Detroit Lions get first win with overtime victory

DETROIT -- The Matthew Stafford-to-Calvin Johnson long-distance connection finally returned for the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Not coincidentally, the Lions won for the first time this season.

Stafford, who was benched during the Lions' 42-17 loss to Arizona the previous Sunday, passed for 405 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-34 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. He connected with his favorite receiver, Johnson, on a 57-yard pass to set up Matt Prater's game-winning 27-yard field goal with 3:54 remaining in overtime

"Stafford's been doing it his whole career, especially in situations where not only him but we've got our backs against the wall. He comes out with fire," said Johnson, who caught six passes for 166 yards. "That's all he did today. He kept his composure all week and didn't worry about what happened in the past."

Johnson's longest reception this season entering the game was 28 yards, but he had catches of 39 and 43 yards on Sunday to go along with his pivotal overtime grab.

"That's the Calvin Johnson I've been seeing for my whole life," Stafford said. "He's been the same guy. I'm just happy for him to have a big game because all he wants to do is help us win. It's my job to get him the ball and I wasn't doing a good enough job of that in the first five games. I tried to do a better job of it today and he made the plays."

Wide receiver Lance Moore had five receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown for Detroit (1-5), which was the league's only winless team entering Sunday's action.

The teams traded scores in the final 21 seconds to send the game into overtime. Stafford hit Johnson with a 6-yard pass to put the Lions on top 34-31. The Bears tied it as time expired on Robbie Gould's fourth field goal, a 29-yarder, after they worked into position thanks to a pair of defensive pass interference penalties.

Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler passed for 353 yards and a touchdown. Running back Matt Forte rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown for the Bears (2-4). Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who sat out the previous four games with a hamstring injury, had eight receptions for 147 yards and a score.

"That last drive (in regulation), Jay did a good job and our offensive coaches did a good job," Chicago coach John Fox said. "We went a pretty good distance in a short amount of time and it gave us an opportunity to try to win the game in overtime."

The Bears defense gave up 546 total yards, preventing them from winning their third straight.

"We scored 34 points," Fox said. "In this league, that's usually enough. Today, it wasn't."

Detroit squandered an eight-point lead in the second half by committing three turnovers.

The Lions' second special-teams giveaway handed the ball to the Bears at the Lions 21 early in the fourth. Cutler's 17-yard pass to Jeffery cut Detroit's lead to 24-23.

A few plays later, an ill-advised shovel pass attempt by Stafford was picked off by linebacker Jonathan Anderson at the Detroit 24. Forte scored on a 2-yard run up the middle and also caught a pass from Cutler for the two-point conversion, giving the Bears a 31-24 lead with7:50 remaining.

Prater's 32-yard field goal with 2:46 left cut Chicago's lead to four prior to Johnson's go-ahead score.

Stafford threw three first-half touchdowns to give the Lions a 21-13 halftime lead.

Detroit scored in the final minute of the half on a 2-yard pass from Stafford to wide receiver Golden Tate.

Tate was stripped by cornerback Kyle Fuller on the play and the ball wound up in Anderson's hands. It was originally ruled a turnover but the replay official determined that Tate broke the plane before he lost the ball.

NOTES: Both teams were without numerous starters and key performers. Bears OT Jermon Bushrod (shoulder), LB Shea McClellin (knee) and S Antrel Rolle (ankle) were inactive while DE Ego Ferguson (knee) was placed on the Reserve/Injured list. RB Joique Bell (ankle), LB DeAndre Levy (hip), TEs Brandon Pettigrew (knee) and Eric Ebron (knee), DT Haloti Ngata (calf) and S James Ihedigbo (quad) were inactive for Detroit. ... The Lions won the last four meetings after losing nine of the previous 10. ... Chicago heads into its bye week, while Detroit plays its third consecutive home game against another division rival, Minnesota, on Sunday.