The Chicago Bears headed up to Detroit to face the Lions on Thanksgiving Day to start off the holiday triple-header, and face a NFC North opponent for the third consecutive game. Looking to break their five-game losing streak, and the Bears were doomed from the beginning.
After Detroit took nearly eight minutes off the clock on their first drive, the Bears defense started promising by bending and not breaking, holding the Lions to a field goal. In what was a masterclass display of superior coaching from Dan Campbell of the Lions, in comparison to what was seen from Chicago, former Bear David Montgomery was featured heavy in the first half, torching the Bears for 144 yards rushing alongside Jahmyr Gibbs.
In what was yet another rollercoaster game, showing where the Lions are headed and where Chicago is struggling, here’s everything we learned in the Thanksgiving loss, a sixth straight for the Bears.
First half
Everything about the first half for the Bears was an absolute embarrassment. From over 22 minutes of time of possession, to the 144 rushing yards allowed, and only two first downs for the offense, it was an absolute disgrace for Chicago. After singing their praises over the past two weeks with Thomas Brown as the new offensive coordinator, Caleb Williams and the offense were non-existent.
Credit where it is due for Detroit, they kept Williams pressured, hurried, and inaccurate throughout the first half as he only completed five passes for 34 yards. The running game could also not get the ball moving, an area that has been a major struggle for several weeks now.
The defense for Chicago has been absolutely laughable of late, and their inability to stop the run was on full display as Jared Goff and the Lions took whatever they wanted.
Second half
The second half was the thrilling side of the rollercoaster, as the Bears came out firing on their first drive, getting a touchdown pass to Keenan Allen to set the franchise record for touchdowns thrown by a rookie quarterback. For as bad as they were in the first half, the Bears defense turned it around as well, but there is no chance Chicago is in the game without the performance of Caleb Williams.
Going 15 for 21 passing, amassing 222 yards, and three touchdowns, Williams willed his team back into a potential game-winning opportunity late. Having to go 99-yards for a game-winning touchdown or a game-tying field goal, Williams underwent a chaotic final drive that was filled with injuries to the offensive line, penalties on both sides, and yet another mental lapse by both the team and the coaching staff, the Bears fell for a sixth straight game.
After taking a sack with 30 seconds left, the clock continuously ticked away while Caleb Williams scrambled and struggled to get the team in position for another play. One more play would have gotten the Bears back in position to kick a potential game-tying field goal but with his rookie quarterback struggling, Matt Eberflus did not use his final timeout and the clocked ticked away, with Chicago scratching their heads. The utter confusion on the field from both teams at the conclusion of the final play was a telling sign over Detroit not believing that the Bears did not execute anything different, and Chicago wondering where it all went wrong.
It was over when…
….Williams took a sack with 30 seconds left for a six-yard loss. That should not have been the final play, that should not have been the final moments, and that should not have been potentially the pivotal moment in the coaching tenure of Matt Eberflus. Yet, there was Williams, scrambling to get the team and himself back in position to run the next play, and while his coach ignored the use of their final timeout, an incomplete pass doomed the game as the final seconds ticked away.
Keys to the game
Rushing defense: Just as it was last week, the rushing defense for the Bears was absolutely atrocious. It’s almost embarrassing to use the same words each and every week to describe what is happening on the field, but there’s no other way to do so. 144 yards in the first half is in excusable and Detroit controlled the entire first half, until the Bears found a way to find some self-respect.
Tale of two halves for Caleb Williams: His gaffe at the end of the game certainly needs to be discussed and put on him, but he could’ve also been helped out by his head coach. Even more importantly, without Williams, there would be no chance that the Bears had a chance to be competitive in the second half. Throwing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, Williams again took care of the football, not committing any turnovers once again. A better start in the first half would’ve potentially led to a different outcome, but in the time when it was most necessary, Williams arrived and delivered.
Coaching: There is really no point to discuss this coaching situation any further than what is currently happening with Matt Eberflus. A sixth straight loss for the Bears this season and again, the coaching staff, led by Eberflus, found a way to lose the game in a new way. Credit to the head coach, he took responsibility for the loss but there’s no more room for error, mistakes, or anything in between. History has said he will keep his job throughout the remainder of the season, but there is no rhyme or reason to keep Eberflus employed.
Duds of the game
*Cole Kmet: The tight end is always a valuable piece to the offense as a blocking tight end and a receiving threat, but his mistakes and lack of production were once again a talking point. Only recording three catches for 27 yards in the game, Kmet had two pass interference calls in the game, and one that almost cost the team the game. Kmet is a key player on the offense, but his mistakes killed momentum on multiple occasions.
**D’Andre Swift: The rushing offense has been as bad, if not worse, than the rushing defense for the Bears and something has got to give for the unit as a whole. Once again, Swift failed to record 100 yards from scrimmage, totaling 74 yards combined, and only 39 yards on the ground. To make matters worse, Swift was tied for the team-lead in rushing for the game, with quarterback Caleb Williams. The offense needs to get more balanced to showcase just how truly dangerous they can be.
***Matt Eberflus: Surprised? You shouldn’t be. There was a narrative around this game that the Bears have lost their most recent games in every way possible, and there’s no way a coaching mistake could do it again. Cue up the final moments of this game, yet another opportunity with 30 seconds left for Eberflus to get his team in better position, take control of the moment, and find a way to pull out the victory, and he failed. The same coach speak is repeated after each embarrassing loss, and it feels as if the seat that was once hot, is now boiling. It would be a historic move for the Bears to fire him after this loss, but there doesn’t seem to be any reason to keep him around at this point.
What’s next
Things do not get any easier for the Bears (4-8) after a three-game skid to NFC North divisional opponents, as they head back on the road to face the San Francisco 49ers. Last year’s NFC representative in the Super Bowl is starting to get healthy and the Bears continue to reel after a sixth straight loss. It would be one thing to say that there is no other way they can lose the game, but with everything that’s happened lately, nothing is surprising. More so than just the game, maybe what’s more immediately next is seeing if the Bears make history by firing a head coach during the season.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs Lions: Everything we learned from another coaching blunder