Detroit Lions Look to Control Destiny With Thanksgiving Victory

The Detroit Lions have been playing Thanksgiving football since 1934. Coincidentally, that was the last time the Lions were able to string together nine straight regular season wins.

There is quite a bit at stake here for Detroit, at least from a historical perspective. In present-day terms, it's fairly clear - if the Lions handle the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving, the Lions remain in firm control of the NFC playoff picture, with home-field advantage and a second-straight NFC North crown within reach.

Get our free mobile app

Of course, there would still be work left to do with the toughest stretch of Detroit's schedule to follow. But the Lions would be in control of their own destiny, which is all anyone attached to the franchise can really ask for.

For too long, destiny pre-ordained the Lions to be truly awful. But a win over Chicago can go a long way in overshadowing the mistakes of the past.

First, a win on Thursday would give the Lions just its second-ever 10-game winning streak. The only other instance the Lions won 10 straight games was in 1934. That opens the door for Detroit to set a new franchise standard for longest win streak when they host the Green Bay Packers on December 5.

Interestingly, Green Bay ended that 10-game winning streak 90 years ago too.

The other aspect is Thanksgiving itself. The Lions play on the holiday every year and every year, they struggle. All-time the Lions are 37-45-2 on Thanksgiving, needing another 9-game winning streak in this game alone to break above .500. Unfortunately, the Lions are on a seven-game losing streak on Turkey Day.

That's right, Detroit hasn't won a Thanksgiving game since 2016, which means Dan Campbell still has a hurdle for this team to overcome.

Anything can happen in the NFL, but everything appears to be lining up for Detroit. The Bears have struggled in recent weeks while the Lions have surged as arguably the best team in the league.