Lions deserve more credit for surviving Thanksgiving onslaught from Bears and refs

The Detroit Lions barely held on against the Chicago Bears thanks to an impressive second half display by Caleb Williams and Co. Unfortunately for Chicago, poor coaching by Matt Eberflus got in the way of what could've been a job-saving win for some on the staff. Eberflus and the Bears had the ball well within field goal range with under a minute remaining.

After an untimely Williams sack, Chicago didn't call timeout, thus letting far too much time come off the clock. Williams then chucked up one final attempt at the end zone because he had little other choice, which fell innocently incomplete.

However, the Bears were only in that position thanks to a bailout call by the officiating crew on a fourth down attempt. Williams rolled out of the pocket and chucked up what many deemed an uncatchable ball. However, as the officials gathered together, they opted to call Lions defensive back Kindle Vildor for pass interference. You can be the final judge, but I don't see much to write home about.

Chicago Bears couldn't take advantage of a terrible call against the Detroit Lions

Yet, despite being bailed out in the worst of ways, the Bears were unable to take advantage of great field position. At the two-minute warning, the broadcast crew openly wondered if Chicago would leave the Lions enough time to answer their game-tying (or winning) drive. Instead, the Bears and Williams scored no points, and it wasn't all that close.

Eberflus defended his time-management skills postgame and even appeared to throw Williams under the bus. Williams responded the way a rookie typically would – he didn't feel as though he had the leeway to make a timeout call from the huddle. Eberflus managed to lead a complete team effort and nearly knocked off the likely NFC North champs, and he could get fired as a result.

“This is the NFL,” Eberflus said about his job security. “I know where it is. I’m just going to put my best foot forward and I’m going to get to work and keep grinding. That’s what we do.”

The Bears might keep grinding, but Eberflus could lose the right to help them do so. Meanwhile, the Lions overcame just about every possible roadblock on their way to victory. As Dan Campbell mentioned postgame, he won't lose any sleep over the win.