The Detroit Lions (7-4) and Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) will square off in a Week 13 NFC North showdown at Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day. Both teams are coming off wins, as the Packers handled the Vikings in Green Bay, while the Lions needed overtime to dispatch the Giants.
A lot has changed since these two teams met in Week 1, and while the Lions’ offense has been sluggish of late, the Lions will have a chance to extract some revenge on their division rival. The folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook think Detroit will get some retribution and have set the initial betting line at Lions -3 points.
The Packers started the 2025 season on a hot streak with wins over Detroit and the Washington Commanders, and the national media was ready to crown them the best team in the NFL. Since then, things have been rocky for the Packers, as they seem to play down (or up) to the level of their opponent. They lost in Week 3 to the Browns, then followed that up with a tie against the Cowboys. Then they won their next three games over the Bengals, Cardinals, and Steelers, only to drop games to the Panthers and Eagles in November. They managed to sneak out a win over the Giants in Week 11, then dominated a struggling Vikings in Week 12. They head to Detroit on a two-game winning streak.
Like the Lions, the Packers are working through several injuries on offense, including the season-ending losses of starters Elgton Jenkins (center) and Tucker Kraft (tight end). The Packers will likely be without starting wide receiver Jayden Reed, who just started his return from injured reserve evaluation clock last Friday. Additionally, wide receiver Matthew Golden, linebacker Quay Walker, corner Nate Hobbs, and running back Josh Jacobs did not play in Week 12, but it’s not out of the question that some of them could be ready to play on Thanksgiving Day. Lastly, quarterback Jordan Love is reportedly dealing with a left (non-throwing) shoulder issue, which is curious, considering he’s not been on the Packers’ injury report.
As for the Lions, their offense seemed to get back on track at times, but they will need to find more offensive weapons beyond Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown if they want to return to their previous levels. The defense has been rolling all season, but they incurred more than a few self-inflicted errors against the Giants. With a familiar opponent on the docket, the motivation of recapturing the NFC North at stake, along with a mindset for revenge, it’ll be tough to bet against the Lions.
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