01. The Lions got lucky in an uncharacteristic performance. Detroit dominated almost every aspect of the first half—except the scoreboard. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for a whopping 141 rushing yards, with the offense racking up 279 total yards. But despite their league-leading scoring offense, the Lions kept stalling in the red zone. Four trips resulted in a field goal, touchdown, another field goal, and a costly fumble.
That fumble, coming from Gibbs at the tail end of what could’ve been a touchdown run late in the second quarter, completely shifted the momentum. The Bears capitalized on the turnover, gaining some confidence and heading into halftime down just 16-0, despite being outplayed.
Things got weird for Detroit after that. Their once-dominant run game fizzled, with Gibbs and Montgomery managing just 34 rushing yards in the second half. Jared Goff added only 76 passing yards, while the defense struggled, giving up 248 yards after the break.
Normally, the Lions would have put a game like this to bed early. Instead, they scraped by with a win—thanks more to the Bears’ mistakes than their own brilliance. Good teams find ways to win, even on off days, but this one might leave Lions fans scratching their heads.
2. Bears rally from brutal start only to suffer another self-inflicted heartbreak.In true Chicago fashion, the team managed to break its fans’ hearts once again. Caleb Williams bounced back from a nightmare first half to throw for 256 yards and three touchdowns, showing flashes of brilliance. Keenan Allen stayed hot, hauling in two of those scores, while the defense stepped up big. Despite allowing over 400 yards, they held Detroit to field goals early and locked things down in the fourth quarter, limiting the Lions to just 48 yards.
For a moment, it looked like the Bears might pull off a stunning 16-point comeback. Down by three, they drove from their own 1-yard line deep into Lions territory. But that’s where it unraveled. A sack near midfield with 32 seconds left killed their momentum, and inexplicably, they let the clock run down to six seconds before snapping the ball again. Williams’ last-ditch pass fell incomplete, sealing the loss. To make it worse, they had a timeout they could’ve used to stop the clock, and the drive was already marred by three costly penalties.
This is just the latest in a string of crushing defeats for the Bears, who have now lost six straight. The streak includes a failed Hail Mary defense against the Commanders, a blocked game-winning field goal against the Packers, an overtime heartbreaker to the Vikings, and now this meltdown. It’s been a tough season for Chicago fans—and nights like this don’t make it any easier.
3. Detroit finally shakes its Thanksgiving curse—barely. After seven long years without a Thanksgiving win, the Lions finally gave their fans something to celebrate. That losing streak stretched back to before Dan Campbell and Jared Goff joined the team, but the coach-quarterback duo hadn’t exactly helped, going 0-3 in their previous Turkey Day games. On Thursday, they got the monkey (or maybe the turkey?) off their backs, though the performance left plenty to be desired.
Despite leading from start to finish, the Lions looked oddly off. Their normally sharp offense was sloppy, and they gave up 20 second-half points—something they hadn’t done since Week 9. Early on, Detroit’s drives were methodical and effective, with five of their first six lasting nine plays or more. But down the stretch, they fizzled, with their final three possessions failing to go beyond five plays.
Still, a win is a win, and this one marked the Lions’ 10th straight victory, a streak that dates back to last season. Breaking their Thanksgiving drought is another step in rewriting their history as they continue their push for a shot at the Super Bowl. It wasn’t pretty, but it’s part of a growing narrative that has Detroit dreaming big.
Next Gen Stats Insight from Bears-Lions (via NFL Pro): Caleb Williams completed 15 of 24 passes in the second half for 222 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came while under pressure.
