Dark Bears' Thanksgiving paved way for bright Chicago future with Ben Johnson

Chicago Bears fans are kicking off this holidays season with Black Friday, all made possible by last year's darkest of Thursdays.

As ugly as painful as it was at the time, last Thanksgiving was a blessing - er, dressing - in disguise.

The 2024 Bears, coached by Matt Eberflus, started the season 4-2 but were 4-7 by the time late November rolled around. Coming off painful NFC North losses - by one point to the Packers and in overtime to the Vikings - they trudged into Detroit as double-digit underdogs to the 10-1 Lions in the annual early Thanksgiving game.

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The Bears fell behind, 16-0, but rallied within 23-20 and were driving in the final two minutes for a potential game-winning touchdown or at least a game-tying field goal. What happened next changed the course of Bears' history, and set the table for the franchise's current success and future optimism.

With 33 seconds remaining, then-rookie quarterback Caleb Williams dropped back to pass from the Lions' 41-yard line. He was sacked, pushing the team out of field goal range. But, rather than using his team's final timeout, Eberflus inexplicably let the clock run all the way down until there were roughly seven seconds remaining. They then attempted a deep pass, which fell incomplete and sealed the excruciating loss.

In their 104-year history the Bears had never fired a coach in the middle of the season, until Eberflus. He was fired less than 24 hours after the Thanksgiving debacle, and is now the coordinator for one of the worst defenses in the NFL on the Dallas Cowboys. The Bears hired Johnson in the offseason, and after an 0-2 start they've won eight of nine and are one of the surprises of the NFL season.

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The Bears turned lemons into lemonade, and the disaster on Thanksgiving into the birth of a revival.

For Bears fans, this Thanksgiving should provide a bittersweet memory. Losing to the Lions - especially in that head-scratching fashion - will never not be nauseating. But a man named Ben Johnson was on Detroit's sideline that day, and on Friday he'll be leading the 8-3 and division-leading Bears into a Black Friday showdown at the Philadelphia Eagles.

Matt Eberlus | David Reginek-Imagn Images

Dark Bears' Thanksgiving paved way for bright Chicago future with Ben Johnson

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