Thanksgiving NFL Football: Patriots vs. Lions

The NFL this week starts on Thursday, Nov 25. Thanksgiving Day the New England Patriots travel to the Motor City to play against the Detroit Lions.

PATRIOTS LIONS: GAME DAY PARTICULARS
Visitors	New England Patriots
Home	Detroit Lions
When	Thursday Nov 25 12:30 EST
Where	Ford Field, Detroit
Weather	Sunny 39º F
TV	CBS
Spread	Patriots -7
Under/Over	51.5

PATRIOTS LIONS PREVIEW
On paper, the Lions look like cooked turkeys ready to be gobbled up by the almighty Pats. The Lions are 2-8, sit alone in the NFC North cellar and are coming off a disappointing 35-9 road loss against the Cowboys in week 11.

The Patriots, on the other hand, are tied for the lead with the New York Jets in the AFC East with an 8-2 record.

But these statistics can be deceiving! New England’s defense has been pitiful. Only the Houston Texans have given up more points this 2010 NFL season.

The Lions have lost 5 games by 5 points or less and have are 2-2 at home. In addition, playing at home on Thanksgiving every year is an advantage. Something even the Patriots head coach Bill Belichick admits to:
”It’s great to be in this routine,” he said. ”Having been in Detroit for two years, it was a game that you knew every year was your game. You knew you were going to be playing at home.
”It was something you were comfortable with and you actually looked forward to and (you) didn’t have to travel, all those kinds of things. I think it’s a great game for Detroit, the Lions, the city and for football.”

PATRIOTS LIONS INJURIES
Detroit Lions kicker, Jason Hanson will not play due to a right knee injury. Both New England Patriots offensive right guards Stephen Neal and Rich Olrnberger are questionable.

Detroit Lions Injury Notables
Player	Pos	Injury	Status
Jason Hanson	K	Right Knee	Out
Matt Stafford	QB	Right Shoulder	Out
Cliff Avril	DE	Quadricep	Out
Kevin Smith	RB	Thumb	Out
Isaiah Ekejiuba	LB	Knee	Questionable
Tony Scheffler	TE	Shoulder	Questionable

New England Patriots Injury Notables
Player	Pos	Injury	Status
Stephen Neal	RG	Shoulder	Questionable
Rich Ohrnberger	RG	Illness	Questionable
Jarrad Page	SS	Calf	Questionable
Mron Pryor	DT	Back	Questionable
Brandon Tate	WR	Illness	Questionable
Fred Taylor	DT	Toe	Questionable
Jonathan Wilhite	CB	Hip	Questionable

PATRIOTS LIONS ANALYSIS
The most glaring statistic is the Lions offensive passing yards per game versus the Pats defense against the pass.

Patriots OFFENSE Ranking		Lions DEFENSE Ranking
Rush Yds/Gms	112.8 16th	Rush Yds/Gms	130.6 26th
Pass Yds/Gms	226.6 16th	Pass Yds/Gms	214.6 13th
Tot Yds/Gms	339.4 17th	Tot Yds/Gms	344.2 19th

Lions OFFENSE Ranking		Patriots DEFENSE Ranking
Rush Yds/Gms	80.5 31st	Rush Yds/Gms	108.66 17th
Pass Yds/Gms	255.9 6th	Pass Yds/Gms	289.6 31st
Tot Yds/Gms	336.4 19th	Tot Yds/Gms	398.4 30th

PATRIOTS LIONS PREDICTION
The combination of the Lions impressive passing game with the Pats pathetic passing defense should keep the score close.
Expect the Lions to try and take advantage of the Patriots injuries at right guard. If they can pressure Tom Brady, he may make some mistakes.

The nflthisweek.com predicts the Patriots will win outright but NOT cover the spread.

PATRIOTS 28 LIONS 24

Source: foxsports.com