The Detroit Lions managed to pull through.

That’s the best way to sum up their narrow 23-20 victory over the struggling Chicago Bears on Thursday.

However, let’s pause for a moment. On further reflection, another word springs to mind regarding their win: luck.

After his post-game speech in the locker room, Lions coach Dan Campbell might consider giving a game ball to Bears coach (for now) Matt Eberflus, who mishandled timeouts, effectively handing over the game. Perhaps Eberflus was already in the spirit of Black Friday shopping.

It’s quite unusual to think that an 11-1 team, hailed as the best in the NFC, and possibly the entire NFL, could feel fortunate to defeat a 4-8 team at home, particularly against a rookie quarterback and a coach who seems to be on his way out.

The Lions had a strong first half against the Bears, racing to a 16-0 lead by halftime. They outperformed Chicago in yardage, achieving 279 to the Bears’ 53, while limiting them to just two first downs. The Bears looked far worse off than the Thanksgiving turkey.

But nearing the end of the first half, the Lions began to show signs of struggle.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled at the Chicago 5-yard line with just 55 seconds remaining in the half.

Injuries started accumulating on the defensive side.

Jameson Williams took an unnecessary taunting penalty near the red zone that nearly cost the Lions a touchdown, leading to Jake Bates missing a 45-yard field goal attempt on that drive.

The offense went cold and managed only seven points in the second half.

Kerby Joseph dropped a crucial interception at the Bears’ 30-yard line with 10:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, which could have been a game-changer. The Lions were up 23-13 but couldn’t break away or finish off the Bears.

Time and again, missed opportunities piled up. The Bears refused to give in. Then, the unexpected happened. Eberflus contributed to the fiasco by neglecting to call a timeout to support his rookie QB, resulting in a last-play snap that came too late.

Fans in Ford Field were left in disbelief as Caleb Williams’ Hail Mary pass to Rome Odunze fell incomplete with time expired. It wasn’t until the referee declared the game over that fans could breathe easy as both teams moved to the middle of the field to shake hands.

Many in the press box were equally surprised, scanning for a penalty flag or waiting for some bizarre clock-related announcement, recalling countless bizarre ways previous Lions games had ended unfavorably.

Even Jared Goff seemed shocked as he watched the final moments unfold.

“Yeah, it was a wild finish, right?” the Lions quarterback remarked. “It felt like we won, then we thought we’d go to overtime, then we thought we’d won again. It just kept happening.”

During the post-game press conference, Campbell appeared disoriented, as if he had just come out of a daze after a tryptophan nap.

“Hey, good win. You find a way to get the ‘W.,’” he noted. “Ultimately, that’s what we accomplished.”

Still looking somewhat confused, Campbell tried to explain to the reporters that the Bears weren’t as terrible as they seemed. When asked if he felt his team had narrowly escaped with a win after enjoying so many recent blowouts, he replied:

“You know, if you’re not careful, you start grading your own wins,” he told his players, “and that’s a good thing because you develop standards for how you want to perform.”

“It has nothing to do with the opponent; it’s about knowing your own capabilities and what you’re capable of. If you lose sight of that, you start taking victories for granted.”

Thus, the Lions should be especially grateful not just for the victory but also for a vital lesson: No matter how strong they believe they are, they can lose on any given day if they don’t execute well or commit too many avoidable errors.

This lesson might have hit harder if they had lost, but I trust Campbell will reinforce it just as much after this win.

“We did what was necessary to win,” he affirmed. “We’ll address the other issues that cost us points. I’m not worried about that. But I’m taking this win and won’t lose sleep over it.”

However, there’s one area that Campbell should be very concerned about and needs immediate attention: discipline.

The taunting penalty against Williams was a significant and preventable error. It’s worth noting that Gibbs had also been flagged for taunting just four days earlier against the Colts, although the consequences weren’t nearly as severe.

Two weeks, two foolish taunting penalties by two different players.

Campbell was relieved to report that the matter has been sorted out since Williams gave an unsolicited apology to the team. That’s great news. However, if the concern was truly resolved, why did it occur twice in just five days?

Campbell has the opportunity to tackle this issue before it becomes a recurring problem, should he decide to. But on Thursday, following an intense victory that felt like a stroke of luck, Campbell opted to celebrate. He had secured his first win on Thanksgiving, and the Lions had snapped a seven-year losing streak on this holiday.

“I’m really proud of how hard they fought,” he remarked about his players. “We did what we needed to do. Now, we’ll look ahead.

“We’re going to soak in this first Thanksgiving win since I arrived, and our team will savor it. We deserve to enjoy it.”

It’s hard to fault Campbell for his feelings. These celebrations are fleeting. Soon enough, he will need to prepare his team for the next challenge on the horizon—a challenge that may be a bit more manageable if the Lions take to heart the lessons they learned from their game against the Bears.