One part of Detroit Lions history that hasn’t gotten over these key players is Thanksgiving.
The Lions, currently 10-1 and the best team in the NFL, haven’t won on Thanksgiving since 2016. That includes an upset loss to the Green Bay Packers last year, a season in which the Lions won their first division title since 1993. .
It shouldn’t be a big surprise that the Lions weren’t great on Thanksgiving. Their record is 37-45-2. The other regular host team on Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys, has a 33-22-1 record on Thanksgiving.
Here’s a look at Week 13 of the NFL season, including three Thanksgiving games, from a betting perspective with all odds from BetMGM:
Thanksgiving opener: Lions are heavy favorites
For the first time, the Lions go into their Thanksgiving game as favorites to win the Super Bowl. And as such, this is the first time in a long time that the Lions have been a big favorite on Thanksgiving. Detroit is a 9.5-point favorite over the Chicago Bears. According to the Action Network, the Lions haven’t been favored this much on Thanksgiving since 1968, when they were favored by 12 against the Eagles. The Bears have played well since firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, barely losing to the Packers and Vikings in the last two weeks, but the Lions have been swept in eight of their last nine games.
Thanksgiving in Dallas: A bad Giants-Cowboys matchup
Maybe the middle game will at least be competitive. The Cowboys are 3.5-point favorites over the New York Giants with a combined 6-16 record. The Giants will go with Tommy DeVito at quarterback, but his arm is questionable. That could mean they turn to Drew Lock. This could actually make the Giants more competitive, since Locke is the best quarterback even though the Giants bypassed him for DeVito after cutting Daniel Jones. If DeVito plays, Cowboys -3.5 becomes even more enticing. Dallas played well in last week’s win over the Washington Commanders, Cooper Rush’s second straight strong start. It’s been a long time since the Giants saw him, and DeVito won’t be much help.
Thanksgiving Nightcap: Dolphins-Packers Should Have Fun
By Green Bay standards, Thanksgiving weather won’t be too bad. The forecast is a high of 33 degrees and a low of 22 with a 0% chance of precipitation. But for the Miami Dolphins, it will be pretty cold. The dolphins’ problems in cold weather are well documented, but they can’t afford to freeze at Lambeau Field. The Dolphins are 5-6 and still in the playoff hunt, but they can’t afford many more losses. They are playing well, with Tua Tagovailo on a hot streak. The Dolphins are a 3.5-point favorite, and they can keep it close.
Black Friday: The Chiefs are heavily favored over the Raiders
Anyone who pays attention to the NFL knows by now that the Chiefs win almost every game and the games are always close. Which will be tested on Friday. The Las Vegas Raiders are a weak football team with a quarterback conundrum. They should return Aidan O’Connell, but if he can’t go, Desmond Ryder will fill in for the injured Gardner Minshew II. The Chiefs are a huge 13-point favorite. The Raiders won straight in Kansas City last Christmas, but the Chiefs have lost just once. Chiefs have been the dominant group in this era but not against expansion; With Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, Kansas City is just 11-15-2 as a double-digit favorite against the spread. The Chiefs won just two games by double digits all season and never won by more than 13 points all season. But it’s scary to take on this Raiders team, which has lost seven in a row.
Fascinating underdog: Eagles getting points?
There is an argument that the Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in the NFL right now, even better than the Lions. At worst, they’re in the top three or four. Still, they’re 3-point underdogs on the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are a very good team with Lamar Jackson playing at an MVP level again. But the Eagles have won seven in a row and four of those wins were by double digits. It’s hard to give points to the Eagles, even against a team as good as the Ravens.
Sunday night: 49ers try to survive
If you’re taking the San Francisco 49ers, you’re buying them at their lowest point. Not much faith in the 49ers after getting blown out by the Packers last week. And San Francisco is still dealing with injuries, though quarterback Brock Purdy will likely return. That would be big, and makes the 49ers a little more palatable as 7-point underdogs on the Buffalo Bills. It’s shocking the 49ers are 7-point underdogs to anyone this season, but no one expects them to be 5-6 in December. If there’s any life left in the 49ers, we’ll have to see it on Sunday night.
Monday night: Broncos push for playoffs
The Denver Broncos have been the NFL’s biggest surprise this season. They are 7-5 and looking good for a playoff spot. They don’t want teams like the Bengals or Dolphins to gain hope in the race, so games like Monday night are big. The Broncos are a 5.5-point favorite. The Browns have a little extra rest after their win last Thursday, but they haven’t been a good road team this season. Denver is clearly the team that needs this game more.
