The Detroit Lions are reaching Thanksgiving Day still without a win this season. Will they rise to the occasion on Thursday and finally bring home the turkey, so to speak? Or will the Chicago Bears stop their own skid by adding to the woes of Detroit? Check out our preview of this game below.
Will Justin Fields be healthy enough to play on Thursday? The Bears rookie quarterback sustained a rib injury in Week 11’s 16-13 home loss to the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens. On a short week, Fields might not be ready to go for Thanksgiving Day’s rematch with the Lions. In the event that the former Ohio State Buckeyes star won’t get clearance to play in Week 12, the Bears will very much likely have veteran Andy Dalton starting under center. Dalton stepped in when Fields left the Baltimore game and looked decent, passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions on 11/23 completions. But the player to watch out for the Bears will be running back David Montgomery, who carved up Detroit’s defense for 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in Chicago’s 24-14 home win over the Lions back in Week 4.
The Bears are 2-1 against the spread in their last three games as the home team.
Like the Bears, Detroit is unlikely to have its original starter ready for Week 12. Jared Goff is reportedly not expected to play on Thursday because of an oblique injury. Instead, the Lions are preparing to roll with Tim Boyle again as their temporary starting quarterback. Boyle did not look NFL-ready, though, in his first career NFL start, as he tossed two interceptions with zero touchdowns and 77 yards on 15/23 completions during Week 11’s 13-10 road loss to the Cleveland Browns. Despite still being winless this season, Detroit has been generally money for spread bettors of late, as the team has covered in three of its last four games, including in both of its last two.
The under is also 7-3 in the last 10 games of the Lions, who will be looking to ride on the shoulders of running back D’Andre Swift. The former Georgia tailback led the Lions with 136 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in Week 11.
