This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for a Lions win.
This game was not as pretty as the pumpkin pie might have been this Thanksgiving. The Lions nearly fell to tradition but escaped the Chicago Bears 23-20.
The Bears came out for blood for a second-half comeback. However, through a series of mistakes by the Lions, Bears, and officials, the Lions managed to hold off the Bears. Many things went well for the Lions, but the very next play, things could go very wrong.
The Lions controlled the ball on offense and dominated the game defensively through the first half. However, they failed to continue their trend of preventing second-half points. Instead, they did the opposite, allowing all 20 of the Bears’ points in the second half. The mistakes were evident, the officiating was poor, and the Bears knew how to approach them. The Lions’ defense was filled with injuries.
How it went down
First Half
The Lions came out hot and ready. They had the ball nearly the entire first quarter and dramatically trucked their way down the field. Goff threw a few incomplete passes resorting to Jake Bates‘ FG. The defense forced the Bears to punt it away quickly. The Lions continued to dominate throughout the first half, nearly unstoppable when driving the ball down the field.
But they could not get the ball into the endzone.
They could not continue their momentum through the drive and had to resort to a field goal three times in the first half. Dan Campbell was not in the mood to take major risks. Despite injuries, the Lions defense had exceptional lockdown defense throughout the first half only allowing 53 yards. The preview of what the second half would look like when Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled the ball after a big hit inside the 10-yard line.
Second Half
The Bears came out strong with several big plays. The Lions’ secondary allowed several big passes. The defensive line pressured Caleb Williams heavily, leading to five sacks. This didn’t stop the Bears from driving down the field, scoring on three of five drives in the second half.
Sam LaPorta got his second touchdown from a short pass from Jared Goff. His touchdowns happened on simple plays where he could get open fast. He does not get the same amount of use as Gibbs and David Montgomery, but Ben Johnson used him to score easily, something the Lions were struggling to do. Excluding LaPorta’s touchdown drive, the Lions only earned two first downs.
The fourth quarter brought lots of chaos. The Bears scored twice and could not convert a two-point attempt. The real tragedies occurred when a slew of flags were thrown for both teams for varying penalties (pass interference, unsportsmanlike conduct, holding, illegal use of hands) with varying amounts of legitimacy. The Lions lost several defensive players to injuries, some coming on and off inconsistently.
During the press conference after the game, Dan Campbell talked about how you can’t let those things affect them playing the game.
In the final three minutes, the Lions sacked the Bears three times but continued to allow them to drive down the field. ZaDarius Smith continued to prove himself as a Lion, consistently pressuring Williams. The Lions had multiple interception opportunities throughout the game, specifically in the last few minutes. Pass interference calls and large plays moved the Bears into field goal territory.
Despite this, poor game awareness and clock management prevented the Bears from attempting a field goal and lost the game on an incomplete pass.
What We Learned
The Lions need healthcare.
As mentioned last week, the Lions are relying on their depth defensively. They need their starters healthy. Although they effectively stopped the Bears, only holding them to 20 points, they looked sloppy. There were numerous opportunities to force a turnover. Their defensive line did their job, but also made many mistakes. With a healthy team, they should be sending offenses off the field a little quicker in the second half.
The Lions need to control their tempers like they do the ball.
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Jameson Williams tested the patience of several staff members and the officials. Although this did not cost them the game, it cost yardage. More importantly, it has other side effects. Sometimes when players are fired up, they can make better plays, and other times they make a few more mistakes. It doesn’t help the team, and small moves like tossing a ball in someone’s face are unnecessary and sloppy. The Lions can bite kneecaps with Dan Campbell, but they must keep their tempers down.
Keep the penalties to a minimum.
Although some calls were questionable for both teams, the penalties only caused chaos. The Lions lost focus and became desperate, resulting in sloppy plays and free yardage for the Bears. It makes it harder to stop a comeback when they surrendered 79 yards to penalties.
Looking Forward
The Lions have another week before hosting the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football.
Most importantly, they need to rest. They did come from a short week, but now is the time to rest before facing the Packers again. Dan Campbell knows many parts to clean up over the next week. This is a Super Bowl-caliber team, but today they looked like they had plenty of room for improvement. For now, Lions fans can finish their Thanksgiving leftovers knowing their Lions earned their first Thanksgiving win in seven years.
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