DETROIT — Bears quarterback Justin Fields has 113 rushing yards but his three-win team is in a familiar place: losing 24-10 to the Lions at Ford Field.

Fields’ rushing has been one of a just a few positive developments against a team with playoff aspirations. The Lions entered the game with the league’s worst defense but have sacked Fields four times and forced him to fumble on a run. Throw in an interception of the last play of the half, and Fields completed 3-of-8 passes for 33 yards, a 50.5 passer rating and two turnovers.

The quarterback started the game with dynamic plays of his own. He ran for 60 yards on a first-quarter scramble. He dropped back, couldn’t find a receiver and took off directly between the hash marks. By the time he reached the Bears’ 38, Fields had one defender a yard behind him and four in front. He zoomed past all of them, bent his run right and then back again left. By the time he reached the Lions’ 40, he had two men to beat with Dante Pettis running alongside him. Safety Kerby Joseph and cornerback Will Harris tore him down at the 10.

Fields reached 20.39 mph on his run, per NFL Next Gen Stats. It was his ninth run this year that hit at least 20 mph, the most of any player in a single season since tracking began in 2016.

The Bears had to settle for a field goal, though, to go ahead 10-3. The Lions scored the next two touchdowns.

The Bears’ only touchdown of the half came after a creative short-yardage call. On third-and-one on the Bears’ first drive, tight end Cole Kmet went in motion and settled in under center, seemingly to take a direct snap for a sneak. He took the snap and pitched the ball left to Fields, who ran like a tailback behind lead blocker David Montgomery. Thirty-one yards later, the Bears were at the Lions’ 21. Two plays later, Fields found Kmet for a 13-yard touchdown on third-and-two.

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DETROIT — Bears quarterback Justin Fields has 113 rushing yards but his three-win team is in a familiar place: losing 24-10 to the Lions at Ford Field.

Fields’ rushing has been one of a just a few positive developments against a team with playoff aspirations. The Lions entered the game with the league’s worst defense but have sacked Fields four times and forced him to fumble on a run. Throw in an interception of the last play of the half, and Fields completed 3-of-8 passes for 33 yards, a 50.5 passer rating and two turnovers.

The quarterback started the game with dynamic plays of his own. He ran for 60 yards on a first-quarter scramble. He dropped back, couldn’t find a receiver and took off directly between the hash marks. By the time he reached the Bears’ 38, Fields had one defender a yard behind him and four in front. He zoomed past all of them, bent his run right and then back again left. By the time he reached the Lions’ 40, he had two men to beat with Dante Pettis running alongside him. Safety Kerby Joseph and cornerback Will Harris tore him down at the 10.

Fields reached 20.39 mph on his run, per NFL Next Gen Stats. It was his ninth run this year that hit at least 20 mph, the most of any player in a single season since tracking began in 2016.

The Bears had to settle for a field goal, though, to go ahead 10-3. The Lions scored the next two touchdowns.

The Bears’ only touchdown of the half came after a creative short-yardage call. On third-and-one on the Bears’ first drive, tight end Cole Kmet went in motion and settled in under center, seemingly to take a direct snap for a sneak. He took the snap and pitched the ball left to Fields, who ran like a tailback behind lead blocker David Montgomery. Thirty-one yards later, the Bears were at the Lions’ 21. Two plays later, Fields found Kmet for a 13-yard touchdown on third-and-two.

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After the best semifinal day in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff, the title game will match the defending national champion against the closest thing the sport has had in years to a Cinderella team.

It will be No. 1 Georgia (14-0) looking for its second straight championship against upstart and No. 3 TCU on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The four-team playoff has been littered with lopsided semifinal games, but Saturday — and into early Sunday and the new year — delivered two thrillers and a combined 179 points.

The Bulldogs came from 14 points down in the second half to beat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl and advance to the CFP championship game for the third time under coach Kirby Smart.

“If we want any chance of winning a national championship, we have to play a lot better football than we played tonight, but we have to keep the resiliency and composure along with us,” Smart said.

The Bulldogs and Buckeyes played a classic that came down to a missed field goal by Ohio State with three seconds left. Amazingly, it was even better than the wild opener of the semifinal doubleheader between No. 3 TCU and No. 2 Michigan.

The Horned Frogs (13-1) upset the Wolverines 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl, the second-highest scoring CFP game ever.

“We’re going to celebrate it,” TCU quarterback Max Duggan said. “Obviously, we’re excited, but we know we got a big one coming up.”

