The Magnificent 7

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 19-16 loss to the Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field:

1. Amon-Ra St. Brown

Ben Johnson's offense turned the 2021 fourth-round draft pick into a star, and Dennis Allen's defense solidified St. Brown's status as not only the best receiver in the family but one of the best in the NFL. St. Brown had 11 receptions for 139 yards Sunday, including nine receptions for 110 yards in the first half (including four catches for 60 yards to convert four third-down plays) as the Lions' offense controlled the clock and the game. St. Brown had just two catches in the second half, but his 26-yard reception to the Bears' 26-yard line with 33 seconds left turned into the death blow. In two games against the Bears this season, St. Brown has 20 receptions for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

2. Jared Goff

Most if not all Bears fans would take Caleb Williams over Goff in a minute, but while Williams can make many plays that Goff cannot, he's unlikely to reach elite status until he masters the nuances of the job — pre-snap reads and instinctive decision-making — as Goff has. Goff's pinpoint accuracy and decision-making set the tone for this game with time-consuming drives that kept Williams and the Bears' offense on the sidelines. Goff completed 27 of 42 passes (64.3%) for 331 yards, one touchdown and one interception for an 86.5 passer rating. In two games against the Bears this season, Goff completed 50-of-70 passes for 665 yards, six touchdowns and one interception for a 123.8 passer rating.

3. Colston Loveland

How many "breakout" performances can a rookie have in one season? For the third time this season, Loveland was exactly the player the Bears drafted — a tight end who can block effectively, be a dependable target in the clutch and make plays like a wide receiver. The 2025 No. 10 overall pick had 10 receptions for 91 yards and a one-yard touchdown that tied the game at 16 with 5:25 to go. He might be pushing Cole Kmet off the roster at this point, but credit for Kmet for again finding a way to contribute — with a clutch 19-yard reception on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter, and improvising after missing a block for the two-point conversion catch that tied the game after Loveland's touchdown catch.

4. Jack Campbell

The third-year linebacker is overshadowed — by running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the 2023 draft and by standout defensive end Aidan Hutchinson in the Lions' defense. But his team-high 10 tackles (with one pass break-up) played a big role in the matchup that made the difference in this game — the Bears' inability to attack a Lions defense that had allowed 30.2 points in its previous six games. Hutchinson beat Darnell Wright one-on-one for a sack and Daryl Reader ran over Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman to help force an intentional grounding penalty, Linebacker Derrick Barnes had a pass breakup on fourth-and-two at the Lions 30 late in the first half. And cornerback Avonte Maddox had his first interception since 2022 with the Eagles.

5. Caleb Williams

It's hard to tell if the Bears' slow starts are a Ben Johnson issue or a Caleb Williams issue, but it was less noticeable when Williams was finishing with a flourish. He has six fourth-quarterback comeback victories this season, but has faltered three times in the last five games after failing to take advantage of a golden opportunity to do what "he's built for" following safety Kevin Byard's interception. The Bears went three-and-out with an incompletion on a pass to Luther Burden that was too hot to handle, and an intentional grounding penalty in reaction to protection breakdown. Williams completed 20-of-33 passes for 212 yards (breaking Erik Kramer's franchise record for single-season passing yards with 3,942) two touchdowns and an interception for an 86.9 passer rating.

6. Kevin Byard

Just as an comfortable reality was setting in — this is a bottom-five defense when its not getting turnovers — linebacker T.J. Edwards and Byard combined for the break the Bears needed to steal this one. On third-and-20 from the Bears 35 with 2:23 left in the fourth quarter, with the Lions in range for a clinching field goal, Edwards deflected a Goff pass downfield and Byard snared it for his NFL-leading seventh interception. After the offense failed to take advantage, the defense allowed the Lions to drive 39 yards for a 42-yard field goal and looked like the culprit after allowing 433 yards. But the Bears' defense is what it is. It's to Ben Johnson's credit that by Week 18 of his first season, the onus is on the offense to win big games and playoff games, when the defense allows 16 points or fewer. That's the new Bears reality, and a refreshing one in these parts.

7. Nahshon Wright

One week, you're snubbed for the Pro Bowl despite five interceptions and eight takeaways. The next week, Bears fans are scouring the roster, if not the waiver wire, for your replacement. Wright has had a fabulous season after getting his opportunity because of injuries to Jaylon Johnson and Terell Smith. But even at his play-making best, his coverage shortcomings were evident and never more so than on Sunday, when the Lions picked on Wright from the start. The Bears' secondary as a whole had a tough day — and somehow, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson did not get a single snap for the first time in 46 games with the Bears.

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