NFL 2021 Season: Bears vs Lions Betting Analysis & Prediction

As families sit down to eat their noontimeThanksgiving feast, they always know that they can turn on the television and watch some Detroit Lions football. The Lions open up the NFL Thanksgiving schedule every year, and this year they will be hosting the Chicago Bears.

Both of these teams are in the lower half of the NFC North standings. The Bears have been riddled by injury issues, while the Lions are in rebuild mode. The Lions are the only winless team in the NFL, they’ve come close on different occasions, even coming to a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they have yet to be able to win a game. We’ll see if this is the week that they finally get that elusive first victory. With all that in mind, let’s have a look at both teams and how they arrive to this Bears vs Lions matchup so you can place your bets against the NFL odds.

NFL Betting Preview for Chicago Bears at Detroit

Chicago Bears Betting Analysis

The Bears are hoping that the “Fire Nagy” chants don’t make it up to Detroit. Those chants could be heard at Soldier Field, the United Center, and even at a high school football game that Bears head coach, Matt Nagy was watching his son play in. The Bears have lost five games in a row, and their offense has been anemic during most of those games.

Rookie quarterback Justin Fields has played well at times for the Bears, but offensive line issues, along with a lack of offensive weapons have hurt the Bears’ progress. Nagy was brought in as an offensive coach, yet the Bears offense has yet to take off under his guidance. Fields will not play on Thursday, so the team will be in the hands of journeyman Andy Dalton. Dalton nearly led the Bears to a comeback victory over Baltimore last weekend.

As for the defense, the Bears are missing numerous key pieces. Khalil Mack is out for the season, Akiem Hicks has missed numerous games, and safety Eddie Jackson could miss Thursday’s game. The Bears’ defense has played well when everyone is on the field, but if they are missing key pieces, the Lions could put up some points.

Detroit Lions Betting Analysis

Detroit hasn’t won a home game in nearly a year, and many are speculating that this could be their best chance to win one in a long time. Coming off of a short week, we’re not sure whether or not we’ll see quarterback Jared Goff. Goff missed last week’s game due to an oblique injury. In his absence, the Lions relied heavily on running back D’Andre Swift. Look for Swift to carry the load once again this week for the Lions’ offense.

The Lions’ defense has been an issue all season. They’re allowing nearly 28 points per game while giving up over 375 yards of offense per game. The defensive woes will need to be addressed during the free agency period and in the draft.

Prediction

Dan Campbell is looking for his first career victory, and this could be the week that it finally happens. Detroit is catching the Bears at just the right time. Even though the Bears are 3.5-point favorites, we’re going with the Lions in this one. Not only do we think that they’ll cover the spread, but we think that they win this one outright, and soon thereafter, Bears head coach Matt Nagy will be on the unemployment line.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?