Week 13 begins with Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! As cheesy as it sounds, it’s true: I’m grateful for you, dear reader. This hasn’t been the easiest season in Chicago Bears football. And yet you were here the whole time. Thank you very much. Just know that you are valued.

Keenan Allen had a slow start to his Bears career. And while the last two weeks don’t quite make up for it, it’s encouraging to see the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver taking steps in the right direction. What is it like to be number 13 on match day? Well, this part of Mic’d Up gives us some insight:

Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams had a 98.2 passer rating against the Minnesota Vikings last week when he targeted Keenan Allen. And while getting the ball to DJ Moore and Rome Odunze is still my priority, the Detroit Lions defense probably can’t cover the ball all. Therefore, QB1’s job would be to know where Allen is on the field at all times.

QB1’s PFF grade over the last two weeks is the third-best of all NFL quarterbacks. “This is what a franchise quarterback looks like,” writes Nick Akridge of Pro Football Focus.

This is a big game for Caleb Williams. I guess they’re all big games when you’re trying to achieve your goals in the development process. But it’s also a big game for offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who had this to say about his quarterback’s ongoing development (via 670 The Score): “This is a rookie quarterback that I don’t think is even on the surface of his Quality may be scratched. And it’s my job and my focus to continue to find ways to make it as good as it can be.”

carries QB Caleb Williams — © Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The above quote reminds me of Mike Tomlin’s viral quote about running to coaching when others run away. We love it when trainers make it their mission to coach and teach.

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I try to avoid saying nice things about division rivals like the Lions. However, I can’t stop myself from sharing this quote from Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who had this to say about quarterback Jared Goff’s rise to stardom with the Lions (h/t Clay Harbor):

“I want to say that it is as much his offense as it is mine. It really depends on what Jared is good at and what he feels most comfortable with. We’ve tried to challenge him and push him out of his comfort zone over the last 2.5 years.”

Let’s call it what it is: This is a potential audition for Ben Johnson, whose offense has a national audience wanting to see what he can do when the spotlight shines. Sure, Johnson had playoff games last year. So it’s not as if such atmospheres are alien to him. But if you had any doubts about Ben’s plan coming into play this season, you can bet he has something up his sleeve today against a Bears team that could seek his services as head coach this coming offseason.

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I’m sure you’ve heard this anecdote before, but the Bears have never fired a head coach during the season. If Ben Johnson has his way with Chicago’s defense and the Bears lose their sixth straight game, the calls for head coach Matt Eberflus’ job will be loud on Friday. For his sake, I hope Eberflus does his best on Thanksgiving, because I don’t want to spend Black Friday worrying about my job status.

Jason Lieser (Sun-Times) has three keys to a surprise win. To me, the biggest key for the Bears would be to curb self-sabotage. That means no pre-snap penalties, no avoidable personal fouls and disciplined football. It should be easy, but that hasn’t often been the case for the Eberflus-led squad this season.

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Chicago’s football team is ranked 23rd out of 32 teams in ESPN’s NFL Power Rankings. The No. 23 usually has a heartwarming connotation among sports fans in Chicago, but not so much here. But hey, a win against the Lions (who are currently No. 1) could do wonders for the Bears’ stock if the rankings drop next week.

Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune) has a list of 15 sports topics to discuss during your Thanksgiving meal and warns you to avoid the three E’s – Elon, the election and Eberflus.

wears head coach Matt Eberflus — © Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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My friend Jim inspired me this week and helped me figure out what to do for my first Thanksgiving alone. This macaroni and cheese recipe looks legit.

You can watch all three goals from Taylor Hall’s hat trick, which were part of a big win for the Chicago Blackhawks. And, hey, it was nice to see Connor Bedard’s goal drought come to an end too.

Elias Schuster has the player grades from the Chicago Bulls game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Two top prospects from the upcoming international free agent class are expected to sign with the Chicago Cubs. (Bleacher Nation)

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