The Detroit Lions cleared numerous hurdles to reach their annual Thanksgiving Day home game in full control of the NFC North. On Thursday, Detroit will look to snap its six-game losing streak on the holiday when it hosts the Green Bay Packers. “We’re trying to turn over a new leaf here,” coach Dan Campbell said. “We’re trying to do something different and find a way to do some things that haven’t been done in awhile. This is another one of those opportunities for us.”
The Lions are 8-2, their best 10-game start since the 1962 season, and have won seven consecutive division games for the first time since the AFL-NFL merger. Aiming for their first division title since 1993, Detroit would be the No. 2 seed in the NFC if the playoffs began this week. The Lions are currently 2 1/2 games ahead of second-place Minnesota in the division. Riding a three-game winning streak, the last two victories haven’t come easy. The Lions needed a last-second field goal to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10, then rallied from a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Chicago 31-26 on Sunday. Quarterback Jared Goff threw a season-high three interceptions but bounced back to lead two late touchdown drives to stun the Bears.
“Certainly we’re not playing the best all across the board. But you can’t put a price on finding a way to win tough games when things don’t go your way,” Campbell said. All but one of the Lions’ Thanksgiving games during the past six years have been decided by one possession. “I still think it’s something special. I believe that … it’s a privilege to be able to play on Thanksgiving Day,” Campbell said. “It’s a privilege for our guys and everybody’s watching. All your families, all your friends. This is the type of game where somebody you went to school with in the second grade is texting you. … It’s kind of cool like that.”
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