What happened:Needing one more stop from their defense in the 2015 season, the two most valuable players on Detroit's defense – Ziggy Ansah and Glover Quin – made the game's most important play to maintain a 24-20 Lions win.
Ansah hit Bears quarterback Jay Cutler on the first play after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, causing Cutler's pass to flutter and land softly right into the arms of Glover Quin for the interception. The Lions were able to run the clock out from there and finish their season on a good note after a disastrous 1-7 start.
The win gives the Lions a 6-2 record the second half of the season, and improves them to 7-9 to finish the season.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was efficient once again, giving the Lions an early lead, and then countering every blow the Bears tried to deliver in a second-half comeback bid.
Stafford threw three touchdowns and completed 72 percent of his passes.
He found Tim Wright, Calvin Johnson and Eric Ebron for touchdowns. Ebron's 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference.
The Lions defense struggled to contain a depleted Bears offense for most of the day, but did come up with three big interceptions that helped swing the tide.
A 14-play drive by the Bears on their first possession of the game ended with no points after cornerback Nevin Lawson tipped a pass in the back of the end zone right into the hands of safety James Ihedigbo for the interception.
The defense came up big later in the first half when Ansah hit Cutler's arm as he tried to complete a pass. Tahir Whitehead came up with the interception. Whitehead returned it 26 yards to the Chicago 38-yard line with less than a minute to play in the first half.
The play set up a 59-yard field goal by Matt Prater on the last play of the half. It was the longest field goal in Lions history, topping the two 56-yarders Jason Hanson made in 1995 and 2008, and gave the Lions a 10-0 halftime lead.
The last interception by Quin sealed the win.
QB Comparison: Stafford was stellar once again, completing 28-of-39 passes for 298 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 119.4.
Cutler came into the game with just eight interceptions on the year, but his three Sunday were the difference in the game. He finished 17-of-23 for 245 yards with two touchdowns and those three picks for a 97.5 passer rating.
Critical moment: Ansah's hit on Cutler and subsequent interception by Quin saved the game for the Lions.
It was Quin's fourth interception of the season.
Stats pack: The three interceptions forced by the Lions defense were the difference.
Detroit came into the game with just six interceptions on the season, tied with Baltimore for the fewest in the league.
One, in their end zone, took potential points off the board. The second, late in the first half, led to the Prater field goal to end the half. The third sealed the win.
Play of the game: Ansah and Whitehead combined for a huge defensive play at the end of the half that helped set up the Prater franchise-record field goal to end the half.
Ansah beat left tackle Charles Leno Jr. and was able to get an arm on a Cutler pass attempt to Marc Mariani on a 1st and 10 play at the Detroit 44-yard line.
Ansah's pressure affected the throw and Whitehead went up with two hands and snagged the interception at the Detroit 36-yard line. He returned it 26 yards to the Chicago 38-yard line before being tackled.
It set up the Prater 59-yard field goal to end the half.
Player of the game: Both of Calvin Johnson's 100-yard performances this season came against the Bears. He had 166 yards on six receptions and a touchdown in the first meeting.
Johnson went big again, hauling in ten passes for 137 yards with a diving touchdown in the third quarter. It was his 46th career 100-yard performance, which tied him with Jimmy Smith for 10th all-time in NFL history.
He finished the season with 88 receptions for 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns.
