The Chicago Bears (6-6) celebrated Thanksgiving with a clutch 24-20 victory over the Detroit Lions (3-8-1).
While the game was too close for one’s liking, the Bears battled through adversity and battled back from a 10-point deficit to earn their second straight win and their fourth consecutive against the Lions.
Here are three reasons to be thankful for the Bears’ Thanksgiving win over Detroit:
1. Mitchell Trubisky’s success vs. Lions
Mitchell Trubisky continued his success against the Lions with perhaps his best performance of the season on Thanksgiving Day. After finding success against Detroit in Week 10 — where he threw for three touchdowns — Trubisky continued that success against the Lions in Week 13.
Trubisky completed 29-of-38 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 118.1 passer rating. He notched a season-high in passing yards, as well as tied his season-high in touchdown passes.
While the game ultimately came down to a defensive stop, Trubisky did enough to rally the Bears down 10 points in the second quarter to notch their second straight win — and their fourth consecutive win over the Lions.
2. Eddie Jackson’s first interception this season seals the game
Eddie Jackson has had a quiet season for the Bears, where he hasn’t managed a single interception in 12 games. But when the Bears needed Jackson to come up with a game-sealing play, he managed to do just that.
With the Bears leading 24-20, the Lions’ offense was driving and threatening to score the go-ahead touchdown. But after a Roquan Smith interception forced a fourth-and-22, Jackson came away with an interception on a Blough desperation pass.
It was Jackson’s second interception in as many Thanksgiving games, as he came up with a pick-six last year against Detroit that helped lead to a Bears’ victory. It only took 13 games, but the Bears were certainly thankful for the return of Eddie Jackson.
3. Anthony Miller’s breakout effort
Following last week’s season-best performance against the New York Giants, where Anthony Miller accounted for 77 yards, the second-year wideout came out with a breakout performance against the Lions.
Miller led the Bears with nine receptions for 140 yards, which were career highs, becoming the second receiver this season, other than Allen Robinson, to eclipse the 100-yard receiving mark. Miller was targeted a team-high 13 times and came up with some clutch receptions, including a 32-yard catch that set up the go-ahead score with less than three minutes remaining.
These last couple of weeks have seen the emergence of Miller and his chemistry with Trubisky, and that was on full display against the Lions. While Miller has had a disappointing sophomore campaign, it seems like he’s breaking out at the right time for Chicago.
