to retake the lead when Stevenson forced a fumble on the kickoff that linebacker DeMarquis Gates recovered.
The Bears didn't capitalize on the Lions' first two turnovers of the day, but this time Fields made sure they found paydirt. On second-and-20 from the Lions' 39, Fields dropped back and threw a rope down the seam to DJ Moore for a 39-yard touchdown to give Chicago the lead.
The defense gave the ball right back to the offense when Edmunds picked off a Goff pass that was tipped by defensive tackle Gervon Dexter at the line.
The Bears' offense tacked on a field goal to take a 23-14 lead with 14 minutes remaining.
Bears fall apart
Up by nine, the Bears' defense didn't relent, quickly forcing a three-and-out to give Fields and the offense a chance to deliver the final blow.
Fields marched the Bears 70 yards on 10 plays, including a key 29-yard run on third-and-14, to get into field goal range. The drive took 8:45 off the clock and ended with a chip shot field goal by Cairo Santos to give the Bears 26-14 lead.
But the Lions have Super Bowl aspirations and championship teams don't roll over.
Goff and the Lions' high-powered offense responded by going 75 yards in six plays, with a 32-yard strike to Jameson Williams cutting the lead to 26-21. The drive only took 1:16 and gave the Lions' defense a chance to give their offense the ball back with a chance to win the game.
The Bears played not to lose during the game's critical drive. They handed the ball off to Khalil Herbert on first and second down for no gain before asking Fields to try and bail them out on third-and-10.
To Fields' credit, he threw a dime deep downfield to Tyler Scott on third-and-10, but the rookie appeared to slow up for a second after he beat his man and the pass barely fell incomplete.
The quick three-and-out gave Goff and the Lions' offense 2:33 to work with.
That was plenty of time for Detroit's high-powered offense.
Goff engineered a crisp 11-play. 73-yard drive that took 2:04 off the clock and finished with former Bear David Montgomery plowing into the end zone with 29 seconds left. A two-point conversion gave the Lions a three-point lead with 29 seconds remaining.
The Bears needed a miracle from Fields, but Aidan Hutchinson sacked and stripped Fields on the first play of the final drive. The ball bounced into the end zone and Darnell Wright booted it out of the back for a safety.
A statement win for Fields, Eberflus and the Bears was right there Sunday until it evaporated in the blink of an eye.