Studs, Duds from Lions' Week 18 win vs. Bears

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The Detroit Lions played for pride on Sunday, defeating the Chicago Bears,19-16, in the regular-season finale.

The Lions aren't moving on to the playoffs like the Bears, but they played their starters and performed to the level that you'd expect from a team that wants to end the season on a positive note. Detroit didn't trail from wire to wire against the Chicago starters, who were already locked into the playoffs but were competing with the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC's No. 2 seed.

The Lions saw strong performances from both their stars as well as some solid showings from players they're evaluating for next season. Let's take a look at the Studs and Duds from the Lions' season finale:

Stud: Jake Bates

The Lions' offense saw a lot of success on Sunday against the Bears, but often couldn't punch the ball into the end zone.

Kicker Jake Bates hasn't had a lot of high-pressure moments this season, but delivered the game-winning kick in the Chicago cold to end the season on a high note. Bates finished 4-for-5 on the day, along with an extra point make.

Stud: Amon-Ra St. Brown

Star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown ate from the volume he received in the first half, surpassing last game's total yardage in only two quarters. St. Brown was clutch on several third-down throws from Jared Goff, and was a pivotal part of the offense keeping Chicago off the field early on.

St. Brown finished with 11 catches for 139 yards, including his big 26-yard grab that set up Bates' game-winner.

Stud: Tyleik Williams

In limited opportunities, rookie defensive tackle Tyleik Williams had one of his stronger games of the season, making key plays in the first half as the Lions stifled the Chicago offense repeatedly.

Despite being just a part of a deep defensive tackle rotation, Williams had both a pass breakup and tackle for loss early on that helped lead to stops for the Lions' defense.

Dud: Christian Mahogany

Christian Mahogany continued his struggles since coming off injured reserve a few games ago. The absence of Penei Sewell put the Lions offensive line at a disadvantage to start, but Mahogany was really the focal point of their struggles on multiple pass rushes.

Mahogany was credited with allowing four pressures and a sack according to Pro Football Focus.

Stud: Avonte Maddox

Avonte Maddox earned another start at safety on Sunday in place of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. Maddox continued to fill in nicely, helping to keep the Bears' offense at bay for the majority of the game.

His greatest impact was on a second-down pass from Caleb Williams that could've been a DJ Moore touchdown, but was instead a Maddox interception that he had in his sights for the majority of the time it was in the air. The pick set the Lions up to continue keeping the Bears out of the end zone for the first three quarters.

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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Studs, Duds from Lions' Week 18 win vs. Bears

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