Thanksgiving Preview: Lions vs. Bears Odds, Picks, and Prediction
Bears vs. Lions Odds
| Bears Odds | +2.5 |
| Lions Odds | -2.5 |
| Over/Under | 51.5 |
| Date | Thursday, Nov 25. |
| Time | 12:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | FOX |
The Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions will kick off a full day of Thanksgiving football. Oddsmakers are expecting a tightly-contested affair between these two division foes, pricing Chicago as a field goal favorite on the spread.
In this Thanksgiving football preview, we’ll take a closer look at Bears and Lions odds, as well as matchups and betting picks.
Chicago Bears (-2.5)
The Bears briefly fooled some people into believing they were a decent football team after beginning the season 3-2. However, five consecutive losses have certainly put an end to any thoughts of Chicago as a playoff contender in 2021.
Chicago has scored 20 points or less in seven of their 10 games this season, and they have yet to score more than 27 points in a game this fall. Bettors should expect another low-scoring output from this group on Thursday with Andy Dalton under center. In relief of Fields in Week 11, Dalton threw for 201 yards, but was only 11-of-23 passing and 49 of his yards came on a defensive breakdown by the Baltimore Ravens with 1:41 remaining in the game. Per Pro Football Focus, 43.5 percent of Dalton’s throws were short of the first-down marker against Baltimore. On throws more than nine yards past the line of scrimmage, Dalton was only 3-for-9. Detroit has one of the worst secondary units in the NFL, but it would still be surprising to see a big day out of Dalton in this one.
Per Billy Ward, Chicago ranks second in the NFL in adjusted sack rate. Yet, that is one of the few positive statistics that can be found for a defensive unit allowing 4.3 yards-per-carry on the ground and a 99.2 passer rating through the air. Opposing quarterbacks have a sterling 16-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio against the Bears this season.
Detroit Lions (+2.5)
It’s still not clear who will start behind center for the Lions. Up until about 12 hours ago, it was going to be Tim Boyle. Then news broke that Jared Goff was planning to start, barring any pre-game setbacks.
Boyle was atrocious in his first career NFL start last week against the Cleveland Browns. Though he can partly blame difficult weather conditions for his final stat line, completing 16-of-25 passes for 91 yards and two interceptions is unjustifiable for a starting NFL quarterback in any playing conditions. D’Andre Swift offers some positive offensive production on the ground, but only T.J. Hockenson has proven himself consistently valuable as a pass-catcher for Detroit this fall. Similar to Chicago, poor offensive line play only contributes to the deficiencies on this side of the ball.
Against the Cleveland Browns, Detroit had five pressures on the quarterback, but four of those came against Blake Hance, according to Pro Football Focus. This Lions defensive line featuring Charles Harris, Nick Williams, Michael Brockers, and Julian Okwara simply lacks talent. Even against a mediocre offensive line for the Bears, it is going to be difficult for this group to create much havoc in the backfield. Though Allen Robinson and Justin Fields have been ruled out for this game, Detroit’s secondary is still likely to be an issue. Amani Oruwariye, Jerry Jacobs, AJ Parker, and Will Harris combined to form one of, if not the most vulnerable pass defense in the NFL. Even Dalton should have little trouble moving the chains against this defense.
Bears vs. Lions Pick & Prediction
Chicago has only three wins in ten tries this fall, but one of those victories came against the Lions in a 24-14 Week 4 affair. Dalton is far from an elite option at quarterback, but he has a 3-to1 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season in limited work, and he has at least proven himself capable of effective game management during his NFL tenure. If Boyle is quarterback, he is unlikely to do much of anything well on Thursday. Similarly, Goff may have a difficult time moving the offense while playing less than 100%. If Detroit cannot get anything going on the ground, they are going to find it extremely difficult to put points on the board in this one. These are two bad teams, so do not bet the house, but Chicago has a better chance to win this game.
PICKS: Bears -2.5 (-115)
Image Credit: Imagn