Jones guilty of interference on Stafford’s spike

Detroit -- It wasn't the biggest drop of the game, but receiver Marvin Jones Jr. still felt bad about causing it.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford impressed with his feet on the scrambling, winning, seven-yard touchdown run late in Detroit's 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears at Ford Field Sunday.

Then Stafford went for the spike -- and, well, he whiffed.

"I don't know if somebody knocked it out of his hand, or it was a little strip," offensive lineman Graham Glasgow said. "But you've gotta applaud the effort, right?"

It was actually Jones who got in the way of Stafford's celebration, following his latest fourth-quarter magic act. Jones was behind Stafford and tried quickly to back up, but he wasn't quick enough.

"I know why you asked me that question," Jones said with a grin. "It was me who messed it up.

"He cocked back pretty far, and it hit me and it was a failed spike. But hey, it was a touchdown."

Stafford really was about to let loose on that spike, perhaps taking out some frustrations on the previous two drives.

He threw interceptions on back-to-back drives in the second half, one a pick-six to give the Bears the lead. Stafford came into the game having thrown just one interception since Week 4, then threw two in the 3 o'clock hour Sunday.

Switch for Glasgow

The Bears came in with three pass rushers having more than six sacks, and they gave the Lions quite a bit to handle, up front. Glasgow, the rookie out of Michigan, had to move to center from guard.

He faced the formidable Bears nose tackle Eddie Goldman.

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“There was some old technique things that you had to get down,” Glasgow said about the shift. “I’m not going to say I was rusty, but I really started to get those down more in the second half.”

For parts of the game, the linemen had some trouble protecting Stafford, whose mobility came in handy, and who was sacked three times for 14 yards, including in some key situations.

“I’m not sure it was really them,” Glasgow said. “I think that they’re a really good team. They played some good ball. But I don’t know if we were executing up to the standard that we’re used to, up until the second half.

“And then, we started to get going as a group.”

Asked what adjustments he had to make, moving in from guard, Glasgow chuckled and said, “Snapping the ball!"

Bell's return

Running back Joique Bell, signed this week by the Lions, got into the game late in the fourth quarter and was stopped for a loss of two yards. Still, the crowd gave the Detroit native and former Wayne State star a nice ovation.

It was odd timing for such a cheer, given the Lions' had just thrown a pick-six to lose the lead.

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Bell might get an increased work load next week, with Zach Zenner leaving late for concussion tests.

Dwayne Washington, who's been dealing with an ankle injury, limped off at one point, but returned, and the rookie seventh-rounder had his best game with 64 rushing yards. Most notably, he had an impressive, fighting, first-down run in the Lions' touchdown drive to close the first half.

Washington's previous best was 38 yards in September in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.

In other injury news, defensive end Ziggy Ansah was out with a shoulder injury for a long stretch, suffered in the second quarter. He returned late in the fourth.

Extra points

Oakland University basketball player Isaiah Brock was the Lions' Hometown Hero of Sunday's game, and the freshman forward/Army veteran received a huge ovation from the crowd during the third quarter.

Brock, who didn't even know if he'd ever play much for the Golden Grizzlies, is averaging 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds through 10 games, six starts. He's earned one Horizon League freshman of the week award.

... Lions coach Jim Caldwell didn't use a single timeout, in either half. It proved masterful in the scoring drive to close the first half, leaving the Bears only 19 seconds to drum something up. They said no thanks.

... In his last five games, Lions kicker Matt Prater is 15-for-15 on field goals. He made a 54-yarder and a 29-yarder in the win over the Bears.

... The Bears fell to 0-7 on the road.

Gregg Krupa contributed to this report.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter @tonypaul1984