Detroit Lions: 7 things to think about before Thanksgiving

Following a clutch win over Carolina, the Detroit Lions have only a few days before they take the field again on Thanksgiving.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford found wide receiver Kenny Golladay on two of his best passes all season. Opposing QB Cam Newton’s two-point attempt sailed high, and running back Zach Zenner covered the onside kick. The Detroit Lions escaped 20-19 over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but have little time for celebration.

Now they turn their attention to a formidable Chicago team in the annual Thanksgiving game at Ford Field. Here are seven things to think about until then:

1. Lions are back ‘in the hunt’ for a playoff spot

Don’t believe me? Well that’s what NFL Nation’s Kevin Seifert says, so I’m going with that. Okay, he doesn’t say it, but he does list it.

At 4-6, the Lions rank 10th in the NFC and would be safely eliminated if the season finished next week. As it stands though, they got a win and they’re ‘in the hunt’ (the last team mentioned for that category), at least for a few more games.

Now all they need is an upset win against the overnight juggernaut Bears to keep themselves there.

2. Kerryon Johnson‘s knee injury

It wasn’t the torn ACL that many feared it was when Kerryon went down late in the third quarter on Sunday. He’s listed as ‘week to week’ with a knee sprain, which sounds like somewhat good news. It probably cost him a third 100 yard game for the season, but hopefully only another game or two on top of that.

It sucks that Detroit’s top offensive player is going to miss some time, but compared to a day where Alex Smith ‘won’ the Theismann Trophy, it could have been a lot worse.