It’s Thanksgiving week, and that means 1 thing and 1 thing only: FOOTBALL! Week 13 in the 2024 NFL season kicks off with a trio of Turkey Day games, the first of which pits the Chicago Bears against the Detroit Lions. Chicago (4-7) probably figured it would be in the mix for the NFC North title at this point of the season; instead, it trails Detroit (10-1) by a whopping 6 games. The Bears have lost 5 in a row, while the Lions have won 9 straight.
Here is my Same Game Parlay for the festivities, which get underway at 12:30 pm ET on CBS. Also be sure to check out our full Bears vs Lions predictions.
Lions -13.5 alternate spread (+134)
Jahmyr Gibbs to score a touchdown (-185)
Rome Odunze to record 5+ receptions (+132)
Parlay odds: +630
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs scoring a touchdown would obviously work well with a big win for the Lions. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Chicago receiver Rome Odunze to make a decent number of receptions. But even if he does, there is no reason why the home team can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Lions -13.5 alternate spread (+134)
The Lions deserve every bit of their 10-1 record. They are a well-oiled machine on both offense (at least 42 points scored in 4 games this season) and defense (no more than 14 points allowed in 4 of their last 5 contests). Head coach Dan Campbell’s crew has held each of its past 2 opponents to exactly 6 points (52-6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and 24-6 against the Indianapolis Colts). Chicago has not scored more than 16 points in any road game so far in 2024, so Detroit should be in line for yet another dominant defensive performance. On the other side of the ball, the Bears are allowing the sixth-most passing yards per attempt this season. That will be music to Jared Goff’s ears. The Lions have won 6 of their last 8 outings by double-digits, so it would be no surprise if they win this one by at least 2 touchdowns.
Jahmyr Gibbs to score a touchdown (-185)
Will the Sonic and Knuckles duo be complete on Thanksgiving Day? Maybe not, because David Montgomery (shoulder) is questionable. Montgomery missed the second half against Indianapolis and was a no-go at practice on Monday. If he is absent, that would obviously increase Gibbs’ workload. Either way, Gibbs should be able to find the endzone. The former Georgia Tech and Alabama standout has already scored a whopping 12 touchdowns this year, 10 on the ground and 2 through the air. Only once in the last 6 contests has Gibbs failed to deliver a TD, and during this stretch he has produced multi-touchdown performances. He should be able to score at least 1 against a Chicago team that has surrendered 12 rushing TDs this season compared to just 9 passing.
Rome Odunze to record 5+ receptions (+132)
This really doesn’t conflict at all with Lions -13.5. If the Bears are playing from behind the whole way, it would force Caleb Williams to air it out early and often – thus resulting in more targets and therefore more receptions for all of his receivers. Odunze would be among the beneficiaries, giving him an opportunity to build on what has been substantial volume in recent weeks. The rookie out of Washington has been targets 10 times in each of the past 2 games. He made 6 catches against the Green Bay Packers and 5 against the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit boasts 1 lockdown cornerback in rookie Terrion Arnold, who figures to the draw the DJ Moore assignment. Lions CB Carlton Davis III (knee) is questionable, giving Odunze all the more reason to make plenty of receptions on Thursday.
