Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day Betting Odds, Trends, and Picks
Bears vs. Lions Game Info
Date: Thursday, November 25
Time: 12:30 pm ET
Venue: Ford Field
Bears vs. Lions Moneyline, Total and Odds
All NFL Betting Lines, Odds, and Prop Bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: Bears -164 | Lions +138
Spread: Bears -3.0
Total: 41.5 Over -115 | Under -105
Odds to win Super Bowl LVI: Bears +100000 | Lions +100000
Bears vs. Lions Predictions and Picks
- Lions +3.0
Bears vs. Lions News, Analysis, and Picks
Thanksgiving. It's a time to spend time with our families, stuff our faces, and watch a full day of NFL football. That typically includes watching the Lions get their teeth kicked in to start the day. Detroit is just 6-10 against the spread on Thanksgiving dating back to 2006, including a 1-3 mark over the past four years.
There's also some uncertainty about who will be under center for the Lions on Thursday. Jared Goff missed last week's game due to an oblique injury, which allowed Tim Boyle to make his first career start. Boyle predictably struggled, racking up just 77 passing yards with two interceptions and zero touchdowns. The result was an average of -0.57 adjusted yards per attempt, which is dreadful.
Goff told reporters that he was a “game-time†decision for Thursday, while head coach Dan Campbell said Goff is “leaning towards 50-50†to start vs. the Bears. His status will be critical to monitor heading into this matchup. Goff may not be a world-beater, but he's miles better than Boyle.
If Goff is active, the Lions could present some betting value in this matchup. They're the worse team in this matchup – the Bears rank 26th in DVOA, the Lions rank 30th – but I'm not sure the gap is as large as the spread indicates. The spread suggests that the Bears are approximately six points better than the Lions on a neutral field, and I can't entirely agree with that assessment.
Even though the Lions have yet to win a game this season, they've played a lot of really close games this year. They're 6-4 against the spread, losing by slim margins against the Ravens, Vikings, Rams, and Browns. If they can stay competitive with those teams, they should hang tough vs. the Bears.
Chicago started the year 3-2, but they've lost five straight games. This week, the offense will have Andy Dalton under center instead of Justin Fields, with the rookie quarterback currently dealing with rib injuries. That doesn't figure to be a considerable downgrade.
The more significant issue of late has been the defense. They surrendered at least 29 points for three straight weeks before limiting the Ravens to 16 last week. Of course, that game was against backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, who was making his first career NFL start.
The defense is dealing with some critical injuries at the moment. Khalil Mack is currently on Injured Reserve, while Akiem Hicks missed practice to start the week. If Hicks is ruled out, I would have a ton of interest in backing the Lions with Goff at quarterback.
