The Detroit Lions host a football game every Thanksgiving Day, and often their opponent is the Chicago Bears. One of the most exciting meetings between the two teams on this venerable holiday took place in 1980, when the Bears trailed, 17-3, in the fourth quarter before storming back to tie the game on a Vince Evans scramble at the end of regulation. The Bears ended up receiving the kickoff to open overtime, and Dave Williams took the kick back to the house, scoring on a 95-yard shocker. The Bears had had to drive the ball 94 yards in the game’s last 3:37 of regulation just to get to overtime, and then they ended up getting the winning return. Will this year’s game be as exciting?
Take a look at our NFL betting preview.
NFL Preview: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (Thursday, November 25)
When: Thursday, November 25, 2021, 12:30 pm ET
Where: Ford Field, Detroit
TV: FOX
Radio: Westwood One
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Chicago -3 / O/U 41.5 // Chicago -150 / Detroit +130
Why should you bet on the Bears?
We know that the Bears will most likely not have Justin Fields at quarterback after the rib injury he sustained against Baltimore in the team’s loss on Sunday. Chicago has now dropped five games in a row, and having Andy Dalton at quarterback is not the most reassuring detail of this game for Bears fans. The Bears are only scoring 16.3 points per game. Dalton went 11 of 23 for 201 yards and two scores against Baltimore on Sunday in relief of Fields, with Darnell Mooney catching five balls for 121 yards and a score, but the team only had 13 points, not enough to take down a solid Ravens team – even one without Lamar Jackson.
The Bears’ defense has been wildly inconsistent. We saw this a couple weeks ago when Fields led the Bears on an inspirational touchdown drive to take the lead after the two-minute warning in Pittsburgh, only for the defense to let Ben Roethlisberger lead the Steelers down the field for a game-winning field goal. Chicago permits 24 points per game, and they will need to clamp down on the Lions if they expect to avoid being the first victim of the Lions this season.
Why should you put your money on the Lions?
Jared Goff has been upgraded to questionable for the Lions for Sunday; he missed last week’s loss to Cleveland due to an oblique injury. If he can actually play on Sunday, that would be good news for Detroit fans, although his play has not rallied the team to any wins so far this season. The best the Lions have gotten is an ugly tie in Pittsburgh two weeks ago.
Much like Chicago, Detroit is averaging 16 points per game this season and pick up approximatley 312 yards per game on offense. Tim Boyle started for Detroit last week in Cleveland and went 15 of 23 for 77 yards and a pair of picks. D’Andre Swift had a solid game at tailback, carrying the ball 14 times for 136 yards and a score. On defense, Detroit has permitted 27.3 points per game. If you like the Lions, you see them continuing with this pounding, run-first approach on offense, and you see the Bears continuing to show a lack of discipline, particularly on defense, and the Bears taking advantage of that fact.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
With Fields likely out, this is likely to be an extremely low-scoring game. Goff’s return is not a particularly inspirational fact for either team, and I expect to see a lot of three-and-outs and a lot of punts as the teams try to jockey for field position. I predict a final score of Chicago 16, Detroit 9.
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions: Bet the Game Today
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