The Detroit Lions put forth a stinker against one of the worst teams in the NFL for most of Sunday afternoon at Ford field.

Jared Goff threw three interceptions in the first three quarters, Craig Reynolds fumbled a kickoff and the Lions trailed by 12 points with under four minutes remaining.

But Goff spearheaded two late touchdown drives just as the Lions defense stiffened, and David Montgomery scored the winning 1-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left in a frenetic rally past the Chicago Bears, 31-26.

This is the Lions' first 8-2 start since the 1962 season. That team went 11-2 before losing in the season finale.

The Lions face a quick turnaround with their annual Thanksgiving Day game Thursday against the Green Bay Packers.

The Lions miraculously had a chance to win the game, after Goff found Jameson Williams for a 32-yard touchdown with 2:59 left and the defense forced a quick three-and-out.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions epic rally past Bears gives them best start since 1962