It was not easy, but the Detroit Lions rallied to beat the Chicago Bears in Week 11. They are 8-2 for the first time since 1962, headed now into a short week before playing the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day.
The Packers are 4-6 after a Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. They have won two of their last three, with only a narrow loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10 preventing a three-game winning streak. They are part of the "in the hunt" NFC playoff graphics heading into Week 12.
The Lions won the first meeting with the Packers back in Week 4 at Lambeau Field, 34-20. The two teams last played on Thanksgiving in 2013, and this year will be the 22nd matchup between the teams on the holiday.
Via FanDuel Sportsbook here are the early odds for Lions-Packers on Thanksgiving Day, followed by a prediction for the game.
Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers: Early odds, prediction
Point Spread:
Lions: -7.5
Packers: +7.5
Moneyline:
Lions: -390
Packers: +310
Over/Under (46.5 points):
Over: -114
Under: -106
Prediction: Lions 27, Packers 17.
Thursday games, leaving the holiday aspect aside this week, can be weird. It's a short turnaround, players are not necessarily fully physically recovered from the prior Sunday, etc.
But the Lions are the better team here, and they are surely glad they can get right back at it after the game against the Bears. The previous matchup against the Packers (on a Thursday night) was more one-sided than the score showed. I see a tight game for most of it, before the Lions take charge and close it out much like they did in Week 4.
On the betting angles, the Lions cover a pretty big 7.5-point spread, win outright on the moneyline and the under on 46.5 points narrowly cashes.
Note: Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.