Bears vs. Lions: Final score and highlights on Thanksgiving Day 2018

The Bears celebrated Thanksgiving Day with a 23-16 victory over the Lions at Ford Field. Chase Daniel stepped in admirably for an injured Mitch Trubisky, Eddie Jackson scored off another pick-six and the defense bottled up Matthew Stafford to improve to 8-3 on the season.

Trubisky’s absence was clearly felt for the Bears in a close game. They trailed 13-9 entering the fourth quarter and needed Jackson’s fifth touchdown in two seasons to come back for the victory.

Daniel completed 27 of 37 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns in his first start since 2014. Taylor Gabriel was the team’s leading receiver with seven catches for 49 yards, although Tarik Cohen was also productive with 59 total yards and a touchdown.

Relive the Bears’ Week 12 win/loss below, and enjoy the holiday.

Final score: Bears 23, Lions 16

Bears 23, Lions 16: Tarik Cohen battles his way for the first down so the Bears can kneel out the game. A big, big win on Thanksgiving.

Bears 23, Lions 16: Kyle Fuller interception!! That should almost do it from Detroit as Fuller picks off Matthew Stafford in the end zone. The Lions have all three of their timeouts so the Bears need a first down to fully put this away.

Bears 23, Lions 16: Kenny Golladay couldn’t keep his hands on what would’ve been a game-tying touchdown on second down. The Lions have two more shots unless they get a first down inside the Bears’ 2.

Bears 23, Lions 16: The Lions are back into field goal territory already following a 27-yard run from LeGarrette Blount. This one is far from over.

Bears 23, Lions 16: EDDIE JACKSON WITH THE MAGIC!!! The Bears safety with the pick six for his fifth career NFL touchdown and an absolutely game-changing play.

Bears 16, Lions 16: The Lions bring the blitz on third down to take down Chase Daniel for a huge stop. They’ll get the ball back with just over six minutes left in regulation.

Bears 16, Lions 16: The Bears hang on inside the 5-yard line with a pair of stops to keep the Lions out of the end zone. Matt Prater had no trouble with the 20-yard chip shot and we’re all tied.

Bears 16, Lions 13: A big-time third down conversion by the Lions as Matthew Stafford slips the ball to Kenny Golladay on a crossing route. They’re into field goal territory at this point.

Bears 16, Lions 13: There’s no overthrow this time as Chase Daniel hits Tarik Cohen with a nice pass for his second touchdown of the game. It appears Matt Nagy learned a lesson from the last two-point conversion, too, because he turned back to Cody Parkey for the extra point.

Lions 13, Bears 9: It appears Chase Daniel is okay because he picked up eight yards as the receiver on a nifty trick play. Anthony Miller is now 1-of-1 passing in his NFL career.

Third quarter: Lions 13, Bears 9

Lions 13, Bears 9: A bit of a scary moment with Chase Daniel taking a shot at the knees that drew a penalty, but the quarterback quickly shook it off. No Tyler Bray sightings yet.

Lions 13, Bears 9: LeGarrette Blount proves unstoppable inside the 5-yard line yet again with another short yardage touchdown. The Lions’ two-point conversion attempt failed, so they’re only up four.

Bears 9, Lions 7: The Lions land their biggest play of the game with a 43-yard pass down the left side to Kenny Golladay, who has been the main target for Matthew Stafford since Golden Tate’s trade.

Bears 9, Lions 7: Let’s check in on Trey Burton …

Oh.

Bears 9, Lions 7: The Bears continue to do a good job eating up these Lions screen passes they’re leaning heavily on. Detroit just punted for the fifth time of the game.

Bears 9, Lions 7: And just like that the Bears’ offense lost its momentum and ended up being forced to punt. Trey Burton dropped an easy catch that could’ve extended the drive.

Bears 9, Lions 7: The Bears are off and running on the first drive of the second half with a couple first downs. Chase Daniel has completed his last eight passes.

