Bears Try to Steal Lion’s Picnic Baskets on Turkey Day!

The Chicago Bears will be looking to continue their winning ways on Thanksgiving Day in a road matchup at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions. The Bears lead the series 98-74-5, but the Lions have won nine of the last 11 meetings between the two NFC North rivals.
Second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has guided the first-place Bears (7-3) to four consecutive wins but is in danger of missing the game with a shoulder injury. If Trubisky is sidelined, veteran journeyman Chase Daniel will make his first start since 2014. The 32-year-old has only attempted three passes over the past four seasons and has completed 51 of 78 passes for 480 yards with one touchdown and an interception in his NFL career.

The Lions (4-6) are also dealing with some key injuries as running back Kerryon Johnson and receiver Marvin Jones are both expected to sit out Thursday’s contest. Johnson leads Detroit with 641 yards and has averaged 5.4 yards on 118 carries, while Jones has 35 receptions for 508 yards and five touchdowns.
Jordan Howard leads the Bears rushing attack with 523 yards, but has averaged a meager 3.4 yards a carry. However, both Howard and Tarik Cohen (63-271-2) could find success against Detroit’s leaky run defense that is ranked 24th and is surrendering 125 yards a game.

Chicago boasts the league’s top-ranked run defense which does not bode well for LeGarrette Blount and Zach Zenner, who are expected to share the workload with Johnson unable to play. The 31-year-old Blount is averaging an ugly 2.3 yards on 78 carries and has caught only five passes out of the backfield, while Zenner has just one carry this season.
Detroit will be forced to lean on the arm of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has thrown 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. Second-year wideout Kenny Golladay and pass-catching back Theo Riddick should both see an increase in targets if the Lions struggle to run the ball. Golladay is having a breakout season with 47 catches for 714 yards and five touchdowns, while Riddick has caught 41 passes for 264 yards.