The Chicago Bears had a chance to tie or win their game against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, but time expired and they had a timeout to use. Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked with 32 seconds left, and the Bears did not stop the clock. Williams then hiked the ball with seven seconds left and overthrew wide receiver Rome Odunze, giving the Lions a 23-20 victory.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was heavily criticized for not calling a timeout, but he defended his decision, stating that Williams took too long to start the play and he wanted the ball hiked with around 18 seconds left. Eberflus said, “I like what we did there. Once it’s under 12 [seconds], you really don’t have an option… I think we handled it the right way… Didn’t work out the way we wanted to.”
The loss was the sixth consecutive defeat for the Bears, with each of their last two coming by the margin of a field goal against NFC North rivals. Meanwhile, the Lions improved to 11-1, their best start in franchise history, led by quarterback Jared Goff’s two touchdown passes to tight end Sam LaPorta. Amon-Ra St. Brown led the pack with 73 yards on five receptions.