Lions rookie QB David Blough reflects on 'special' NFL debut

David Blough reflected on a "special" NFL debut after the undrafted rookie impressed for the Detroit Lions in their narrow 24-20 Thanksgiving Day defeat to the Chicago Bears.

The Lions confirmed on Wednesday that Blough – who was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in May before being traded to Detroit– would be making his maiden start due to injuries to starting and backup quarterbacksMatthew Stafford andJeff Driskel.

Blough's bow was one to remember, with the 24-year-old's first pass completion leading to a 75-yard touchdown for Kenny Golladay.

VIDEO: David Blough's WOW throws from first NFL start

Another pass to Marvin Jones Jr. resulted in the Lions' second touchdown as they took17-7 lead, but a late charge from the Bears saw Chicago come out on top Thursday.

Detroit (3-8-1) has now lost five games in a row, but there was plenty of positivity regarding Blough's display in his first career start.

"Going into it I felt comfortable, prepared and we had a great plan to go into the game and take our shots," Blough told a news conference at Ford Field.

"It wasn't until (Wednesday) night that I was told I was a starter, then the Lions announced it and all those things.I was ready to go, prepare every week to play on the field.

"It just so happened it was done on a short week, Matthew being out, just a couple of different twists and turns, but they told me last night and I was pretty excited.

"This is what you dream about as a kid, I’m thankful for it all, the ups and downs.

"I knew I wasn't going to be perfect but I wanted to give everything that I had and the guys lifted me up. It was encouraging to me, as the guy who has been here 10 or 11 weeks, to know that I had those guys in my corner, it was special.

WHO IS DAVID BLOUGH? Fast facts about Lions' Thanksgiving starter

"I've been playing football my whole life and I think one of the coolest things was the amount of support I had. Family, friends, teammates everybody, I had to turn my phone off!"

Blough, however, conceded the Lions can only have themselves to blame for a seventh defeat in eight games.

"As a guy who wants more, it's tough to stand here after a loss butwe'll go back and watch the tape and learn and keep on improving," he said.

"You can put it on a lack of execution, some drives that stalled out. I think it shows you the story of our offense all season. We’ve been explosive and had a lot of success against a lot of great teams, no matter who the quarterback is, but sometimes we shoot ourselves in the foot."