It didn't go down easy, but the Lions' Thanksgiving losing streak is over.
A final stand by the defense was the difference in a 23-20 win over the Bears Thursday at Ford Field, the Lions' 10th victory in a row -- and their first on Thanksgiving in eight years.
It looked like the Lions were headed toward another rout when they took a 16-0 lead into halftime. But Caleb Williams and the Bears' offense found their groove against an injury-ravaged defense in the second half, and the Lions struggled to maintain momentum on offense.
The Bears had the ball in Lions' territory with a chance to at least tie the game in the dying seconds, but Williams missed on a deep shot as time expired and Detroit escaped with the win. A sack by Za'Darius Smith one play prior had pushed Chicago to the fringes of field goal range and forced Williams into the costly decision.
Detroit's defense shut down the Bears' rushing attack throughout the game, holding former Lions running back D'Andre Swift to 39 yards. Smith, DJ Reader and Alim McNeill were forces up front.
The star on offense was Sam LaPorta, who caught two touchdowns in the red zone on a day the Lions otherwise struggled to punch the ball into the end zone. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 175 yards on 30 carries, while Amon-Ra St. Brown had five catches for 73 yards.
Once again, though, the victory came at a cost for Detroit. Already hurting on defense entering the game, the Lions lost defensive linemen Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) to injuries.
They join a list of missing players in the front seven that includes Aidan Hutchinson, Derrick Barnes, Marcus Davenport and Alex Anzalone. The Lions were also without starting cornerback Carlton Davis III (knee) on Thursday and lost fellow corner Emmanuel Moseley to an injury during warmups.
Still, they improve to 11-1 on the season and remain atop the NFC.