Bears vs. Packers 2015 preview: NFC North foes meet up on Thanksgiving night

The final Thanksgiving game of the day takes place at Lambeau Field when the Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears on NBC. The Packers will look to build some momentum back after snapping a three-game losing streak last Sunday.

After a month-long slump, the Packers got back on the wagon in Week 11 with a convincing 30-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The win puts the 7-3 Packers back in first place in the NFC North, with a critical tiebreaker win over Minnesota. The two teams meet up again in Week 17, but Green Bay is hoping to have the division wrapped up before then.

The Bears were riding a two-game winning streak into Week 11, but came somewhat back to Earth after a 17-15 loss to the Denver Broncos. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was out with a groin injury and quarterback Jay Cutler clearly missed him -- the Bears’ 15 points was their lowest total since Week 5, when they scored 18 points against the Kansas City Chiefs. Incidentally, Jeffery also missed that game with a calf ailment.

Sunday’s loss dropped the Bears to 4-6, and while their playoff hopes aren’t extinguished quite yet, they’re running out of ground to make up in the Wild Card race.

These two teams last met up in Week 1, with the Packers emerging victorious, 31-23.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign for the Packers last week was the rebirth of running back Eddie Lacy. Lacy has been hugely disappointing in his third year, dealing with injuries and questions about his weight while never rushing for 100 yards in a game. The Packers went so far as to demote Lacy for James Starks after Lacy managed just 51 rushing yards on 20 carries in three games.

But in Week 11, Lacy showed he still has something in the tank, reaching the 100-yard milestone for the first time this year and averaging 4.5 yards per carry, a big improvement on his season average of 3.9. Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packers offense need to see more of this Lacy instead of the one who’s been scuffling all year.

Beside the offensive woes, the Packers defense continues to perform at a middling level, ranking 22nd in rushing yards and 23rd in passing yards allowed per game. To its credit, Green Bay’s defense had one of its better performances in Week 11, holding Adrian Peterson to 45 rushing yards and sacking Teddy Bridgewater six times.

The Bears were looking at a potentially disastrous season after starting 0-3, but have since won four of their last six games and hope to end the season on a respectable note. Their final six opponents are a combined 29-31 and include teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions and Washington, so an 8-8 finish isn’t out of the question.

But to get to that point, the Bears badly need a healthy Jeffery. The fourth-year receiver has played just five of 10 games this season and is dealing with yet another lingering muscle injury. Jeffery sat out last week’s game with a groin injury and is questionable again to play on a short week. Jeffery has been his usual explosive self when healthy, averaging 7.2 catches and 103 receiving yards in the five games he’s played.

Matt Forte/Jeremy Langford, Bears running back -- Forte is expected to return this week after an MCL injury kept him out of the past three games. You’d expect Forte to resume his usual workhorse role, but the rookie Langford has played well in Forte’s absence, racking up 366 total yards as the replacement starter. Langford has shown enough talent that the Bears could employ a minor committee to keep the 29-year-old Forte fresh, but either way, the Packers defense now has two quality running backs to worry about.

James Jones, Packers wide receiver -- It’s been an unusual year for Jones. After starting the season red hot with six touchdowns in the first six games, Jones’ production fell off a cliff -- he had just three catches and 59 yards between Weeks 8-10. However, Jones came back with his best game of the year so far, grabbing six catches for 109 yards and his first touchdown since Week 6. Which Jones will show up on Thanksgiving?

When: 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.

TV: NBC

Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya

Online: NBC Sports Live Extra

Green Bay is a strong favorite among online experts, with seven of eight CBS Sports writers picking the Packers. At ESPN, the only panelist taking the Bears is Mike Ditka, who might be a bit biased. Here at SB Nation, it’s a similar story -- seven of our eight experts picked Green Bay, with only the OddsShark computer predicting Chicago to win.

The Packers are favored by 9 points with an over/under of 46, according to OddsShark.

For more on the Packers, head to Acme Packing Company. For everything Bears, check out Windy City Gridiron.