The NFC North is pretty well a two-team race between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. The Chicago Bears, despite two straight wins, have a long way to go before they’ll have re-entered contention for the division title. Nevertheless, a win on Thursday would make Chicago worthy enough to be considered a dark horse for a wild card ticket in the NFC. Will the Bears take down Detroit? Or will the Lions end their two-game skid and send the Bears packing?
Looking for more Week 13 game previews? You can check out our complete breakdown of Seahawks vs. 49ers here and of Broncos vs. Chiefs here.
[sc:Football ]
Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Ford Field, Detroit
When: Thursday, November 27, 12:30 PM ET
Line: Chicago Bears (+7) at Detroit Lions (-7); total: 47.5 –see all NFL lines
Betting on the Chicago Bears
See, Chicago can win back to back at home, too. That’s what the Bears proved when they followed up their 21-13 win at Soldier Field in Week 11 with another 21-13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Now, the Bears will have to see if they can snap their two-game skid on the road when they travel to Detroit for a Thanksgiving showdown with the Lions.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Bears’ latest win, however, failed to hide the fact that Jay Cutler continues to defy his contract’s worth. Against a lackluster defense of Tampa Bay – ranked 30th in passing defense before the game –Cutler was only able to come up with a paltry 130 passing yards and a touchdown.
Overall, the Bears only wound up with 204 total yards, which doesn’t bode well when they hit the turf against the Lions. Detroit’s opponents average only 303.8 total yards per game, second fewest in the NFL. This should also serve as a warning to the Bears’ top rusher Matt Forte, who ran for 89 yards and a couple of touchdowns against the Bucs. If Forte had his way against the Bucs, then good luck to him cruising past Detroit’s top rated rushing defense that surrenders just 70.7 yards per game.
Chicago’s defense, meanwhile, showed some spunk, albeit against the Bucs’ god-awful offense. The Bears’ defense managed to force Tampa Bay to commit four turnovers. Chicago only had 14 in 10 games before Week 12.
The over is 8-2 in the Bears’ last 10 games as the road team.
The Lions’ 34-9 loss at the hands of the New England Patriots on Sunday was, at least offensively, a replay of their 14-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals back in Week 11.
The Lions’ offense that complemented their shutdown defense well for the most part of this season has now turned into a problem. It’s been more than two full games since the Lions scored a touchdown.
Even the return of Calvin Johnson to the lineup didn’t help. Johnson has been held to less than 60 receiving yards in his last two games, wherein he didn’t catch at least half of the balls that went his way. Johnson caught just five of 12 targets (59 yards) against Arizona and went 4-for-10 (58 yards) against New England.
Along with Golden Tate, Johnson has a chance to recover on Thursday against a Bears‘ pass defense that has ranked amongst the worst in the league, giving up an average of 260.5 passing yards per game. Tate, on the other hand, played better than Johnson did against the Pats. Tate led the team with 97 yards on four receptions.
But if any of the Lions’ receivers are to play great on Thursday, Matthew Stafford and his protection unit must be able to find a way to solve whatever issues they have first. Stafford has been sacked 33 times this season, second-most in the NFL. He was sacked four times against Arizona and twice against New England.
Stafford is coming off his worst game of the season, completing just 18 of 46 passes for 264 yards with an interception for a season-low 49.6 passer rating.
The Lions are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games against Chicago.
