The Chicago Bears (3-7, 1-4 away) and Detroit Lions (0-9-1, 0-4 home) square off in an NFC North rivalry matchup to kick off the Thanksgiving slate on Thursday. Chicago has dropped five in a row, while the Lions’ best finish this season was a tie two weeks ago in Pittsburgh.
Thursday’s kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. EST at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. Chicago is a 3-point road favorite, and the over-under total is 41.5 points.
What to Know – Chicago Bears
There was a report of Chicago on Tuesday that head coach Matt Nagy would be coaching his final game as the Bears headman on Thursday. There was no verification of that report, and Nagy himself said that report wasn’t true. Regardless, it could be the final straw for Nagy if he is unable to defeat the winless Lions in front of a national audience on Thursday.
Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton gets the nod under center for Chicago with rookie Justin Fields sidelined with injured. Dalton will try and jumpstart a Chicago offense that ranks near the bottom in both points (16.3) and total yards (287.9) per game.
Dalton finished 11-for-23 for 201 yards, and a pair of touchdown passes after entering for the injured Fields last week. Darnell Mooney hauled in five passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, while Marquise Goodwin added four receptions for 104 yards and one score. David Montgomery was bottled up by the Ravens defense, carrying the ball 14 times for 58 yards.
Chicago is 4-6 against the spread this season and 1-4 ATS over their last five games. The Bears are 2-3 ATS on the road this year but 5-2 ATS over their last seven games in Detroit.
What to Know – Detroit Lions
Detroit is having troubles of their own, still searching for their first victory of the season. The Lions are the only remaining team with no wins in the NFL.
Starting quarterback Jared Goff is questionable for Thursday’s tilt, but recent reports suggest he is trending in the right direction. If Goff can’t go, it will be up to backup Tim Boyle to try and get the Lions into the win column for the first time this year.
Boyle completed 15-of-23 passes for 77 yards, throwing a pair of interceptions in last week’s loss to Cleveland. The third-year pro had only attempted four career passes before taking over the offense against the Browns. D’Andre Swift highlighted the Lions’ offense, carrying the ball 14 times for 136 yards and one touchdown.
Detroit is 6-4 ATS this year with a 2-2 mark ATS at home. The Lions are 4-2 ATS over their last six games but 5-12 ATS in their previous 17 games played in November.
The Pick is In
The appetizer for the three-game Thanksgiving slate, the Bears and Lions meet for the 184th time on Thursday. It is an understatement to say both teams are struggling and in desperate need of a victory, but it is true.
Is Detriot as bad as their record shows, probably, but we have seen enough fight from this team over the last two weeks to conclude that we like the points at home and the potential for the Lions to pick up that elusive first victory.
Betting Pick: Detroit Lions +3
