DETROIT (AP) — Dan Campbell hopes to be happy on Thanksgiving for the first time in four years.
The Detroit Lions have dropped seven straight on the holiday, including three in a row with Campbell, and the coach said losing takes a toll on family gatherings after the game.
“Ask my wife, she’ll tell you,” Campbell said. “Like that’s why she’s praying for a win big time because she knows that I’m a bear when we don’t win, so we all want it.
“It is long overdue, but we have to win to win.”
The NFC-leading Lions (10-1) are expected to get what they want against the slumping Chicago Bears (4-7) on Thursday at Ford Field as favorites with a double-digit spread, according to BetMGM.
Chicago has lost five straight games, including three on the final play.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff isn’t taking anything for granted after setbacks on the holiday in each of the past three years affected his mood.
“I don’t like being grumpy around family,” Goff said. “No one does. You want to win this game and be able to enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with your family and it’ll be my first time experiencing that here and I want to do that.”
Caleb’s comfort
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who was taken No. 1 overall at the NFL draft in Detroit last spring, has looked more comfortable in two games with Thomas Brown as offensive coordinator after a rough stretch of play led to Shane Waldron’s firing.
“I think he’s done a good job understanding me and the players we have on this team,” Williams said.
Williams followed up a solid outing against Green Bay with one of his best performances. He helped the Bears rally from an 11-point deficit in the final 22 seconds of regulation against Minnesota, finishing with 340 yards passing and two touchdowns in an overtime loss.
The former Southern Cal star, who has set a franchise rookie record with 2,356 yards passing, has played four straight games without a turnover and five in a row without an interception.
“That’s a rookie quarterback who, in my opinion, has not even scratched the surface of how good he can be,” Brown said. “It’s my job, my focus to continue to find ways to make him the best he can be, hold him accountable, but also the entire group, it’s not just about him.”
Motor City milestones
The Lions are 10-1 for the first time in 90 years and have a chance to win 11 of their first 12 games for the first time in franchise history.
Detroit’s nine-game winning streak is its longest since starting 10-0 in 1934, leading to the team being the favorite to win the Super Bowl for the first time.
The Lions have reached double digits in wins in consecutive seasons for the first time and their 22 total wins are a franchise record for a two-season span
Struggling defense
Chicago won five of seven during a late-season surge last year with an improved defense, which led to Goff having two of his worst games in 2023.
Goff threw a season-high three interceptions in a win over the Bears in November and had a season-low passer rating against them in December.
“They got the better of us twice,” he said.
A year later, Chicago’s defense is going in a different direction.
The unit is ranked No. 17, plummeting from fifth in the league going in Week 8 at Washington.
There have been some notable breakdowns during Chicago’s skid, starting with the loss to the Commanders on a Hail Mary. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson got caught on social media motioning to the crowd and having his back turned as the Jayden Daniels snapped the ball. He ran toward the pack and went up for the pass when he was supposed to block out Noah Brown, who was left uncovered and caught a tipped ball.
Two weeks ago in a one-point loss to Green Bay, the Bears gave up a 60-yard completion as star cornerback Jaylon Johnson got his feet tangled and tripped that set up a go-ahead touchdown.
And last week, the Vikings had 452 yards and scored 30 points.
“Sometimes you have to reset things under the best of circumstances,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said.
