DETROIT (AP) — Long before Matthew Stafford’s two interceptions in the fourth quarter Nick Bellore Jersey , the Detroit Lions looked limited offensively.Playing without running back Kerryon Johnson and wide receiver Marvin Jones, the Lions kept it close against Chicago on Thursday but ultimately fell 23-16 . Stafford’s late interceptions turned the game in the Bears’ favor, but even when Detroit was keeping better care of the ball, the Lions weren’t exactly picking up huge chunks of yardage. Detroit has some extra time to rest now, and perhaps the Lions will be healthier for their next game — but that Dec. 2 matchup is against a formidable opponent in the Los Angeles Rams.“There’s not a lot of time to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves,” Detroit coach Matt Patricia said. “We have one of the best teams in the NFL coming in here next week.”The Lions (4-7) already have as many losses as they had all of last season, when they went 9-7 before firing coach Jim Caldwell and replacing him with Patricia. It has been a struggle in 2018: The team started 0-2, battled back to 3-3, then lost three straight. Detroit was 3-4 when it traded receiver Golden Tate to the Eagles. Now Jones has been dealing with a knee injury T.J. Jones Jersey , further hampering the passing game.Receiver Kenny Golladay looks like he could be developing into a star, but against the Bears he seemed like Detroit’s only big-play threat.Stafford finished 28 of 38 for 236 yards in the Thanksgiving loss to Chicago. It was the third time in four games he averaged under 10 yards per completion. He indicated afterward that the Lions prioritized quick passes to deal with Chicago’s pass rush.“I think it’s just influenced by what you see on tape when you see them play. Teams that hold the ball against those guys don’t get the ball off quite a bit,” Stafford said. “I don’t make those two turnovers, I don’t make those poor plays, we’re right where we want to be.”With the score tied at 16, Stafford threw an interception that was run back for a touchdown. Then he had a pass picked off in the end zone with just over a minute to play.Both Jones and Johnson were out with knee injuries. Johnson, a rookie, has given Detroit’s running game a boost, but even with him out Kerry Hyder Jersey , the Lions were able to move the ball decently on the ground. LeGarrette Blount ran for a season-high 88 yards with two touchdowns.“He’s a great player. He’s tough, he’s competitive, he works hard and tries to do everything the right way,” Patricia said. “He has a great knack for continually going after it and eventually, at some point, he (was) able to break a couple, which was good. But look, it doesn’t really matter. We have to go win. We have to figure it out. We have to all perform better, and coach it better Zach Zenner Jersey , and just go do a better job than what we did.”NOTES: The Lions announced Friday that they have been assigned CB Marcus Cooper via waivers from the Bears. Detroit waived S Don Carey. … Although injuries made the going tougher on offense, the Lions had reason to be encouraged by DE Ziggy Ansah’s performance. Ansah has dealt with injury problems of his own this year, but he was a factor Thursday with a sack and two hurries.Report: Free agent S George Iloka ‘likely’ to sign with Vikings A few days ago, one of the more surprising cuts hit the newswire when it was reported that veteran George Iloka, a six year starter for the Cincinnati Bengals, had been let go. There was immediate speculation that Iloka might be a fit for the Vikings, since he spent his first two years with the Bengals working under then-defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. It was a reasonable assumption, as Minnesota pursued Iloka in free agency back in 2016, but to no avail. Iloka re-upped with the Bengals Quandre Diggs Jersey , signing a five year, $30 million dollar deal, with $18 million guaranteed.When Iloka was released, the Vikings seemed like a possible destination again, as it was thought that Iloka’s knowledge of the defense and his past relationship with Zimmer might be enough for the Vikings to kick the tires on him. It appears they’re doing more than that:Iloka and the Vikings make a ton of sense based on his history with Zimmer in Cincinnati, but I thought that the Vikes were kind of set at safety. There is an argument to be made that depth needs to be addressed at other positions, like offensive line or wide receiver, and Andrew Sendejo has played pretty well the last couple years. He was ranked as the 13th overall safety per PFF last year, and of all the position groups on the team Theo Riddick Jersey , the defensive backfield seemed to be a low priority in terms of finding guys that can play.But Iloka brings a ton of experience and depth to an already stacked secondary, and challenges Sendejo for a starting job opposite Harrison Smith. Just because you’re already strong at a position doesn’t mean you should pass up an opportunity to get a good football player when the situation presents itself. And the Vikings appear to be doing just that.Vikings fans were salivating at a Smith-Iloka safety combo back in 2016, and now it could very well happen. He’s well versed in Mike Zimmer’s ‘Double A Gap’ defense, he’s been a starter for five years, and in that time has missed only four games due to injury. Iloka shouldn’t have any problems assimilating in to the defense, and the tough decisions for the Vikings staff on who stays and who goes in the secondary when cutdown day comes just got a whole lot tougher.So barring a snafu in contract negotiations, it looks like the Vikings are adding another really good player to an already great defense. When we get more details, we’ll pass them along.