It’s been an eventful weekend for the Detroit Lions.
The Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn era is over following another embarrassing loss on Thanksgiving.
Will the changes shake up this Lions roster as they hit the road to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon in Week 13 of the 2020 NFL season?
Lions vs. Bears odds: A tale of two struggling teams
Both the Lions (4-7, 3-3 road) and the Bears (5-6, 2-3 home) are struggling right now, but oddsmakers like Chicago in Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Fox.
At the start of the week, only a few sportsbooks offered odds on the Lions vs. Bears game. The status of Chicago quarterback Nick Foles was in question. He missed Sunday night’s game with a hip injury, but hasn’t been ruled out against the Lions.
That being said, Lions vs. Bears odds are now up on the five sportsbooks we are tracking. (Odds last updated on Friday, Dec. 4 at 9:30 a.m.)
| Lions at Bears Week 13 odds | BetMGM | DraftKings | FanDuel | PointsBet | William Hill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point spread (-110 juice unless noted) | DET +3 CHI -3 | DET +3 CHI -3 | DET +3 (-105) CHI -3 (-115) | DET +3 (-105) CHI -3 (-115) | DET +3 CHI -3 |
| Moneyline | DET +140 CHI -165 | DET +145 CHI -165 | DET +144 CHI -172 | DET +140 CHI -165 | DET +140 CHI -160 |
| Total points (-110 juice unless noted) | O 44.5 U 44.5 | O 44.5 U 44.5 | O 44.5 U 44.5 | O 44.5 (-105) U 44.5 (-115) | O 45 U 45 |
On Monday, sportsbooks gave the Bears at home the nod. DraftKings Sportsbook listed Chicago as a 5-point home favorite against the Lions. William Hill had the Bears as a 5.5-point favorite. By Monday afternoon, the spread had dropped to 3.5 points and is now at 3 points at most sportsbooks.
When it comes to the over/under, sportsbooks list the total at 44 or 44.5 points. That’s down from 45 points on Monday.
On Tuesday, the sportsbooks we’re tracking had all settled on a 3-point spread and a total of 44.5. Given the same spread, it’s interesting to check out the moneyline totals for a bit of line shopping.
On Friday, books continue on that 3-point spread heading into the weekend.
Casino closures keep NFL betting limited for now
Michigan is approaching the final week of a three-week pandemic closure order from the state Department of Health and Human Services. The order is in effect until at least Dec. 8.
Due to the order, Greektown Casino, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino in Detroit are all closed. Some of the tribal casinos have elected to close as well.
Aside from the closed casinos, many others that are staying open have opted for stricter safety guidelines due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases.
Current options to bet on NFL football in Michigan as of Dec. 1 are:
- Turtle Creek (William Hill)
- Leelanau Sands Casino (William Hill)
- Four Winds in Dowagiac, Hartford, New Buffalo (Kambi)
- Gun Lake Casino (Parx)
- FireKeepers Casino (Sci Games)
- Island Resort & Casino (BetAmerica)
- Odawa Casino in Petoskey, Mackinaw City (Fox Bet)
Unfortunately, online betting is still being worked out in the state, but continuing to progress. The latest projections set for mid-to-late December. Keep up with the latest updates here.
Chicago with bragging rights in Lions vs. Bears history
The Bears and Lions have one of the richest histories in the NFL. The two teams have met 181 times, and Chicago holds a 102-74-5 advantage in the all-time history.
Chicago has won five consecutive meetings with the Lions. Included in that was a 27-23 win in Detroit to open the 2020 season back on Sept. 13. The Bears overcame a 23-6 deficit in the fourth quarter to get the win as a 2.5-point underdog.
Michigan sports bettors should note that the Lions are just 3-8 against the spread in their last 11 road games. Detroit is also just 2-6 ATS in their last eight as a road underdog.
It’s also worth noting that the Bears have failed to cover in four straight as a favorite.
Lions move on from Quinntricia
The Detroit Lions stole the headlines away from college football on Saturday when they announced the firing of general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia, aka the Quinntricia era.
The firing comes off the heels of a 41-25 loss at home to the Houston Texans last Thursday, dropping the Lions to 4-7 on the season.
Patricia was just 13-29-1 over his 43 games with Detroit. Quinn fired Jim Caldwell after his fourth season as coach in order to hire Patricia. Caldwell was 36-28 over four years with the Lions.
Darrell Bevell takes over as interim coach. Bevell is the team’s defensive coordinator and has Detroit 31st in points allowed (29.8 per game) and 29th in total defense (396.2 yards per game).
The changes at the top could mean the Lions are going to be parting ways with Matthew Stafford during the offseason. The 12th-year Lions QB has thrown for 2,876 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. He threw for 295 yards with one TD and one INT in the loss to the Texans.
Stafford is hoping to see receiver Kenny Golladay and running back D’Andre Swift back in the lineup this week. Golladay has missed the last three games with a hip injury. Swift has missed the last two contests due to a concussion. Both are listed as day-to-day.
Bears drop fifth straight, so can Lions roar to victory?
Chicago was once squarely in the playoff picture at 5-1, but the Bears have since lost five straight games to fall to 5-6.
Sunday night, the Bears fell flat in a 41-25 loss on the road to the Green Bay Packers. Coming off the bye week, Chicago was flat from the start and fell behind 27-3 in the first half.
Nick Foles missed the game due to a hip injury he suffered late in the Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Foles didn’t practice last week, but is still listed as day-to-day for this week.
Mitchell Trubisky returned to the starting lineup against the Packers after having been benched for Foles earlier in the season. He thew for 242 yards and three touchdowns, but also had two interceptions. Most of his stats piled up when the game was out of hand.
Good news for Trubisky is that he’s been tremendous against the Detroit Lions. His last four starts against the Lions have seen him throw for 1,067 yards with 12 touchdowns and just one interception.
Two of Trubisky’s top-three passing performances have come against the Lions. He had 355 yards and three TD’s against Detroit on Nov. 11, 2018. He then threw for 338 yards and three TD’s on Nov. 28, 2019.
A bright spot for Chicago in the loss to the Packers was David Montgomery. He rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries, while catching five passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. Montgomery missed the loss to Minnesota due to a concussion.
