Bears vs. Lions Point Spread: NFL Week 12 Odds, Prediction
It’s the 79th Thanksgiving Day game for the Lions and they are 37-39-2 on the holiday. Last year, they were 30-23 losers to another NFC North team, the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit last hosted Chicago on Thanksgiving in 2014 and won 34-17.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It’s the second game in just 11 days between these clubs. In Week 10, the Bears were easy 34-22 home winners over the Lions. Mitchell Trubisky threw for a career-high 355 yards along with three scores. He also rushed for a touchdown. The Lions didn’t score until late in the first half when they were already down 26-0. The result should have been worse but Chicago kicker Cody Parkey impossibly missed two PATs and two field goals – hitting an upright all four times.
Somehow, Parkey is still employed by the team. Had that cost the Bears a win he probably wouldn’t be. Parkey did cost Chicago a W in Miami in Week 6 when he missed a 53-yard field goal late in overtime. Miami would get great field position and convert it into the winning field goal.
The Bears are 17-15-2 all-time on Thanksgiving. They last played on the holiday in 2015 and won 17-13 at Green Bay.
Chicago is 3-1-1 ATS in the past five meetings.
Chicago Bears
The Bears hadn’t beaten a team with winning record yet this season but did so emphatically on Sunday night in a 25-20 victory vs. Minnesota to take a 1.5-game lead over the Vikings atop the North. Chicago hadn’t won back-to-back division games in six years. The offence wasn’t great in the win, but the defence was terrific in allowing just 268 yards and forcing three turnovers; Eddie Jackson returned a pick for a touchdown.
The Bears have a league-best 18 interceptions. Parkey bounced back from the Detroit debacle by going 3-for-3 on field goals (and the fans were hilariously jubilant after every make). His 48-yarder with 2:48 left iced the game. The Bears’ four-game winning streak is the team’s longest since 2012.
Detroit Lions
Detroit entered Sunday’s home game vs. Carolina on a three-game skid – all by double digits – and as 4-point underdogs but won 20-19. For some reason, Panthers coach Ron Rivera opted to try a 2-point conversion after Carolina pulled to that score with just over a minute left. Cam Newton had an open receiver but missed him and it was incomplete. Game over.
Matthew Stafford threw for 220 yards and a score, with Kenny Golladay catching eight balls for 113 and a TD. Rookie Kerryon Johnson, perhaps the team’s most promising running back since Barry Sanders, rushed for 87 yards and a score on 15 carries but left with a sprained knee and is unlikely for Thursday. Starting WR Marvin Jones Jr. missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury and he’s not likely for this quick turnaround, either.