TCU, the first Big 12 team to win a playoff game, will be looking for its first national title since 1938. Under coach Dutch Meyer, the Horned Frogs beat Carnegie Tech 15-7 in the Sugar Bowl to complete a 10-0 season.

The Southeastern Conference champion Bulldogs opened as a 131/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, in what will be the fifth meeting between the schools.

Georgia has won them all, including the last in the 2016 Liberty Bowl.

Coming off a 5-7 season in 2021 and picked to finish seventh in their conference before the season, the Horned Frogs have embraced the underdog role and thrived on being doubted.

“We know we’re going to hear it again. It’s not going to stop now,” first-year coach Sonny Dykes said. “We got to do what we did this game (against Michigan). We’ve got to answer that criticism and show up and do what we’re supposed to do.

“If we think that’s going away, I think you guys all know that’s not. That’s just the way it is.”

TCU would be the first team to win a national championship the year after having a losing season since Michigan State in 1965.

Georgia, No. 1 for most of the season, is looking for its third national title, trying to become the first back-to-back champion in the CFP era and the first since Alabama won the BCS in 2011 and ’12.

It will be a matchup of Heisman Trophy finalist quarterbacks, with Duggan and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett.

Neither is a future NFL draft first-rounder, and both had ups and down in the semifinal but came through in the biggest spots.

Duggan ran for two scores and threw two TD passes as the Frogs held back a surging Michigan in the second half.

Bennett threw for 398 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game winner with 54 seconds left.

These Bulldogs rely more on Bennett and their offense than last year’s championship team, which fielded one of the best defenses college football has had in recent history. Georgia ranked fifth in the nation in yards per play (6.97) coming into the playoff.

The Frogs have have a powerful offense, too, with Duggan and star receiver Quentin Johnston, who had 163 yards on six catches against the Wolverines.

This is the penultimate season of the four-team version of the playoff before it expands to 12 teams in the 2024 season.

Before Saturday, only three of 16 semifinals had been decided by single digits, and all those blowouts helped fuel a desire to grow the field in the hope of creating some more interesting postseason games.

This New Year’s Eve, the four-team playoff turned out to be an eight-hour college football party.

After losing to TCU, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh summed up his team’s game, and as it turns out, the day.

“The winner,” he said, “was football.”

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After the best semifinal day in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff, the title game will match the defending national champion against the closest thing the sport has had in years to a Cinderella team.

It will be No. 1 Georgia (14-0) looking for its second straight championship against upstart and No. 3 TCU on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The four-team playoff has been littered with lopsided semifinal games, but Saturday — and into early Sunday and the new year — delivered two thrillers and a combined 179 points.

The Bulldogs came from 14 points down in the second half to beat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl and advance to the CFP championship game for the third time under coach Kirby Smart.

“If we want any chance of winning a national championship, we have to play a lot better football than we played tonight, but we have to keep the resiliency and composure along with us,” Smart said.

The Bulldogs and Buckeyes played a classic that came down to a missed field goal by Ohio State with three seconds left. Amazingly, it was even better than the wild opener of the semifinal doubleheader between No. 3 TCU and No. 2 Michigan.

The Horned Frogs (13-1) upset the Wolverines 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl, the second-highest scoring CFP game ever.

“We’re going to celebrate it,” TCU quarterback Max Duggan said. “Obviously, we’re excited, but we know we got a big one coming up.”

TCU, the first Big 12 team to win a playoff game, will be looking for its first national title since 1938. Under coach Dutch Meyer, the Horned Frogs beat Carnegie Tech 15-7 in the Sugar Bowl to complete a 10-0 season.

The Southeastern Conference champion Bulldogs opened as a 131/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, in what will be the fifth meeting between the schools.

Georgia has won them all, including the last in the 2016 Liberty Bowl.

Coming off a 5-7 season in 2021 and picked to finish seventh in their conference before the season, the Horned Frogs have embraced the underdog role and thrived on being doubted.

“We know we’re going to hear it again. It’s not going to stop now,” first-year coach Sonny Dykes said. “We got to do what we did this game (against Michigan). We’ve got to answer that criticism and show up and do what we’re supposed to do.

“If we think that’s going away, I think you guys all know that’s not. That’s just the way it is.”

TCU would be the first team to win a national championship the year after having a losing season since Michigan State in 1965.

Georgia, No. 1 for most of the season, is looking for its third national title, trying to become the first back-to-back champion in the CFP era and the first since Alabama won the BCS in 2011 and ’12.

