Bears vs. Lions: Thanksgiving Day betting odds, preview, and pick

The NFL's annual Thanksgiving Day tradition will kick off at 12:30 p.m. ET with the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions set to square off inside Ford Field in the first of three Thursday matchups. 

Lions still seek first win of season

The Lions have played host on Thanksgiving Day since 1934, but own a losing record (37-42-2) on the holiday. 

The home team will enter as a 3.5-point underdog, as it comes off its ninth loss of the season, a narrow, 13-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11.

In Sunday's setback, Tim Boyle got the start in place of Jared Goff, who was sidelined with an oblique injury and may miss Thursday's contest, as well.

Boyle finished the day with just 77 yards and was intercepted twice, but got help from running back D'Andre Swift, who broke free for a career-high 136 yards and found the end zone once.

On the other side of the ball, Detroit's defense forced a banged-up Baker Mayfield to toss a pair of interceptions, but the league's second worst rushing defense couldn't stop running back Nick Chubb.

Following a one-game absence due to COVID-19, Chubb rushed for 130 yards and caught a five-yard, game-deciding touchdown.

At 0-9-1, the Lions are the lone NFL team without a win. However, they have been one of the tougher teams to put away this season, as they have gone 6-4 against the spread and 2-2 ATS at home.

Bears drop fifth straight, lose Fields

Detroit's NFC North rival, Chicago, hasn't been much better in 2021.

On Sunday, the 3-7 squad fell 16-13 to the 7-3 Baltimore Ravens, who played without superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson. 

Rookie quarterback Justin Fields went just 4-of-11 passing for 79 yards and ran for 23 more before he exited the contest with a rib injury in the third quarter.

Week 1 starter Andy Dalton replaced Fields and quickly hurled up a 60-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney to lift Chicago 7-6. 

The veteran also found Marquise Goodwin on a 49-yard strike that gave the Bears a 13-9 lead with under two minutes to play.

Chicago looked like it was on its way to a win, until Baltimore capped off a 72-yard drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown by Devonta Freeman with 22 seconds remaining.

The Bears defense has had issues all season and played without linebacker Khalil Mack, who is expected to undergo season-ending foot surgery this week. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and receiver Allen Robinson were also sidelined, and could miss Thursday's matchup.

Bears and Lions betting trends

• Chicago is 4-1 ATS versus teams with a losing record
• Detroit is 1-5 ATS in its last six games following an ATS win
• The Under is 7-2 in Chicago's last nine games overall
• The Under is 7-1 in Detroit's last eight games as an underdog
• Chicago is 5-2 ATS in its last seven meetings with Detroit

Lions defense will give up another defeat

Neither of these teams have inspired much confidence lately, and with both starting quarterbacks potentially sidelined on Thursday, the Thanksgiving opener could result in one ugly slugfest.

Chicago and Detroit both rank in the bottom five in scoring and passing yards, but the Bears average the sixth most rushing yards in the league.

The Lions allow 140.5 rushing yards per contest and surrender 27.3 points per game, which should be the difference in this battle of bottom-dwelling NFC teams. 

In 18 head-to-head Thanksgiving Day matchups, Chicago has defeated Detroit 10 times and won the last two holiday matchups.

The Lions own a four-game losing streak on Turkey Day, and the trend will continue in 2021, as they extend their number of losses on the season to 10. 

Score prediction: Bears 20, Lions 17

NFL Week 12 pick: Under 42.5

Bears vs. Lions Pick powered by The Quant Edge

Our predictive engine is calling for the Lions to cover the spread.