CHICAGO _ Where would the Detroit Lions be without Matt Prater?
One of the most clutch kickers in the NFL might have saved the season on Sunday in less-than-ideal kicking conditions at Soldier Field.
Prater drilled the winning 52-yard field goal with 1:35 to play, as the Lions beat the Bears, 27-24, to stay within striking distance of the streaking Minnesota Vikings heading into Thursday's Thanksgiving showdown.
The Lions came out sluggish for the second straight week against one of the NFL's worst teams. Jordan Howard ran for 69 yards on his first five carries and the Bears scored the game's first 10 points.
But for the second straight week, a defensive touchdown _ this one on a fumble return by DJ Hayden _ sparked the comeback, and Prater delivered in the game's biggest moment.
With the score tied at 24, Matthew Stafford led the 31st game-winning drive of his career, one that the Lions almost gave away after the two-minute warning.
T.J. Lang was called for a holding penalty. Kenny Golladay dropped a pass. And Stafford threw two incompletions, to leave the Lions in a fourth-and-18 at the Chicago 34-yard line.
Enter Prater, who's now 7-for-10 on 50-plus-yard field goals this year.
With temperatures hovering just above freezing, Prater sent his 52-yard kick just over the crossbar.
The Bears had a chance to tie after Mitchell Trubisky converted a fourth-and-13 with one of the best quarterback scrambles you'll see _ Miles Killebrew and Cornelius Washington missed tackles on the 19-yard run _ but Connor Barth sent his tying 46-yard attempt wide right.
In a game where margins are so thin, that's the difference in the Lions being in the playoff race and not _ having Prater as their kicker instead of Barth, a kicker they worked out on the same day they signed Prater back in 2014.
At 6-4, the Lions still have little room for error, and Thursday's game against the Vikings is must-win. They already won in Minnesota, and will hold the tie-breaker against the 8-2 Vikings if they sweep the season series.
