It is Thanksgiving Day in the US on Thursday which means that we have three football matches to get stuck into and enjoy and all three are divisional clashes which adds to the feistiness. The opening game sees the Detroit Lions taking on the Chicago Bears at Ford Field.
This match comes from the NFC North where the Bears currently have control of the division. A win here would maintain that dominance but a loss could open the door for the others. The Lions need to win and keep on winning if anything is to come from their season.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are 4-6 for the season after they ended a three match losing streak when they beat the Carolina Panthers at the weekend, and if they can follow that up with a victory over a divisional rival to open up Thanksgiving Day then all things being equal it will have been a good few days. They will need to make sure they give Matt Stafford the ultimate protection if that is to happen.
All eyes will be on Stafford and his offense in this match. He goes up against the third ranked defence in the game so scoring points is not going to be easy although in fairness the short week might help. Given that though the Lions quarterback could need his defence to step up and help him out a little if he is going to come through this successfully.
Chicago Bears
The Bears might be in control of the division but they have suffered a blow for this match with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky downgraded to unlikely to play in this one. That means that Chase Daniel will get his first action in a Bears uniform as a starter. That could change the whole dynamic of this Chicago offense which is not ideal.
Chicago go into this match off the back of a four game winning run but the plays made by Trubisky has been a huge factor in that so not having him available will be a blow. One way they might be able to cope without him is through their defence which is the third best in the league overall and the best against the run. Only two sides have scored more than 24pts against Chicago this season and one of those was the New England Patriots.
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Betting
I wanted to back Chicago Bears when I saw this match on the horizon but that would go against everything I consider on Thursday night matches. In fairness the Thanksgiving spectacle changes that dynamic somewhat but I definitely can’t take the visitors when they are likely to be without their starting quarterback.
That makes me think the under is the way to attack this first match. The line is 44.5 which looks fairly high when you think that Chicago have the third rated defence in the entire league and then when you flip it over and remember the Bears are without their starting trigger man. Unless there are multiple turnovers or a defensive score I don’t see this line being covered. I’ll play the under.
Tips
WON – Back Under 44.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.87 with Betfred
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