Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions: 2014 Week 13 Recap

Game story

In Week 13 of the 2014 NFL season on 2014-11-27, the Detroit Lions took care of business against the Chicago Bears, pulling away with a 34–17 final that controlled the game from start to finish.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 21 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Cutler (Chicago Bears) paced the passing game, with -3.42 total EPA, and -4.5% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, M. Stafford (Detroit Lions) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +8.77 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-14.0% win probability) landed in the opening quarter when Detroit Lions changed the game: (4:26) 9-M.Stafford sacked at DET 4 for -6 yards (69-J.Allen). FUMBLES (69-J.Allen), RECOVERED by CHI-69-J.Allen at DET 5. 69-J.Allen to DET 5 for no gain (9-M.Stafford).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 M. Stafford · Detroit Lions · Passing · +8.77 total EPA · 48 snaps · +0.18 EPA/play
2. 2 A. Jeffery · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +7.17 total EPA · 13 snaps · +0.55 EPA/play
3. 3 C. Johnson · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +5.92 total EPA · 16 snaps · +0.37 EPA/play
4. 4 M. Bennett · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +3.96 total EPA · 11 snaps · +0.36 EPA/play
5. 5 T. Riddick · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +3.15 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.45 EPA/play
6. 6 G. Tate · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +2.87 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.29 EPA/play
7. 7 J. Ross · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +2.83 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.83 EPA/play
8. 8 C. Fuller · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +1.61 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.61 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Chicago Bears — A. Jeffery (J. Cutler pass) (Q1 55:39)
• Chicago Bears — A. Jeffery (J. Cutler pass) (Q1 48:42)
• Detroit Lions — C. Johnson (M. Stafford pass) (Q2 43:01)
• Detroit Lions — J. Bell (Q2 33:23)
• Detroit Lions — C. Johnson (M. Stafford pass) (Q2 30:28)
• Detroit Lions — J. Bell (Q4 15:00)

Field goals

• Detroit Lions — M. Prater (Q1 51:56)
• Chicago Bears — R. Gould (Q3 23:59)
• Detroit Lions — M. Prater (Q4 6:21)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 14–3. Chicago Bears found the end zone from the DET 10 (Q1 55:39) — (10:39) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 17-A.Jeffery for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q1 55:33) — 9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-44-J.Cain, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.; Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the CHI 28 (Q1 51:56) — (6:56) 5-M.Prater 46 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Chicago Bears found the end zone from the DET 6 (Q1 48:42) — (3:42) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle to 17-A.Jeffery for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN [90-N.Suh].; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q1 48:35) — 9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-44-J.Cain, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell..

The second quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 21–0. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the CHI 25 (Q2 43:01) — (13:01) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep left to 81-C.Johnson for 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN [59-C.Jones].; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q2 42:55) — 5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Detroit Lions found the end zone from the CHI 1 (Q2 33:23) — (3:23) 35-J.Bell left tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q2 33:18) — 5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Detroit Lions found the end zone from the CHI 6 (Q2 30:28) — (:28) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short left to 81-C.Johnson for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q2 30:24) — 5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin..

The third quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 3–0. Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the DET 17 (Q3 23:59) — (8:59) 9-R.Gould 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-J.Cain, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell..

The fourth quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 10–0. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the CHI 1 (Q4 15:00) — (15:00) 35-J.Bell left end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q4 14:57) — 5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the CHI 22 (Q4 6:21) — (6:21) 5-M.Prater 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Detroit Lions (Q1 49:26) — (4:26) 9-M.Stafford sacked at DET 4 for -6 yards (69-J.Allen). FUMBLES (69-J.Allen), RECOVERED by CHI-69-J.Allen at DET 5. 69-J.Allen to DET 5 for no gain (9-M.Stafford). [WPA -14.0% · EPA -6.73]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 35:59) — (5:59) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep middle to 12-J.Ross to CHI 20 for 31 yards (45-B.Vereen; 30-D.Hurst). [WPA +13.7% · EPA +2.83]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 43:01) — (13:01) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep left to 81-C.Johnson for 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN [59-C.Jones]. [WPA +10.1% · EPA +3.50]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 33:23) — (3:23) 35-J.Bell left tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +8.7% · EPA +2.59]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 34:10) — (4:10) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short left to 25-T.Riddick to CHI 1 for 14 yards (57-J.Bostic). [WPA +7.0% · EPA +1.73]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Detroit Lions (Q1 49:26) — (4:26) 9-M.Stafford sacked at DET 4 for -6 yards (69-J.Allen). FUMBLES (69-J.Allen), RECOVERED by CHI-69-J.Allen at DET 5. 69-J.Allen to DET 5 for no gain (9-M.Stafford). [WPA -14.0% · EPA -6.73]
• Chicago Bears (Q3 27:18) — (12:18) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass deep middle to 17-A.Jeffery to DET 45 for 26 yards (27-G.Quin). [WPA +6.0% · EPA +3.51]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 43:01) — (13:01) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep left to 81-C.Johnson for 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN [59-C.Jones]. [WPA +10.1% · EPA +3.50]
• Chicago Bears (Q4 9:38) — (9:38) 6-J.Cutler pass deep right intended for 15-B.Marshall INTERCEPTED by 27-G.Quin (23-D.Slay) at CHI 42. 27-G.Quin ran ob at CHI 42 for no gain. [WPA -1.0% · EPA -3.38]

Quarterback report card

J.Cutler led all passers in efficiency for Chicago Bears, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Cutler (Chicago Bears) · 56 dropbacks · 55.4% completion · -4.5% CPOE · -0.06 EPA/play · -3.42 total EPA
• M.Stafford (Detroit Lions) · 48 dropbacks · 70.8% completion · +7.5% CPOE · +0.18 EPA/play · +8.77 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Detroit Lions held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (+0.11 vs -0.08), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• Chicago Bears: 12 drives, -6.45 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
• Detroit Lions: 12 drives, +9.58 total EPA, 6 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Detroit Lions leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• M. Stafford (Detroit Lions) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• J. Cutler (CHI) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• M. Stafford (DET) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q1 55:39 · DET 10 · Score 6-0
   (10:39) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 17-A.Jeffery for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q1 55:33 · DET 2 · Score 7-0
   9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-44-J.Cain, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.
3. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q1 51:56 · CHI 28 · Score 7-3
   (6:56) 5-M.Prater 46 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
4. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q1 48:42 · DET 6 · Score 13-3
   (3:42) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle to 17-A.Jeffery for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN [90-N.Suh].
5. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q1 48:35 · DET 2 · Score 14-3
   9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-44-J.Cain, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.
6. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q2 43:01 · CHI 25 · Score 14-9
   (13:01) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep left to 81-C.Johnson for 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN [59-C.Jones].
7. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q2 42:55 · CHI 2 · Score 14-10
   5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
8. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q2 33:23 · CHI 1 · Score 14-16
   (3:23) 35-J.Bell left tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
9. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q2 33:18 · CHI 2 · Score 14-17
   5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
10. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q2 30:28 · CHI 6 · Score 14-23
    (:28) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short left to 81-C.Johnson for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q2 30:24 · CHI 2 · Score 14-24
    5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
12. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — Q3 23:59 · DET 17 · Score 17-24
    (8:59) 9-R.Gould 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-J.Cain, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.
13. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q4 15:00 · CHI 1 · Score 17-30
    (15:00) 35-J.Bell left end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
14. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q4 14:57 · CHI 2 · Score 17-31
    5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
15. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q4 6:21 · CHI 22 · Score 17-34
    (6:21) 5-M.Prater 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.