The Buffalo Bills are scheduled to meet the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day to open Week 12 of the 2022 NFL season.
The Bills were listed as 10-point favorites last week. Now, the spread ranges from 9-9.5 points at DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and PointsBet.
Let’s take a look at our Bills vs. Lions odds on NFL Thanksgiving Day, as well as a prediction.
NFL Thanksgiving Day Odds: Point Spread, Moneyline, Total
Here are NFL Thanksgiving Day odds from around the sports betting marketplace.
NFL · Thu (11/24) @ 12:34pm ET
| BUF Bills | at | DET Lions |
| Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan | ||
Bills vs. Lions on Thanksgiving Day
This game marks the 83rd edition of Detroit’s holiday classic that started in 1934, with games annually since the end of World War II.
Over the past 18 years, the Lions have struggled on Turkey Day. They are on a five-game losing streak on this day and have gone 4-14 since 2004 (7-11 against the spread).
This season, though, the Lions are roaring — at least during their current three-game victory streak. They are 4-6 straight up/6-4 against the spread and just returned home after winning consecutive games on the road as an underdog against Chicago and the NY Giants.
Despite the Lions’ recent success, they still are a heavy underdog here. No foe on this holiday in Detroit has been a bigger favorite since Green Bay was an 11.5-point choice in 2009 and won 34-12.
The Bills (7-3 SU/5-4-1 ATS), meanwhile, escaped the epic snowstorm in Upstate New York last week and beat Cleveland 31-23 on Sunday in a game that was hastily moved to Detroit.
Buffalo QB Josh Allen and his offensive mates will now take on a team that has the league’s 32nd-ranked defense and gave up 413 yards in defeating NYG on Sunday. It was the Giants’ second-best production of the season and the first game all year New York QB Daniel Jones threw for 300-plus yards.
The Lions prevailed thanks in large part to a plus-3 turnover edge but will now face a QB who’s second on the passer yardage chart, averaging 293 a game.
On defense, Buffalo’s unit was fifth worst at stopping the run in Weeks 8-10 before stifling the Browns and RB Nick Chubb, yielding only 80 ground yards on 3.1 a carry.
Buffalo will now be counting on its defense to slow Detroit RB Jamaal Williams, who leads the league with 12 rushing touchdowns and is on pace to be the Lions’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2013. It’s the longest current drought for an NFL team.
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Bills vs. Lions NFL Thanksgiving Day Prediction
The mega-blizzard that hit Buffalo has put the Bills behind the scheduling 8-ball.
First, their stay-at-home plans last week were altered drastically after the game was switched to Detroit on short notice. It then was a major undertaking for the team’s traveling party to dig folks out of their homes to reach the airport and fly to Detroit. Bills fans reportedly helped out in a big way.
What makes it extra bad this week is that instead of the Bills staying in Detroit to prepare for the game against the Lions, the team flew back home. Thus, they are the only team this season that will play back-to-back games away from home five days apart.
Surely their preparation will be affected in readying to face a team it hasn’t had to study in four years. And on top of that, this will be a quick turnaround for Allen and his injured passing elbow. He was limited in Monday’s drills.
As for the Lions’ offense, QB Jared Goff, the league’s 12th-ranked passer, has had much success of late teaming with WR Amon-Ra St. Brown for 17 catches on 19 targets for 195 yards the past two weeks. Plus, the Lions’ pass protection has been outstanding, yielding the third-fewest sacks in the league this season (15) and none in two of the past three games.
In summary, with Lions fans having something to root for the first time in a while and with the Bills’ schedule in disarray, Detroit should at least keep it close.
Prediction: Bills 29, Lions 27
Also read: NFL Week 12 odds | Odds to make 2023 NFL playoffs
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