Turkey Day Tradition: Bears vs. Lions Betting Odds, Picks, Prediction

Getting closer to notching their first win of the season, the Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the annual Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field. When you’ve had your fill of turkey, you can turn to some Lions bets as dessert.

The Lions (0-9-1) took a narrow 13-10 loss to the Browns in Cleveland last Sunday. That came a week after a 16-16 tie with the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

While the Lions finally have a reason for some optimism despite being the NFL’s lone winless team: the Bears’ season is falling apart. Chicago (3-7) has lost five games in a row and a report out of the Windy City earlier this weekend said ownership plans to fire coach Matt Nagy after this game.

The teams met in Week 4 in Chicago and the Bears came away with a 24-14 victory. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields completed 11 of 17 passes for 209 yards.

The Bears are 10-8 all-time against the Lions on Thanksgiving. Chicago has also won six of its last seven games overall against Detroit.

Here are the lines for Bears-Lions at Barstool Sportsbook:

Spread: Bears -3 (-109), Lions -3 (-112)

Moneyline: Bears -159, Lions +130

Over/Under: 41.5 U (-108), O (-113)

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Bears-Lions Betting Preview

Fields won’t play in the rematch after sustaining a rib injury that knocked him out of last week’s 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Andy Dalton will start after coming off the bench to throw two touchdowns passes while completing 11 of 23 attempts for 201 yards.

Dalton, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, began the season as the starter. He was supplanted by Fields, the Bears’ first-round draft pick, after sustaining a knee injury in Week 2.

Meanwhile, Jared Goff is expected to start at quarterback for the Lions after missing last week’s game with a strained oblique muscle. Goff was hurt the previous week at Pittsburgh but finished that game.

Goff threw for 299 yards against the Bears in October. That is his second-highest total of the season behind 338 in the opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

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Running back DeAndre Swift has been driving the Lions’ offense the past two weeks, though. He gashed the Steelers for 130 rushing yards then went for 136 against the Browns.

Swift leads NFL running back with 53 receptions this season for 420 yards. The Bears are 24^th in the league in rushing defense and have allowed over 100 yards on the ground during each game of their five-game skid.

Thus, Swift could have some room to operate. His 995 scrimmage yards are fifth among RBs.

The Bears could bring the heat on Goff, though. They have 10 sacks in the last two games and their season total of 31 ties them for the league lead with the Minnesota Vikings.

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Lions Bets We Like

Bears -3 (-109) Barstool Sports

The Bears are obviously trending in the wrong direction but perhaps they will rally around their embattled coach. If there is one thing Nagy has proven in four seasons on the job, it’s that he can beat the Lions, winning six of seven meetings.

David Montgomery over 79.5 rushing yards (-115) BetMGM

The Bears running back had 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Lions earlier this season. Add in the fact Detroit is 31^st in the league against the run and it points to a big day for Montgomery.

Lions Prediction

It would make for a nice story if the Lions got their first win of the season on Thanksgiving in front of a large national television audience. Alas, the veteran Dalton has the savvy to block out all the distractions surrounding the Bears and lead them to victory.

Bears 21, Lions 17

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