Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions: Live updates from Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day

DETROIT – It’s Thanksgiving Day and the Chicago Bears are back in action. The Bears take on the Detroit Lions on Thursday from Ford Field in Detroit.

The Bears (4-7) have lost five games in a row, while the Lions (10-1) are on a roll and might be the best team in the NFL. A win for head coach Matt Eberflus’ team would be a surprise, but the Bears played well against the Lions last year, beating them in one matchup and narrowly losing the other. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off one of his best games of the season and he has the offense looking better.

Shaw Local Bears beat writer Sean Hammond will be reporting live from Detroit. Follow Hammond on X at @sean_hammond, on Instagram at @bears_reporter and on Threads at @bears_reporter. Shaw Local enterprise reporter Michal Dwojak will be reporting from Chicago. Follow Dwojak @mdwojak94 on X and at the same handle on Threads. Shaw Local Bears analyst Marc Silverman will provide his thoughts on X at @WaddleandSilvy.

Stay here all game long for live updates.

Lions win after late confusion

A potential game-winning or game-tying drive fell short in the final seconds for the Bears.

Caleb Williams took a sack on second down from the 35-yard line. Matt Eberflus elected not to call a timeout with about 30 seconds still on the clock. By the time the Bears got organized there was only four or five seconds on the clock. Williams’ final pass fell incomplete as time expired and the Bears didn’t have any time remaining for a potential game-tying field goal try.

The Lions won, 23-20. The Bears had one timeout remaining. It could’ve been about a 58-yard field goal try from the Lions’ 41-yard line.

Bears get the ball back down 3

The good news was that the Bears defense forced a punt from the Lions. The bad news was that the Lions downed the punt at the 1-yard line.

With the offense still backed up and facing a third-and-7, Caleb Williams threw a pass underneath to DJ Moore, who bounded his way forward for a first down to keep the drive alive.

A few plays later, the Bears lost center Coleman Shelton to an apparent injury. Backup center Doug Kramer entered the game at the center position. At the two-minute warning, the Bears have the football on the 50-yard line needing three points to tie.

Williams finds Moore for 31-yard touchdown

Caleb Williams lofted a perfect pass down the left sideline for receiver DJ Moore, who caught it in stride for a 31-yard touchdown. The score capped an eight-play, 65-yard touchdown drive for the Bears.

Matt Eberflus’ team isn’t going away easily. The Lions hold a slim lead, 23-20, with 5:36 to go.

Keenan Allen briefly exits with injury

Bears veteran receiver Keenan Allen exited the game with an apparent left leg injury. A Lions defender rolled up on Allen’s leg from behind. Allen could hardly put any weight on his left foot as he tried to walk off the field.

Allen had already scored two touchdowns in the game. The Bears were unable to pick up a first down on the possession and they were forced to punt back to the Lions.

The Lions’ next offensive possession ended with a missed field goal, which kept it a 10-point game. When the Bears offense took the field, Allen was with them.

Bears score touchdown; Darnell Wright exits game

Bears right tackle Darnell Wright suffered a knee injury at the end of the third quarter on Thursday. The Bears listed Wright as doubtful to return to the game. Veteran backup Larry Borom entered the game at right tackle.

Meanwhile, the offense capped off a 70-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Keenan Allen. The Bears tried for two points but failed to convert. It was Allen’s second touchdown of the afternoon.

The Lions lead, 23-13, with 13:40 remaining in the game.

LaPorta scores for Lions

Lions quarterback Jared Goff found tight end Sam LaPorta for his second touchdown reception of the afternoon. LaPorta caught a 1-yard touchdown after the Lions sent out a jumbo package with a sixth offensive lineman.

Goff faked a pitch to the running back, then connected with a wide open LaPorta.

The score capped an 11-play, 78-yard touchdown drive for the Lions. They extended their lead, 23-7. They were aided along the way by a horse-collar tackle penalty against Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon.

Bears score after halftime

The Bears received the second half kickoff and marched 74 yards on nine plays to score their first points of the game. Quarterback Caleb Williams connected with receiver Keenan Allen for a 31-yard touchdown over the middle of the field. The touchdown came moments after Williams took an awkward-looking hit to his knee along the right sideline.

The touchdown gave the Bears life after a dismal first half. The Lions lead, 16-7, in the third quarter. Williams visited the injury tent briefly after the offense came off the field, but he later returned to the bench with his teammates.

Bears defense forces fumble near goal line

On their fourth possession of the game, the Bears offense once again failed to pick up a first down. This time, they went for it on fourth down from their own 37-yard line. Caleb Williams threw incomplete for running back D’Andre Swift on a wheel route.

The Lions took over in Bears territory and were driving toward the goal line when running back Jahmyr Gibbs coughed up the football. Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson forced the fumble and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter recovered the ball at the 6-yard line.

