Chicago Bears Score and Recap (Week 13): Lions 23, Bears 20 – Coaching Blunder Cooks Bears Turkey on Thanksgiving
The Bears began their Thanksgiving matchup against the Lions like they were sleepy from a turkey dinner, producing only two first downs the entire opening half and falling behind 16-0. Quarterback Caleb Williams once again refused to let his team die and threw three second half touchdowns to bring his team within three at 23-20. Unfortunately, a crucial penalty and another coaching debacle prevented Chicago from tying the game in the final minute and Detroit prevailed.
The Lions came flying out of the gate, scoring on their first four possessions Thursday. Luckily for the Bears, only one of those four scores was a touchdown, a second quarter pass from Jared Goff to tight end Sam LaPorta. At the same time, Chicago did not get a single first down in their first four possessions.
Williams shook off a huge hit to his knee on a scramble and hit Keenan Allen for a 31-yard touchdown on the next play to cut the deficit to 16-7 right after halftime. Detroit responded with a long drive that ended in a second LaPorta TD catch to bring the score to 23-7 late in the third quarter.
Williams and Allen connected again for a 9-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter but a two-point conversion attempt failed and the margin was 23-13. The Bears finally forced the Lions to punt and their rookie quarterback then fired a 31-yard touchdown strike to D.J. Moore to pull within a field goal.
Chicago got the ball back at their own 1-yard line with about four minutes left to go in the game. They drove to midfield and then got a questionable pass interference penalty on a fourth down to keep the drive alive and move them into field-goal range with about a minute left.
That’s when things completely fell apart for Matt Eberflus and company. A completion to Allen was negated when Cole Kmet committed offensive pass interference, his second of the day, setting a pick. Williams was then sacked on the next play with 33 seconds left on the clock. That play sent the Bears into complete chaos as the clock ticked down and they refused to take their remaining time out. They did not snap the ball until just five seconds were left and the quarterback was forced to throw a desperation Hail Mary that went incomplete, handing Detroit the victory. (Box score)
Why the Bears Lost
Yet another slow start put them in a big hole they had to dig out of. The execution in late game situations continues to be a huge Achilles’ heel for this team.
Key Moment
Williams absolutely could have gotten the final play off more quickly than he did but his options were limited with it being third down. Spiking the ball would’ve forced a fourth and long so it behooved Eberflus to call the Bears remaining time out and let his coordinator come up with a quality play to get back into field-goal range. Letting the clock run out was simply inexcusable.
Stats That Matter
- Williams was outstanding in the second half and finished with 256 yards and three touchdowns. He has been much better under Thomas Brown and will be a big asset for whoever coaches the Bears next season.
- Moore had 97 yards and sprung open for a potential go-ahead touchdown on the final drive but Williams had a rare misfire and could not hit him.
- The Bears are 5-19 in games decided by one score since 2022, the worst record in the NFL over that stretch.
Bottom Line
It’s a broken record at this point but Eberflus is committing coaching malpractice in 2024. The team is never prepared for games, makes bizarre in-game decisions, and routinely melts down in the final minutes. It’s a real testament to how talented the players are that they can make every week competitive despite truly awful leadership. These players deserve better than Matt Eberflus and his staff. Frankly, they should’ve been fired weeks ago, hopefully that’s one mistake they can correct sooner rather than later.
Next Up
The Bears head to Santa Clara for a matchup with the 49ers on December 8 at 3:25pm CT on FOX.
