The Detroit Lions hadn’t won a Thanksgiving game since 2016. Lions fans unexpectedly had to sweat to break that streak.
They may have a game management fiasco to thank for the Chicago Bears.
The Bears, who still had a timeout, ran the clock down to the final seconds after a sack, trailing by three points. Things went too far and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw incomplete on the final play.
The Lions ultimately earned the 23-20 victory. A questionable defensive pass interference penalty on a fourth-and-14 desperation pass gave the Bears a first down well within field goal range. But the drive went back and then the Bears managed the clock as poorly as you will see in the NFL.
It’s hard to be sharp every half of an NFL season, and for most of this season the Lions have been very good. The Lions’ second half wasn’t impressive, but at least they didn’t take another Thanksgiving loss. After how they dominated the first half, it would have been a big letdown. As it is, another win and an 11-1 record is fine as they chase the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
For Chicago, it’s going to be a long week for head coach Matt Eberflus, who is in the hottest seat possible after the way the Bears botched the end of the game.
Lions dominate the first half
The Bears have played better in recent weeks. They were a blocked field goal in beating the Green Bay Packers and took the Minnesota Vikings to overtime. The Bears came in at 4-7, but haven’t been clumsy lately.
The Lions made the Bears look like a college team in the first half.
In the first quarter the Lions outscored the Bears 214-11 and had 15 first downs (a ridiculous number in a quarter of football) to zero for the Bears. Detroit scored on the first play of the second quarter, with a touchdown pass from Jared Goff to tight end Sam LaPorta to take a 10-0 lead.
The Lions’ offense has been fantastic all season and the defense has made great strides to match it. The Bears’ first three possessions all ended in three-and-outs. They didn’t fall behind until there were 51 seconds left in the first half. The Bears have had some terrible offensive games this season, but Thursday’s first half seemed to be more about the Lions’ defense dominating them. The Bears had 53 yards in the first half. The Lions had 279. It looked like Detroit was going to blow them away.
But give the bears all the credit. In the second half the game looked very different.
Bears stay in the game
The Lions were clearly superior in the first half, but some red zone trouble and a Jahmyr Gibbs fumble deep in Bears territory kept the score at a manageable 16-0 for Chicago at halftime. Immediately after halftime, Caleb Williams hit Keenan Allen for a touchdown and the Bears cut their deficit to 16-7. The Lions came right back. Aided by a questionable horse penalty on a third-down stop, the Lions went downfield and LaPorta got his second touchdown.
But the Bears hung around. Williams calmed down and made plays. The Lions didn’t move up and down the field with ease, and a missed field goal in the fourth quarter by Detroit kept the door open for a comeback. Williams had a nice pass to DJ Moore for a 31-yard touchdown with 5:36 left, and despite a miserable first half, the Bears were within three points.
The Bears forced a punt, but Detroit had good coverage and beat it at the 1-yard line. Williams kept the Bears’ hopes alive with a 25-yard pass to Moore on third down. Chicago moved it to midfield after the two-minute warning. A sack set the Bears’ drive back and they faced a fourth-and-4 just outside field goal range at the Detroit 44-yard line. There was an offensive pass interference call that negated a Moore catch for a first down, then Williams threw the ball deep on fourth-and-14. Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor struggled with Moore and the officials called the penalty. That kept the bears alive.
The drive stalled after that, with a sack and penalty pushing Chicago back. Williams was sacked with 30 seconds left and took too long to get the play in and execute. Williams looked like a rookie trying to get the team organized. The pop came with about six seconds left and he held it too long before throwing it downfield.
It was a win for the Lions. It felt more like the Bears blew it at the end.