It will be a matchup of Heisman Trophy finalist quarterbacks, with Duggan and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett.

Neither is a future NFL draft first-rounder, and both had ups and down in the semifinal but came through in the biggest spots.

Duggan ran for two scores and threw two TD passes as the Frogs held back a surging Michigan in the second half.

Bennett threw for 398 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game winner with 54 seconds left.

These Bulldogs rely more on Bennett and their offense than last year’s championship team, which fielded one of the best defenses college football has had in recent history. Georgia ranked fifth in the nation in yards per play (6.97) coming into the playoff.

The Frogs have have a powerful offense, too, with Duggan and star receiver Quentin Johnston, who had 163 yards on six catches against the Wolverines.

This is the penultimate season of the four-team version of the playoff before it expands to 12 teams in the 2024 season.

Before Saturday, only three of 16 semifinals had been decided by single digits, and all those blowouts helped fuel a desire to grow the field in the hope of creating some more interesting postseason games.

This New Year’s Eve, the four-team playoff turned out to be an eight-hour college football party.

After losing to TCU, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh summed up his team’s game, and as it turns out, the day.

“The winner,” he said, “was football.”

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There are very few uncommitted Division I senior prospects remaining on the board. But the state’s best one, Young’s Daniel Johnson, only enhanced his stock over the holidays.

Johnson was sensational in Young’s semifinal win over St. Rita at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. He scored 25 points and looked the part of a smooth scorer playing with a ton of confidence.

He followed it up with a team-high 16 points and six rebounds in the 58-55 title game victory over Kenwood.

The 6-6 Johnson was still efficient while being a marked man. In those two massive wins over teams ranked in the top five, Johnson was 15 of 28 from the field with five three-pointers. He averaged 21.5 points and seven rebounds in the four tournament wins.

After an up-and-down summer during the evaluation periods, Johnson, the Proviso West Holiday Tournament MVP, is playing the best basketball of his career. He has taken a big step forward with his consistency and production while playing the part of a bonafide mid-major prospect.

As a result, the tandem of point guard Dalen Davis and Johnson has Young right back as city and state contenders once again.

While there is still a lot of basketball to be played, if Young were to get through what will be a very challenging sectional, it’s likely either Kenwood or St. Rita will be waiting for the Dolphins in the UIC super-sectional in March.

Hinsdale Central emerges

The West Suburban Silver, dominated by Glenbard West a year ago, was expected to be a two-team race featuring Lyons and Downers Grove North. Both Lyons and Downers Grove North have lived up to the preseason expectations thus far, going a combined 23-2 to start the season.

But after what transpired over the holidays, might Hinsdale Central be ready to join them?

Fresh off winning their own Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic for the first time, coach Nick Latorre’s team heads into the new year with a full head of steam and boiling over in confidence. Hinsdale Central is a different team than it was just a month ago.

Led by tournament MVP Ben Oosterbaan, the Red Devils knocked off ranked Oswego East, a team it fell to by 10 points over Thanksgiving. The tournament run included wins over Homewood-Flossmoor and Marian Catholic as the 6-4 Oosterbaan, a Michigan baseball recruit, averaged 21.3 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Hinsdale Central will get a shot at Lyons Jan. 20.

Holiday success story

This holiday basketball season packed a punch.

The crowds at each stop over the final couple of days were lively, filling gyms at the State Farm Classic, Big Dipper, Pontiac, Proviso West and York tournaments.

There was a star player in Cameron Christie who dazzled and impressed while leading his team to five wins in five days at York.

The top uncommitted seniors, the aforementioned Johnson and Simeon’s Jalen Griffith, did everything in their power to garner more college interest while leading their teams; they both won tournament awards and titles.

There was an emotional sendoff for Robert Smith who won a tournament title in his final year coaching in Pontiac — Simeon’s “second home.”

Chicago area teams made deep runs in traditional tournaments across the state. Mount Carmel beat highly-regarded Moline to win at Pekin. Lincoln-Way East rolled to a championship in Effingham and returned 14-1. Both Evanston and Romeoville reached title games at Centralia and the State Farm Classic in Bloomington, respectively, where they finished second.

And there were surprises, upsets and statements from unlikely sources. Hello, Hinsdale Central, Libertyville and Grayslake Central.

This past week has certainly set a tone for what should be as intriguing of a final two months of high school basketball as we’ve had in Illinois in years.

