After Firing Patricia, Lions Open as 1-Point Favorites Against Bears in Week 13
- The Detroit Lions (4-7) visit the Chicago Bears (5-6) in Week 13 (Dec. 6, 1 pm EST)
- Detroit was blown out by Houston 41-25 in Week 12, while Chicago was embarrassed by Green Bay 41-25 on Sunday Night Football
- Read below for analysis on which way the line will move ahead of kickoff
Week 13 will mark a new era for Detroit Lions football, as the team will play their first game since firing head coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn.
The 4-7 Lions will head to Chicago, to face the 5-6 Bears, who could be thinking about making some personnel changes of their own. After starting the season 5-1, Chicago has dropped five straight, and are fresh off being embarrassed by long time rival Green Bay on Sunday Night Football.
Lions vs Bears Opening Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | -1 (-105) | -113 | Over 45.5 (-110) |
| Chicago Bears | +1 (-117) | -108 | Under 45.5 (-110) |
Odds taken Nov. 30th.
Detroit opened up as a 1-point road favorite, in what will be a rematch of Week 1. That day, Chicago escaped the Motor City with a 4 point victory despite being outplayed for most of the game by the Lions.
A Fresh Start
Detroit is coming off a 41-25 blowout loss to the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as two days later Patricia and Quinn were given their pink slips.
Lions relieved HC Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn of their duties.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 28, 2020
Patricia was 13-29-1 as the Lions’ head coach, and the week before suffered Detroit’s first shutout loss since 2009. The Lions are a bottom-11 offensive team in points, total yards, and rushing yards per game and boast one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
When the next HC for the @Lions gets to Detroit—he will have a lot of work to do.
This time it’s truth and not a lie.
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 28, 2020
Only two teams give up more points per contest than Detroit, and Pro Football Focus has them graded as the league’s worst coverage unit and third worst defense overall.
To make matters worse, the Lions are currently riddled with injuries. Their two biggest playmakers, Kenny Golladay and D’Andre Swift each missed the last two games, while third overall pick Jeff Okudah sat out Week 12 with a shoulder injury. Starting cornerback Desmond Trufant aggravated his hamstring against Houston, which means they could be down their top-two defensive backs for next week’s game.
A Brutal Loss for the Bears
Chicago meanwhile, has been abysmal during its five-game losing streak, failing to exceed 24 points in each of those outings. They put up little fight against the Packers, allowing Aaron Rodgers to completely pick them apart.
The @Packers pick up their 100th win over the Chicago Bears! #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/LLG8cb7IrL
— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) November 30, 2020
Rodgers racked up four touchdown passes on just 29 attempts, shredding the league’s third ranked defense by DVOA. The 41 points allowed were a season-high by the Bears, who sorely missed defensive tackle Akiem Hicks. Without their top run stuffer, Chicago surrendered 182 rushing yards and 7.3 yards per carry to Green Bay.
Mitchell Trubisky, who was filling in for the injured Nick Foles, threw three touchdown passes but also committed three costly turnovers. He was intercepted twice, and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Preston Smith.
FINALLY PRESTON SMITH 🧀 pic.twitter.com/NbDk1jSVrS
— IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) November 30, 2020
Foles’ status for Week 13 remains unclear, so it’s possible it’s once again Trubisky time versus the Lions.
A Clean Bill of Health Could Push Line Towards Lions
Most bettors aren’t going to want any piece of either one of these two teams, and it wouldn’t be surprising if this is one of the least bet games on the board.
Regardless if it’s Trubisky or Foles at quarterback, the Bears can’t be trusted, while it’s tough to back a Lions team that has shown zero fight recently. This line will likely hover around pick’em unless Detroit gets some good news on the injury front. If both Golladay and Swift are declared ready for Week 13, then we could see the number pushed a bit further in the Lions favor.
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
