The 4-7 Chicago Bears will play the 10-1 Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Thanksgiving in a Week 13 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (11:30 a.m., CBS-2).
5 things
Lions running back David Montgomery warms up on the field before a game against the Colts on Nov. 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
“Sonic and Knuckles” — a.k.a. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery — have established themselves as arguably the league’s most dangerous backfield duo. Through 11 games, Gibbs and Montgomery have combined for 2,024 yards from scrimmage and 22 touchdowns. Both have scored within the same game five times this season, helping catalyze an offense that is averaging 394.3 yards per game.
The Bears must be much stingier defending the run than they have been during a five-game losing streak that has seen them surrender 755 rushing yards and a 4.9 yards per attempt average.
But it won’t be easy against a backfield tandem as productive as this one. Gibbs’ 5.8 yards per carry average ranks third in the NFL among qualifying running backs behind only Saquon Barkley (6.2) of the Eagles and Derrick Henry (6.0) of the Ravens. Read more here.
How QB is adjusting on the fly
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws in the 4th quarter during a game against the Vikings on Nov. 24, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Adversity comes in unexpected forms during an NFL season, and when Caleb Williams’ rookie year is over and everyone involved has an opportunity to take inventory with a wide-lens view, how the No. 1 draft pick traversed the lows will be every bit as telling as the high points.
It has been arrow up for Williams the last two weeks, and while you can’t get carried away when the Bears are mired in a five-game losing streak, this season was more about developing Williams and laying a foundation for the sustained success that has been so fleeting at Halas Hall than it was about immediately chasing a championship. Read more here.
Gobble gobble
Bears fans Jim and Patti Cryer wear Thanksgiving-themed hats before a game against the Lions at Ford Field on Nov. 28, 2019, in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The NFL has scheduled games on Thanksgiving since the league’s inception. Playing on Thanksgiving is nothing new for the Bears, who have done it 37 times — the third most in the NFL — with another game at Detroit’s Ford Field on Nov. 28.
Known as the Decatur and then Chicago Staleys for its first two Thanksgiving games, the Bears competed on the November holiday annually for 19 consecutive years from 1920-38. The venue that has hosted the Bears most on Thanksgiving — 11 times — is Wrigley Field. Here’s a look back at the team’s record on the holiday. Read more here.
An update from Arlington Heights
A digital billboard advertising the Bears sits near the practice track of the former Arlington International Racetrack near Route 53 and Northwest Highway on June 25, 2024, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
As the Bears continue to face massive hurdles in Springfield over plans to build a domed stadium next to Soldier Field, the team has reached an agreement over property taxes for the 326 acres of land it owns in Arlington Heights that has tripped up plans to build a new stadium in the northwest suburb.
Team officials said they had agreed on a memorandum of understanding involving the amount of taxes to be paid for the former site of the Arlington International Racecourse. The village and local school boards still need to approve the agreement, which could happen next month. While it does not guarantee the team will build a stadium in Arlington Heights, the deal does shift some momentum back toward the suburban site and keeps the team’s options more open than before.
“The Chicago Bears remain focused on investing over $2 billion to build a publicly owned enclosed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront while reevaluating the feasibility of a development in Bronzeville,” Bears officials said in a team statement released Monday. Read more here.
About Week 12
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams walks off the field after losing to the Minnesota Vikings in overtime 30-27 at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears players react after Minnesota Vikings place kicker John Parker Romo (96) kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus walks the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears place kicker Cairo Santos celebrates with teammates after kicking the tying field goal to send the game into overtime against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) puts his head down and slaps the football after getting sacked during overtime against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
A Bears fan celebrates after the Bears tied the game 27-27 at the end of the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill (54) tackles Chicago Bears wide receiver DeAndre Carter (11) during the third quarter. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards (53) tackles Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) in overtime. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. (99) reacts after the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears 30-27 in overtime. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams leaves the field after an overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus watches the play during overtime against the Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs for a first down in the 4th quarter during a game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings beat the Bears in overtime 30-27. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Fans watch as overtime begins between the Bears and the Vikings at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) tackles the Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) in overtime. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears kick returner DeAndre Carter (11) lets the football hit him after calling for a fair catch and the Minnesota Vikings recover it in the third quarter. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams reacts after getting a delay of game penalty in overtime at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds tackle Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson in overtime on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears’ tight end Cole Kmet (85) and running back D’Andre Swift (4) block Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) to give Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams more time in overtime. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Fans celebrate after the Bears tied the game 27-27 at the end of the fourth quarter against the Vikings at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) walks off the field after losing to the Minnesota Vikings in overtime 30-27 at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears safety Tarvarius Moore (30) recovers an onside kick during the fourth quarter against the Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears punter Tory Taylor (19) celebrates with place kicker Cairo Santos (8) after Santos kicked the tying field goal to send the game into overtime against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears defense can’t stop Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) from scoring a touch down after a few plays earliers, DeAndre Carter (11) muffed a punt in the third quarter at Soldier Field. The Vikings beat the Bears in overtime 30-27. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) and Bears safety Jonathan Owens (36) tackle Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) during the third quarter on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears coach Matt Eberflus heads to the locker room after an overtime loss to the Vikings on Nov. 24, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws in the 4th quarter during a game against the Vikings on Nov. 24, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Vikings linebacker Bo Richter (98) celebrates recovering the ball after Bears wide receiver DeAndre Carter (11) muffed the punt return during the third quarter. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) gets stopped after a reception during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
A dejected Caleb Williams (18) gets up after being sacked in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) in overtime. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) catches a pass during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) catches a pass while Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) tries to bring him down during the second quarter on Nov. 24, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) catches a pass only to have the play called back in the second quarter. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) runs for extra yardage near the goal line, setting up a first-quarter touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Bears safety Jonathan Owens heads to the sideline to kiss his wife, Simone Biles, before the game against the Vikings. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) poses for a photo with Arielle Moore, the 4-year-old daughter of Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, before the start of a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears offenseive coordinator Thomas Brown walks the perimeter of the field with a beverage before the start of the game. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams warms up before the start of a game between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/ Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) autographs a jersey before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
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Bears quarterback Caleb Williams walks off the field after losing to the Minnesota Vikings in overtime 30-27 at Soldier Field on Nov. 24, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
A cliche former Patriots coach Bill Belichick consistently turned to at this time of year was the idea that “football season starts after Thanksgiving.” For the Bears, their season is close to being over after losing a fifth consecutive game, falling to the Vikings 30-27 in overtime Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Bears (4-7) are mired in last place in the NFC North. They are twice as close to the No. 1 draft pick — two games ahead of the Jaguars, Raiders and Giants, who are tied for the worst record in the league — than they are to third place in their division. That’s right, the Bears are four games behind the Packers, five back of the Vikings and six behind the Lions.
The Bears won’t wind up with the No. 1 draft pick for the third consecutive year. But it’s impossible to say when this losing streak will end. Read Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on the loss here.
