Bears snatching defeat from jaws of victory was painful sight for fans
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Maybe the Bears blowing a 12-point lead with just over four minutes to play against the Detroit Lions shouldn't be that surprising.
Last month, the Bears had a 28-7 lead over the Denver Broncos, with seconds remaining in the third quarter. Denver came back and won.
On Sunday, three and a half quarters of good football was wiped out with back-to-back Lions touchdown drives – which took just over three minutes of combined game time.
It didn't help that the Bears only burned 15 seconds in the three-and-out drive they had between those Detroit touchdowns.
They couldn't even move the sticks after some conservative playcalling.
"Definitely tough. It hurts. It kills - I mean, being up like that and giving up that lead. But it simply comes down to executing the small things," said Bears offensive lineman Braxton Jones. "At the end of the day, whatever is called; whatever situation we are in, we have to execute, and that's everybody – everyone – and I'm sure everybody would tell you the same thing."
Obviously, the outcome of the game Sunday was painful for Bears games – who are sick and tired of watching their team lose to divisional rivals.
The Bears have now dropped 12 straight NFC North games.
Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards understands better than most – having grown up in Lake Villa. He recalled his childhood memories Monday.
"My brother was actually a Lions fan growing up too, so he would - there was a bigtime rivalry just in the house. But honestly, it's hard to even name names," said Edwards. "You know when it's like that, those teams in general don't really sit well with you, but a lot of good, you know, screaming matches in the house growing up when those games were on for sure."
Why was Edwards' brother a Lions fan?
"Just to spite the family, you know what I'm saying?" said Edwards. "That's just how he is."
One might ask why Edwards' brother picked the Lions when he could have picked any rival. The Lions have not won a playoff game since Jan. 5, 1992.