5 Bold predictions for the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving

Four bold predictions for the Detroit Lions as they host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day.

The Detroit Lions are preparing for their second bout with the Chicago Bears this season, hoping for a much better outcome than last time.

Detroit has had quite the season so far, holding a lead in each of their 11 games but sitting at the bottom of their division at 3-7-1. With an injury-plagued roster and some recent struggles on defense, can the Lions turn it around in their prime time matchup?

Here are my bold predictions for this week’s game:

Quarterback change-up changes nothing

With rookie David Blough getting his first career start while both Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel deal with their injuries, don’t think that we’ll see anything new on offense.

Driskel’s tenure as the Lions’ starting quarterback wasn’t exactly noteworthy, with four touchdowns and just as many interceptions in three games. While he and Blough are very different passers, don’t think that this will change things up on offense.

Blough is an undrafted rookie who’s first regular-season action comes in a major prime time game. Though he has been with the team since the beginning of the season, don’t think his play will be any better than what we’ve seen in recent weeks.

While we’ll see a much different style of play from Blough than the other two Lions quarterbacks, don’t expect anything new.

Amani Oruwariye will make another interception

In his first game as a starter, filling in for the injured Rashaan Melvin, Oruwariye proved to be more capable than many expected. In the loss to Washington, the rookie pulled off an impressive interception on a pass from Dwayne Haskins.

Bears’ quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has thrown six interceptions so far this season and will be down three offensive weapons on Thanksgiving Day. I think the rookie will be able to keep the momentum going from last week and capitalize on this opportunity.

There will be a dearth of yellow flags

There were 20 flags thrown the last time these two teams faced each other, but that may not be the case this time around.

Jerome Boger and his crew will be officiating this game. This is a crew that hasn’t called more than 12 penalties in a game in 2019, so this could bode well for the Lions. Detroit only committed six penalties last week, so it appears that some of their discipline issues have been resolved.

Hockenson will re-emerge in the offense

After a fairly quiet season, Hockenson may be able to rediscover his place in the passing game. He had three receptions for 47 yards against Chicago earlier this year.

Can he put on a similar performance this week? I hope so.

The Detroit Lions will come out with a win

Usually, predicting a victory isn’t considered a bold prediction, but that’s not the case for this team.

Detroit is itching for a win amidst a four-game losing streak. The Bears aren’t in a much better situation at the moment, so this game could be an interesting one.

The Lions defense has shown some improvement since their last game against Chicago. Their run game has been revived with the emergence of Bo Scarborough. The only liability is the quarterback situation. If the defense and the offensive line can hold up, the Lions will be able to overcome and snap their losing streak.