Halftime: Bears 9, Lions 7

Bears 9, Lions 7: A big, bad blitz from the Bears prevents Matthew Stafford from getting off a Hail Mary as the half expires. Bears lead by two at halftime.

Bears 9, Lions 7: TOUCHDOWN! Matt Nagy with a stellar play call that frees Taquan Mizzell in the end zone for the Bears’ first TD of the game, but they decide to get cute by going for two and fail to execute. The Lions will have 40 seconds to try to get back the lead.

Lions 7, Bears 3: Roquan Smith’s fourth sack of the season puts an end to the Lions’ latest series.

Lions 7, Bears 3: Tarik Cohen was THIS CLOSE to a walk-in touchdown but Chase Daniel overthrew the ball by a matter of inches. Cody Parkey hits the 40-yard field goal attempt instead.

Lions 7, Bears 0: Allen Robinson makes a big-time catch on third down for 29 yards, the team’s biggest gain of the day so far.

Lions 7, Bears 0: LeGarrette Blount powers his way through with a good second effort to get the Lions on the scoreboard. The Trey Burton fumble proves costly for Chicago.

Bears 0, Lions 0: Matthew Stafford has been leaning on quick reads and getting the ball out quickly to offset the pass rush. The Bears’ defense made a good stop on third-and-short to force Detroit into a fourth down scenario, but Nick Bellore somehow made a diving catch on a tipped pass to keep them moving.

Bears 0, Lions 0: Bad break for the Bears as Trey Burton fumbles and the Lions take it all the way back to the Bears’ 40. Instead of moving into field goal territory, the defense will likely have to take the field for a stop (barring an overturned call via review).

First quarter: Bears 0, Lions 0

Bears 0, Lions 0: Chase Daniel draws a late hit flag on the Lions after scrambling for a couple yards, which advances the Bears past midfield for the first time. Matt Nagy is leaning heavily on the passing game so far in a bit of an unexpected development:

Bears 0, Lions 0: There’s not much going on in this game yet. The teams have traded punts on five consecutive series and recorded just two first downs.

Bears 0, Lions 0: After another stop by the defense, the Bears move the chains for the first time when Chase Daniel hits Trey Burton over the middle for an 11-yard gain.

Bears 0, Lions 0: No excitement on Chase Daniel’s first drive, which ends without a first down.

Bears 0, Lions 0: And that’s a three-and-out for the Lions on their first series of the game. IT’S CHASE DANIEL TIME, BABY!

Bears 0, Lions 0: The Bears won the coin toss and deferred, per their usual strategy, so the Lions get the ball to open the game. Matthew Stafford will have his hands full against this defense and without Marvin Jones and Kerryon Johnson.

Before the game

The Bears and Lions get another Thanksgiving Day full of football going with their NFC North matchup at 11:30 a.m. CT Thursday morning. The final leg of an 11-day, three-game stretch for the Bears, it represents a chance to complete the sweep and improve to 8-3 on the season.

Earning that victory will require a step-up performance from backup quarterback Chase Daniel, who is slated to start with Mitch Trubisky nursing a shoulder injury. Daniel joined the Bears in the offseason specifically because of his familiarity with the system implemented by Matt Nagy, who he worked with in Kansas City. Now we’ll get to see firsthand whether that comfort with Nagy’s schemes translates to success on the field for Daniel.

The good news is that he’ll still have the wide array of weapons that were at Trubisky’s disposal in the first half of the season. Don’t be surprised if Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen remain busy between an active running game and shorter passes that demand less of Daniel.

The Lions are coming off a narrow win over the Panthers and have shown the ability to beat solid teams (Packers, Patriots) at home this season. While they struggled a couple weeks ago in a 34-22 loss to the Bears, containing Matthew Stafford provides a challenge for opposing defenses.

How to watch Bears vs. Lions, Week 12

Time: 11:30 a.m. CT

TV: CBS

Live stream: CBS All-Access