Thanksgiving Game Could Define NFC North Race

DETROIT – As the NFL regular season winds down in early January, the Green Bay-Detroit game on Thanksgiving could be a turning point.

The Packers (7-3-1) are favored to win the NFC North, while the Lions (7-4) are close behind, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Interestingly, both teams currently trail Chicago (8-3) in the division standings.

This makes the stakes particularly high at Ford Field, were the NFL kicks off it’s annual holiday triple-header.

A win for Green Bay would significantly improve their chances of winning the NFC North for the first time since 2021. Beating Detroit and sweeping the season series would give them a crucial tiebreaker advantage.

“We’re getting toward the end, so every game feels a little more vital,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

For Detroit, this is a chance to win three consecutive division titles for the first time since 1952-54 – a period when the franchise won two NFL championships and appeared in another.

“You couldn’t ask for a better situation,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.

The losing team could find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the NFC’s seven-team playoff picture. With a little over a month left in the season, eight teams in the conference currently have winning records, making the competition fierce.

Green Bay’s Micah Parsons recorded his 10th sack of the season in Sunday’s win over Minnesota, becoming only the second player in franchise history to reach double-digit sacks, joining Hall of Famer Reggie White.