The NFL schedule has provided fans with an excellent Thanksgiving Day slate. The kickoff will start at 1 p.m. when the Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) head to Detroit to take on the Lions (7-4) in an NFC North matchup.
Green Bay suffered a mid-season slump, dropping back-to-back contests to the Panthers and Eagles. Over the past two weekends, the Packers have returned to their winning ways with victories over the Giants and Vikings.
Detroit is headed in the opposite direction. The Lions are 2-3 over the past five games, dropping contests to the Chiefs, Vikings, and Eagles. Last week, Detroit found its way into the win column with a victory over the Giants.
Both of these teams need to win to catch up to the 8-3 Chicago Bears. Will the Packers or the Lions remain in striking distance of the NFC North crown? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for this exciting game.
Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love OVER 228.5 Passing Yards
Green Bay has no problem allowing quarterback Jordan Love to throw the football. The 27-year-old signal-caller ranked among the league’s best, notching a 70.4 quarterback ranking through 11 games.
He’s also completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 2,560 yards, 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions thus far. On Thanksgiving Day, he’ll have a feast against a Lions’ pass defense that is suspect at best. Although Love has thrown for less than 200 yards in three straight games, take him to surpass his passing prop totals on Thursday against Detroit.
Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs OVER 69.5 Rushing Yards
If the Packers have any deficiencies defensively, it’s the team’s running defense. Opponents have found ways to run the football against Green Bay. That’s why Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs’ player prop stands out.
Oddsmakers have set 70 yards as the standard that the talented runner needs to achieve for this prop wager. Gibbs is third in the league, rushing for 951 yards this season on 155 carries. He’s averaging 6.1 yards per run, a career-best average, should he keep it up.
Still, Gibbs finished with just 19 yards in the Lions’ first matchup against the Packers. Can he and his teammates offer a better showing on Thanksgiving Day? We certainly believe so, meaning bettors should take him to exceed this prop bet total on Thursday.
Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown OVER 74.5 Receiving Yards
In their season-opening matchup, Detroit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown finished with four receptions for 45 yards. That’s been Green Bay’s standard this season: shutting down receivers. Only Ja’Marr Chase and George Pickens have exceeded 75 receiving yards against Green Bay.
Why should bettors expect St. Brown to become the third wide receiver on that short list? The leading receiver from the first matchup between the two teams, tight end Sam LaPorta, is now on the injured reserve list. Expect quarterback Jared Goff to target St. Brown early and often on Thursday.
Best Bet: Detroit (-2.5)
In their season-opening matchup, Green Bay dominated the Lions 27-13. The Packers’ front four disrupted Detroit’s passing game, and the Lions finished with only 46 rushing yards on 22 carries.
Detroit has changed playcallers since then as head coach Dan Campbell assumed those responsibilities. The team has scored nearly 30 points a game despite having a nine-point showing against Philadelphia. Expect the Lions to continue that trend, finding enough offense to defeat their NFC North rivals on Thursday.
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