The Bears were unable to score before halftime on the following possession, but they did finally pick up a pair of first downs. They went into halftime trailing, 16-0. The Bears will get the ball first in the second half.

The Bears have just two first downs in the game and 53 total yards of offense.

Bears offense punts again; Lions add field goal

The Bears went three-and-out on offense yet again. They were forced to punt the ball for the third time in three possessions.

On Detroit’s next possession, running back Jahmyr Gibbs broke free for a 28-yard run up the middle. Gibbs showed off some impressive speed on the play. The Lions possession stalled out at the Chicago 30-yard line.

The Lions settled for another field goal. Kicker Jake Bates knocked in a 48-yard try. The Lions lead, 16-0, with 3:11 to go in the second quarter.

Lions add field goal, go up 13-0

After the Bears punted on their third possession of the afternoon, the Lions made quick work of the Bears defense – until they reached the red zone. Once again, the Bears defense stood tall in the red zone and held the Lions to a field goal.

Kicker Jake Bates made a 36-yard field goal. The Lions extended their lead to 13-0 with 7:15 to go in the second quarter. It was the second red zone stop in three tries for the Bears defense.

The Lions were aided on the possession by a 15-yard penalty against Bears defensive tackle Byron Cowart for roughing the passer. Cowart hit Jared Goff after Goff released a throw over the middle. The call was probably debatable.

Eberflus loses challenge; Lions go up by 10

Bears coach Matt Eberflus challenged a play midway through the first quarter. Lions receiver Jameson Williams nearly made a tough catch in traffic, but lost control of the football. The refs ruled it incomplete, but Eberflus thought it might’ve been a catch and a fumble.

Eberflus lost the challenge, his sixth consecutive lost challenge in a row, dating back to last season. Eberflus is 0-for-5 on challenges this season. The Bears used one of their two challenges and lost a timeout.

Later on the possession, Lions quarterback Jared Goff found tight end Sam LaPorta for a 3-yard touchdown. The Lions drove 90 yards on 10 plays. They’ve racked up 148 total yards on their first two possessions.

The Lions lead, 10-0, early in the second quarter.

Lions score first

With the Thanksgiving Day crowd amped, the Lions wanted the ball first. They won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Quarterback Jared Goff led the Lions on a 15-play, 58-yard drive that ended in a 39-yard field goal from kicker Jake Bates.

The Lions took an early lead, 3-0, in the first quarter. Goff was 5-for-7 passing for 32 yards on the possession.

Injury updates

Veteran safety Jonathan Owens is expected to make his second consecutive start in place of injured Elijah Hicks. The Bears ruled out Hicks with an ankle injury. Hicks, in turn, was playing in place of injured Jaquan Brisker, who has been out for six weeks due to a concussion.

There was some hope that offensive lineman Ryan Bates might return this week, but the Bears ruled out Bates due to a concussion. Bates will miss his second consecutive game. Veteran backup Matt Pryor is expected to start at right guard in place of Bates. Pryor has started every game since Week 3.

The Bears announced several inactive players prior to the game Thursday morning. The following players are inactive and will not play: Hicks, Bates, receiver Tyler Scott, defensive back Ameer Speed, offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie and defensive end Dominique Robinson.

For the Lions, running back David Montgomery and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown are active and expected to play, despite dealing with injuries this week.

What to expect from the Lions

The Lions might be the best team in the NFL. Their offense, led by veteran quarterback Jared Goff, is rolling right now. Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have both scored double-digit touchdowns. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is among the best in the NFL.

Here are the top five storylines to watch in this Week 13 matchup. For your pregame listening needs, check out the Shaw Local Bears Insider podcast.

Silvy says the Bears have one thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Read his full weekly column here to find out what it is.

Can the Bears snap this losing streak?

The Bears have lost five consecutive games heading into this contest. The streak started with Jayden Daniel’s 52-yard Hail Mary last month. The Bears lost a few more in dramatic fashion too.

Two weeks ago, they had a potential game-winning field goal blocked by the Green Bay Packers. Last week, they clawed back and erased an 11-point deficit with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter – only to lose in overtime.

Williams and new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown seem to be vibing quite well so far. Brown said that Williams was playing with “no fear” last week against the Vikings. He’ll need to keep that fearless attitude up this week against an imposing Lions team.

What else did I miss?

It was a quick turnaround for the Bears, who had only three days to prepare after Sunday’s loss to Minnesota. Here’s what else was happening at Halas Hall this week.

[ Bears reach tentative tax deal for Arlington Heights land, suggesting suburban stadium not off the table ]

[ Here’s what Chicago Bears, Matt Eberflus said Monday after losing to Minnesota Vikings ]

[ 5 big takeaways from Chicago Bears’ fifth straight loss against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday ]

[ Here are the 4 must-see Caleb Williams throws from Sunday’s OT loss against Minnesota ]