The Lions opened as 3.5-point favourites on the NFL odds.

Thursday Night Football Point Spread and Betting

This marks the second straight Thursday game for both as each played on the American Thanksgiving holiday but obviously not against one another. Detroit annually hosts a Turkey Day game, while Green Bay was chosen basically at random to host the holiday primetime matchup vs. Miami. It marks the first time the Packers will play back-to-back Thursdays since 2015 (Weeks 12-13).

Both these clubs are going to the playoffs, it’s just a matter of which seed. Detroit is in the driver’s seat to win the NFC North and be the conference’s No. 1 seed, and I believe it will be – and reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. The Lions are the only NFC team yet to get there but are +150 conference favourites. Green Bay has no shot at the division with a loss here and little one regardless, so it’s a matter of which wild-card spot the Pack get. They are -20000 to reach the postseason.

The Packers lead the regular-season series, 104-76-7, and have won both playoff matchups between the long-time rivals. Green Bay has won three of its past five in Detroit but lost at home the Lions, 24-14, in Week 9. The Packers outgained the Lions by 150 yards, but Detroit had a pick-six TD and converted two fourth downs into touchdowns.

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay beat visiting Miami last Thursday night to improve to 3-0 out of its Week 10 bye. Jordan Love had two touchdown passes to Jayden Reed, and Josh Jacobs added a rushing score. He now has five straight games with at least 100 scrimmage yards, the longest streak by a Green Bay player since fellow tailback Eddie Lacy in 2014. The Packers were largely dominated in the second half but had a big enough lead at the break to where it didn’t much matter. The offence didn’t turn the ball over for the second straight game and went 3-of-5 in the red zone. The Pack’s win made the NFC North the first division in NFL history to have three teams with a least nine wins by the end of the American Thanksgiving day. Green Bay was without three injured starters in wideout Romeo Doubs, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and defensive back Jaire Alexander. Decent chance they can return off a mini-bye. The Packers are 2-4 ATS in their past six. 

Detroit Lions

The 11-1 Lions are off to their best 12-game start in franchise history and tied their longest win streak of all-time at 10 in a row by holding off visiting Chicago 23-20 last Thursday due to botched last-minute time management by the Bears that cost Coach Matt Eberflus his job the next day. The Lions, who had lost seven straight games on the American Thanksgiving, were on the verge of blowing a 23-7 fourth-quarter lead. Jared Goff had two TD passes, both to tight end Sam LaPorta, and remains right in the MVP conversation. Detroit’s streak of 22 straight regular-season games with at least one rushing scores ended, however. That was the third-longest streak in league history. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, who started six games this year and had 43 tackles and two sacks, suffered a season-ending injury in the loss. Detroit is 8-2 ATS in its past 10 games. 

NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Packers vs. Lions?