Week 13 begins with a Thanksgiving matchup as the Detroit Lions, the top team in the NFC, host their NFC North division rival, the Chicago Bears. The Lions sit at the top of the NFL with a 10-1 record and look to go 3-0 in the division. After starting the season 4-2, the visiting Bears have dropped the last five games, bringing Quarterback Caleb Williams back down to rookie reality. Can the Bears catch the Lions on a short week and take advantage of their banged-up roster? Or are the Lions just simply too good? Can the Lions win their first Thanksgiving game since 2016?
Lions Bitten By Injury Bug Short Week
The Detroit Lions are on back-to-back Thursday games, which could be similar to a Jay Z album, “The Gift and The Curse.” After Sunday’s impressive win against the Indianapolis Colts, the team suffered some injuries on the field. With Thursday’s quick turnaround, the Lions have been missing a few key parts in practice this week but will have time a few extra days to rest up after their matchup with the Green Bay Packers next week. Cornerback Carlton Davis (knee/thumb), Left Tackle Taylor Decker (knee), and Wide Receiver/Return Specialist Khalif Raymond (foot) were all held out of practice on Monday and Tuesday.
Luckily for the Lions, they had David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St.Brown, Terrion Arnold, and DJ Reader return on Tuesday. The Lions will have to overcome some of these key injuries and players being hurt against the division rival. The Bears have looked horrendous at times the last five weeks during their current losing streak. Some Bears’ players were even rumored to have asked for rookie Quarterback Caleb Williams to be benched. The Lions have had recent struggles against mobile quarterbacks, and with a less than 100% defense, this may cause problems for the red-hot Detroit team. The loss of Linebacker Alex Anzalone may be shown this week with the mobility factor Williams possesses.
Detroit Needs To Bring Out the Stuffing
To win this game, the Lions need to control the clock and keep Williams and the offense off the field. The run game between “Sonic” and “Knuckles” (and sometimes the mobile Jared Goff) needs to control the tempo as they did against the Colts in the second half. The offense should focus on time of possession. They will need to do so, or they will need to be dominant on every possession like they were against the Jaguars.
Even though the defense under Aaron Glenn has been cooking the last few weeks, the status of the defense’s health is in question. The Lions haven’t let up a second half point in three weeks! Even with the Bears‘ offense, which looks broken at times, they still have the weapons to be a serious threat to the injury-filled defense.
The defense is top-10 in points allowed per game, so Goff and the offense may be in for a tougher day than fans would like to admit. Minus the five-interception game against the Houston Texans, Goff has been proficient all season and has protected the football. Look for the Lions to lean on the play-action to establish the passing game. Wide Receiver Tim Patrick has been stepping up in his role behind St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Goff has been able to evenly distribute the ball this season, getting all his assets involved. If Detroit can limit the turnovers against the Bears, they should be able to come away with their 11th win of the season.
Final Thoughts
This could be a much closer game than people expect. Detroit is a double-digit favorite entering the game and why not? They have been blowing teams out left and right this season. This week is a little different. They are on a short week against a divisional opponent who has a mobile quarterback with a very banged-up defense. I would expect Detroit to win this game but they don’t have the best of luck on Thanksgiving. Hopefully, fans will be able to enjoy their “Turducken” with all the sides while watching a Lions victory! If only Madden was here to give some of these Lions personalities a leg! Happy Thanksgiving y’all!!!
