A few weeks ago it would have been nearly impossible to imagine that the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions would be separated by just one win entering their Thanksgiving Day tilt.
Eagles vs. Lions 2015 picks and predictions: No favorite among the experts in Turkey Day opener
The Eagles are coming off back-to-back losses, but at least they have history on their side against the Lions. Philly is 6-0 on Thanksgiving Day.
The Lions lost seven of their first eight games and were entrenched in the league's basement two months into the season, on track to earn the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft. The Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9 for their third win in four games and appeared to be on the upswing, looking like the favorite in a pitiful NFC East race.
Fast-forward to Turkey Day and the roles are completely reversed. Detroit has put together its first winning streak of the season, beating the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders in back-to-back weeks, and has played itself out of a potential top-five draft pick ... for now. Philly has dropped two in a row at home to the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and has fallen out of first place in the division.
The key to the Lions’ rebirth in the past two weeks has been the return of their dominant defense, which terrorized opponents last year but was getting obliterated in the first two months of this season. Heading into Week 10, Detroit owned the NFL’s worst scoring defense, giving up a whopping 30.6 points per game. Their next two games: 16 points allowed versus Green Bay and 13 points allowed versus Oakland. While their playoff chances are next to zero, the Lions have a chance to play spoiler down the stretch if this defensive renaissance is real.
The Eagles have a host of problems to deal with, but none are more concerning than a struggling defense that was torched for 45 points and 521 yards by the Bucs. They’ve allowed at least 27 points in three of their last four games, after holding each of their first six opponents to 26 points or fewer. If Philadelphia can’t get its defensive issues fixed soon, it’s going to have a tough time staying in playoff contention.
There is little consensus among the experts on the outcome of this game. The guys at CBS Sports give a slight edge to the Lions, while ESPN’s panelists are overwhelmingly taking Detroit. Our crew at SB Nation slightly favors the home team.
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark | |
| PHI vs DET | DET | PHI | PHI | DET | DET | DET | DET | PHI |
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