It was a huge boost for the road warrior Detroit Lions as they defeated the Chicago Bears 34-17 in Week 16. The victory was the team’s 13th win of the season, setting a new franchise record. Along the way, the Lions also broke franchise records for points scored (495) and touchdowns scored (60) in a season as they remain undefeated in the NFC North and on the road in 2024.

The Lions’ 17-point margin of victory was the largest at Soldier Field under this regime, required effort on both sides and produced a bevy of worthy contenders and unsung heroes.

Game balls: Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams

The Lions found their form again after only their second loss of the season, reaching 5-0 in the division and 7-0 away. So they earned three game balls for the performances of some of their star players.

A week after I received my game ball in the loss to the Bills, Goff helped further debunk the narrative surrounding his ability to perform outdoors and in the cold.

Goff had a passing percentage of 23/32 (71.8%) with 336 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 137.0. His 33 passing touchdowns this season are a career high and now the second most in franchise history (Matthew Stafford 2011 – 41). It was Goff’s fifth-highest pass percentage in a game this season, his 11th over 100.0 and his sixth road game with a completion rate above 70%.

Goff had passing touchdowns for each of his first receiving options in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. His touchdown to Williams was perfectly executed on a deep, skinny post, well over 50 yards, and his touchdown to LaPorta came after one of Ben Johnson’s slickest trick plays (his third trick play pass touchdown of the season).

Goff dominated in Week 16, thanks in large part to his passing game. According to Next Gen Stats, Goff completed 14/16 passes for 243 passing yards and two passing touchdowns (+20.2% completion rate above expectations). Goff is now responsible for three of the four most passing yards in a game since 2023.

Goff helped the offense convert seven of 12 third downs and pass for 15 first downs (which is fifth-most this season). Goff stayed in the pocket most of the day and was only sacked once. One of his biggest third-down conversions came after he was flushed left and made an off-season throw to Amon-Ra St. Brown for the improbable 3rd & 17 catch-and-run conversion. Goff has now averaged 20.3 first downs per game over the last three weeks and is shifting into a new gear at the ideal time.

Gibbs looked very impressive in his first game as a running back after David Montgomery’s MCL injury. Similar to Week 8 of 2023 on “Monday Night Football” — when Montgomery was sidelined with a rib injury and Gibbs had a career-best 31 touches — Gibbs shouldered the load this week.

Gibbs had 27 touches (second-most of his career) for 154 total yards (third-most of his career) and was a factor early and often, setting the tone, eating up the clock and moving the chains. Gibbs didn’t have any explosive, game-changing runs, his longest run being 12 yards, but he consistently made runs of 5-12 yards (12 such runs) and provided a spark in the passing game.

One of Gibbs’ most impressive plays wasn’t even when he had the ball in his hands, but when he threw two separate blocks on the aforementioned catch-and-run conversion on St. Brown’s 3rd-and-17. The blocking required a high level of attention, diligence and selflessness from Gibbs and was the perfect embodiment of his talented time as the team’s engine.

Williams was the Lions’ second-most rushing yard leader, just behind Gibbs. He managed a total of six touches for a total of 150 yards. Williams set a career high in total yards in a game (150), received yards in a game (143), the longest catch of his career (82 yards), received yards above expectations (+75) and his 67 yards after Catches were the second most of his career. Williams is now averaging 8.9 yards after the catch per reception this year, the most among wide receivers with at least 40 targets.

Williams also suffered a very questionable penalty after converting the Lions’ first down of the season. Dan Campbell gave him a stern talk on the sideline, and Williams recovered with all his might after the penalty to push it into the rearview mirror (much like he does with defenders).

Williams’ most impactful and impressive play was his 82-yard bullet train touchdown that further opened the game in the second quarter. However, he made a number of other great plays for the team against the Bears. Williams had four more receptions, including a pair of dandy drag routes that allowed him to turn up the field and a difficult curl route that each led to first downs on four separate scoring drives.

On Sunday, Williams was the complete package as he still has two games left to record 110 receiving yards and deservedly reach 1,000 receiving yards this season.

Unsung Heroes: Christian Mahogany and Amik Robertson

There were a number of unsaid things that spoke volumes about Christian Mahogany’s first start. The fact that the coaching staff trusted Mahogany to not only start, but play the entire game without veteran Kayode Awosika subbing, was promising. Additionally, Ben Johnson seemed able to cover the full range of play calls and didn’t have to resort to Mahogany. Finally, when a sixth-round rookie makes his first career start, it’s a very easy opportunity for the broadcast team to be overly aware of any mistakes, and there was a single one that was brought up.

On the field, Mahogany was as good as he was advertised to be, his nasty scumbag self. Mahogany was able to create a strong push on multiple occasions while also getting to second-level blocks in the run game, looked clean and alert in pass defense, and had some monster blocks in the screen game.

On Gibbs’ longest play of the game, a 25-yard screen pass, Mahogany, along with Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler, were crucial to Gibbs’ caravan, eliminating a handful of defenders who escorted him down the field. Then, on St. Brown’s improbable tunnel-screen pass touchdown, Mahogany was the leading offensive lineman up front, picking off Kevin Byard as St. Brown advanced into the end zone.

The Bears matchup was ideal for Mahogany in his first start, as they were without a few interior defenders and their linebackers often didn’t blitz, but he seemed mighty comfortable between Taylor Decker and Ragnow.

The way the defensive coaches used their defensive backs on Sunday after Carlton Davis’ injury also spoke volumes about their belief in Amik Robertson. Roberson had played most of the season as a nickel cornerback, but against the Bears, the Lions had Robertson play primarily as the starting outside cornerback opposite Terrion Arnold. Robertson stepped up and played a season-high 63 snaps.

Robertson had numerous great tackles and short passes throughout the game that unsettled the player with the ball. Robertson also made two pass deflections and seemed to belong with the extra playing time.

It meant a lot that both Emmanuel Moseley and Kindle Vildor, both cornerbacks, were active but didn’t play any defensive snaps, and shows that Robertson should be a key factor in the Lions’ championship run.