Bears @ Lions
Final Score: Lions 23 – Bears 20
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)
The Detroit Lions hosted NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears, on Thursday afternoon to kick off the Week 13 slate. As they’ve done several times this season, the Lions jumped out to an early lead but Chicago battled back to within three points in the fourth quarter. On the final possession of the game, the Bears had the opportunity to drive the field for the game-tying field goal or even a go-ahead touchdown. As Caleb Williams and company traveled the field with one timeout remaining, head coach Matt Eberflus flubbed the time management and the Bears allowed the clock to run out without even a field goal attempt while taking their final timeout to the locker room with them. The clock folly cost the Bears a chance at victory and Eberflus his job (not that he wasn’t going to lose it anyway). Let’s dig in.
Three Up
- Caleb Williams – A tale of two halves for the rookie quarterback, he shined in the second half.
- DJ Moore – Looked the part of an alpha wide receiver, until the Bears got near the end zone
- Keenan Allen – Finally looks healthy and has now caught three touchdowns in his last two games combined.
Two Down
- Jahmyr Gibbs – Though he managed more than 9.0 yards per touch, he only had 11 opportunities with the ball in his hands and lost a fumble.
- Jameson Williams – The big-play merchant left the cupboard relatively bare on Thanksgiving Day.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Caleb Williams: 20/39, 256 Yards, 3 TDs | 4 Carries, 39 Yards
Williams started slow, going 5-for-15 in the first half as the Bears went their first four offensive possessions without gaining a first down. Shutout at halftime, Chicago seemed to make significant halftime adjustments that made a difference. Williams looked more decisive and more composed in the second half, connecting for three passing touchdowns to bring the Bears back into contention.
Running Back
D’Andre Swift: 11 Carries, 39 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 35 Yards
D’Andre Swift was basically the only running back that the Bears used with Roschon Johnson limited to just two offensive snaps before leaving with an injury. Travis Homer was also used but didn’t touch the ball in 17 offensive snaps. Despite his monopoly on the Bears’ backfield, Swift was mostly ineffective.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DJ Moore: 16 Targets, 8 Receptions, 97 Yards, TD
A target hog, DJ Moore recorded 16 targets and pulled in half of them for 97 yards and a touchdown. Moore went to the blue tent early in the game after Williams left him hanging with a hospital pass on the sideline early on, but he returned for a monster second half.
Keenan Allen: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 73 Yards, 2 TDs
Keenan Allen caught a pair of touchdowns, exhibiting expert level shiftiness and route-running. His best play of the day was his short-yardage score where he shook the defender completely out of his shoes, generating five yards of separation and an easy catch and score. He finally looks completely healthy and should be one of Williams’ primary targets down the stretch.
Cole Kmet: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 26 Yards
An afterthought in the Bears lineup these days, Cole Kmet was on the field for 61 snaps and ran 38 routes but pulled in just three balls.
Rome Odunze: 6 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards
Rome Odunze was on the field for 48 snaps, but was clearly the third receiver in the Bears’ pecking order. It may be tough for Williams to carry all three receivers to fantasy relevance, but Odunze hasn’t done much to show he’s at the level of Moore and Allen.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 21/34, 221 yards, 2 TDs | 1 Carry, 1 Yard
Jared Goff was not his usual self, missing a handful of throws on Thanksgiving. However, he was effective enough for the Lions as they earned a crucial division win at home. He connected with Sam LaPorta for both of his touchdown passes in short yardage, honing in on his accuracy when he needed it most.
Running Back
David Montgomery: 21 carries, 88 yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards
Jahmyr Gibbs: 9 carries, 87 yards, Fumble (LOST) | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs nearly split the offensive snaps with Montgomery barely out snapping Gibbs, 38-32. The touch distribution however, was slanted heavily in Monty’s favor, as Knuckles totaled 24 touches to Gibbs’ 11 touches. Gibbs also lost a fumble and reportedly posted an image on social media with some Lions playbook schematics in the background of one of the photos. It could be nothing – or it could be a trip to Dan Campbell’s doghouse. Time will tell how this backfield shakes out the rest of the way.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 73 yards
Amon-Ra St. Brown was on the field for nearly every offensive snap but was targeted just seven times, tying with Jameson Williams for most on the team. The Lions’ target distribution was relatively even across the board but the touchdown variance missed St. Brown in this one, marking his second-consecutive game without a score after finding the end zone in eight straight games before that.
Jameson Williams: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 28 yards | 2 carries, 18 yards
Williams was not used on the long downfield shots as he normally is and instead was limited to short-yardage catches. He demonstrated a versatility that had yet to be seen by the wide receiver as he mixed up his route tree but it didn’t help his fantasy production.
Sam LaPorta: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 6 yards, 2 TDs
LaPorta was a touchdown vulture in this one, snatching two touchdown catches from inside the five-yard line for the Lions. With sure hands and solid routes, LaPorta reminded fantasy managers how much his quarterback loves and trusts the big second year tight end. Now if only we could get some consistency from the big fella.
Tim Patrick: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 48 yards
Tim Patrick has emerged as the Lions’ WR3 behind Williams and St. Brown, playing 49 offensive snaps and garnering a pair of catches on three targets. He could prove to be a sneaky piece of this dangerous offense down the stretch.
Brock Wright: 1 target, 1 receptions, 13 yards