Thanksgiving NFL Opener: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

The Chicago Bears will look to stay hot as they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions on Thanksgiving. This will be the first of three NFL games that take place on Thanksgiving, and both teams will be without key players in this game. The Chicago Bears beat the Detroit Lions, 34-22, in their first meeting of the season.

Chicago comes into this game in first place of the NFC North division with a 7-3 record. The Bears have won four straight games, including a week 11 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. Detroit brings a 4-6 record into this Thanksgiving Day game but beat the Carolina Panthers last weekend. The Chicago Bears are three-point favorites over the Detroit Lions in this game.

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Trubisky Out For Bears

The Chicago Bears are expected to be without quarterback Mitchell Trubisky for this matchup. Trubisky is dealing with a right shoulder injury, and the Bears are expected to turn to Chase Daniel at quarterback. Daniel will have some talented playmakers to throw to, including Tarik Cohen and Allen Robinson. Cohen has come out of the backfield to rack up 458 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season. The Bears offense still has plenty of talent without Trubisky in this game.

The real strength of the Bears has been their defense this season. Chicago has given up just 19.5 points per game this season, and they have forced a league-high 27 turnovers. Khalil Mack has been the defensive star for Chicago this season, but he has plenty of help. Mack and Akiem Hicks have combined for 12 sacks, and they will look to pad those stats on Thursday.

Lions Without Two Playmakers

Chicago isn’t the only team dealing with injury concerns, as the Lions will be without two of their top playmakers as well. Running back Kerryon Johnson and wide receiver Marvin Jones have both been ruled out for this game. Johnson leads the team with 641 rushing yards this season, while Jones leads the team with five touchdown receptions. Detroit will need quarterback Matthew Stafford to have a big game to pull off the upset.

The biggest key in this game for the Lions will be the play of their defense. Detroit is giving up 26.3 points per game this season and was lit up by the Chicago Bears in the first meeting. Devon Kennard and Romeo Okwara have combined for 11 sacks this season, and they will look to get pressure on Daniel in this game.

Bears Defense Carries Team

The Detroit Lions will be looking for some revenge after the Bears whooped them in Chicago earlier this season. It will be interesting to see how Matt Nagy’s offense looks without quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, but the Bears still have a ton of weapons on offense.

It will be up to the Lions offense to try to find a way to score against one of the top defenses in the league. Look for the Khalil Mack and the Bears defense to step up and carry the team to a victory on Thanksgiving Day. Bet the Chicago Bears -3.0 over Detroit in the opener on Thursday.

Free Pick: Chicago Bears -3

  • Bet on the Chicago Bears at -3

  • Bet on the Detroit Lions at +3

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