Should Bears fans cheer for Lions or Packers on Thanksgiving? Playoff odds after NFC North matchup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Bears are 8-3, and sit atop the NFC North ahead of both the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. There's still a lot of season left, so this small lead could quickly evaporate.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn Week 13, on Thanksgiving, the Lions and Packers face off in a huge matchup that has major impacts on the playoff seeding for both teams. While the Lions and Packers will be directly impacted by the result, the Bears will also feel the effects of this matchup.
As Bears fans get to enjoy their Thanksgiving without worrying about their team playing, the result of this matchup is still huge. For Bears fans, should they be rooting for one team over the other in this NFC North Thanksgiving matchup? There's no simple answer, but regardless of the outcome, there's bound to be a positive for the Bears.
Rooting interest for Bears fans on Thanksgiving amid Lions vs. Packers matchup
Looking at the playoff odds from NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri, the Bears currently have a 59% of making the playoffs. Those odds, despite an 8-3 record, are because of the tough finish to the year for Chicago, which begins on Black Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Lions, despite not currently holding a playoff spot, have a 75% chance of making the playoffs, which would rise to an 86% chance with a win, and drop to a 60% chance with a loss.
The Packers, on the other hand, are at a 78% percent of making the playoffs heading into this week, and would surge to 92% with a win and fall to 69% with a loss.
Whichever team loses in Week 13 will still have a higher chance of making the playoffs than the Bears heading into their Week 13 matchup against the Eagles.
While Chicago needs to win their own games, there's reason to be happy with the result of this matchup regardless of which team wins.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow Bears would be impacted by a Packers win, Lions loss
If the Packers win, the Lions would be 7-5 and at risk of missing the playoffs. With the Bears already losing one game to the Lions earlier in the year, a Lions loss would give Chicago some extra wiggle room if they lose to Detroit again later this season.
The Bears also get to face the Packers twice this season, leaving open the possibility that the Bears sweep the season series and take a significant advantage in the NFC North. Combined with a Lions Thanksgiving loss, the Bears could be in great shape for the division.
More: Lions loss cements secret Bears-Eagles alliance
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow Bears would be impacted by a Lions win, Packers loss
If the Packers lose, then they would see their chances of winning the NFC North drop significantly. They're the current favorite, with a 43% chance of winning the North heading into Week 13.
A loss for Green Bay would bring the Lions to eight wins, but the Bears could still earn a tiebreaker over the Lions thanks to their final matchup to finish the regular season.
At just a 22% chance of winning the NFC North, the Bears would benefit greatly from a Lions win, as the overall division chances would spread out a bit more than they are.
Takeaways on Thanksgiving outcomes for Lions vs. Packers
While the Bears aren't the favorites to win the NFC North, the result of Week 13's Thanksgiving matchup could clear the air on what Chicago needs to do the rest of the season to win the North.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhat makes this Thanksgiving such a great one for Bears fans is that, regardless of the outcome of Lions-Packers, the Bears can take some positives away from the result.
Instead of watching Matt Eberflus forget to call a timeout on Thanksgiving, Bears fans can enjoy the day's games as a third party and be thankful that, regardless of the result of Packers vs. Lions, the Bears will finish the day with some positive takeaways and maybe some leftovers.
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