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The Chicago Bears should have an offensive weapon Sunday

The Chicago Bears had several key players battling injuries this week. Two wide receivers, Chase Claypool and Equanimeous St. Brown, were back at practice Thursday. Offensive guards Teven Jenkins and Cody Whitehair were both without designations for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions on the Week 17 injury report released Friday.

According to the Bears’ inactive list released Sunday, Claypool and St. Brown appear good to go against the Lions. Claypool should have a chance to work with quarterback Justin Fields this week as the offense tries to gain experience and end the season with momentum for next season. According to an early Sunday morning report by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Claypool was expected to play Sunday.

Bears’ inactives against the Lions

QB Tim BoyleRB Darrynton EvansLB Sterling WeatherfordOL Alex LeatherwoodDB Breon BordersDB Michael OjemudiaOL Ja’tyre Carter

Interestingly, the Chicago Bears decided to have Ojemudia inactive this week. The former third-round pick was signed to the Bears this week off waivers after the Denver Broncos released him. The Bears chose to promote Greg Stroman Jr., who was signed to the practice squad this week. They also promoted linebacker DeMarquis Gates against the Lions.

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ATLANTA — Stetson Bennett capped No. 1 Georgia’s comeback from a two-touchdown, fourth-quarter deficit with a 10-yard, last-minute scoring pass to Adonai Mitchell in a 42-41 victory over No. 4 Ohio State for a shot at its second straight national title.

The comeback in the College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal held just after midnight Sunday when Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard field goal attempt for Ohio State with three seconds remaining sailed wide left, setting off a celebration on the Georgia sideline.

Georgia (14-0) will play No. 3 TCU, which beat No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal, on Jan. 9 for the national championship. The Bulldogs, who won their first national title since 1980 last season, will play for the first back-to-back championships in school history.

C.J. Stroud threw four touchdown passes for Ohio State (11-2), which led 38-24 in the fourth quarter. Bennett’s 76-yard scoring pass to Arian Smith, followed by Bennett’s pass to Ladd McConkey on the 2-point play, cut it to 38-35.

Following Bennett’s go-ahead scoring pass to Mitchell with 54 seconds remaining, Stroud led the Buckeyes back with a 27-yard run to the Georgia 31. The missed field goal set off the Georgia celebration that left Bennett in tears.

Ruggles’ 48-yard field goal gave the Buckeyes a 41-35 lead, leaving only 2:36 for Bennett and Georgia’s offense.

Stroud completed 23 of 34 passes for 348 yards without an interception.

Stroud capped the Buckeyes’ first possession of the second half with a 10-yard scoring pass to Emeka Egbuka for a 35-24 lead — already the most points allowed in a full game by the Bulldogs this season.

Marvin Harrison Jr. had five catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Egbuka had eight catches for 112 yards and one score.

Ohio State shut out Georgia in the third quarter while the Buckeyes pulled away with 10 points.

Bennett, who joined Stroud as one of four Heisman Trophy finalists, finished the game strong, completing 23 of 34 passes for 398 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Stroud’s second scoring pass, a 16-yarder to Harrison, gave the Buckeyes a 21-7 lead. Stroud escaped pressure on the play before passing to a diving Harrison in the end zone.

Georgia scored the next 17 points for a 24-21 lead. The Bulldogs had scoring runs of 11 yards by Kendall Milton and 3 yards by Bennett during the run.

THE TAKEAWAY

Ohio State: The Buckeyes scored with devastating quickness at times. A quick-strike, 75-yard touchdown gave Ohio State a 28-24 halftime lead. Stroud completed four consecutive passes in the drive, including a 37-yard scoring pass from Stroud to Xavier Johnson.

Georgia: The Bulldogs ran for 135 yards and finished with 533 total yards, winning with offense on a night its proud defense couldn’t stop Stroud.

INJURY REPORT

Ohio State TE Cade Stover, suffering back spasms, was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons, the team announced at the start of the second half. There was no immediate update.

Georgia OLB Chaz Chambliss left the game late in the first half with an apparent left knee injury. Chambliss needed help leaving the field. Georgia TE Darnell Washington was on crutches on the sideline after suffering a left ankle injury in the second period.

Georgia WR Ladd McConkey (knee) had limited playing time and RT Warren McClendon (knee) was in uniform but did not start.

Buckeyes running back Miyan Williams, who missed practice this week with a stomach bug while also still recovering from an ankle injury, had only three carries for eight yards, including a scoring plunge from the 2, in the first half.

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