NFL Picks and Odds - Packers at Lions Thanksgiving Day

The Green Bay Packers will look to go three games over .500 for the first time this season as they play the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The Packers are 6-4 in NFL picks on the season but in last week’s win over San Francisco they lost two defensive starters for the season. Linebacker Aaron Kampman and cornerback Al Harris suffered season-ending injuries and their losses are huge for Green Bay. The Packers are 12.5-point road favorites in NFL odds for this Thanksgiving Day game that can be seen on FOX.

Green Bay ranks first in the league in total defense allowing an average of 295.8 yards per game. Those numbers are likely to drop without Kampman and Harris. They allowed 21 points in the second half against San Francisco after those two were hurt. "Not seeing '74' and '31' in the huddle, it's going to be different," head coach Mike McCarthy said. "It's a challenge to our players, they're going to have to step up and get ready in a short week for Detroit." Harris is going to be replaced by Tramon Williams while Brad Jones will likely take Kampman’s place.

Detroit comes into this Thanksgiving Day football game off a fantastic finish last week as quarterback Matthew Stafford shrugged off a shoulder injury to throw the game winning TD on the last play of the game but are still 12.5-point underdogs in NFL picks at home. Unfortunately for the Lions it doesn’t look like Stafford will play in this game. Stafford set an NFL rookie passing record with 422 yards last week and is the youngest player ever to throw five TDs in a game. It is likely that Daunte Culpepper will get the start in this game and that is not good news for Detroit. He has never won a game in NFL odds as the starting quarterback for the Lions. He was 6 of 14 earlier this season in a 26-0 loss to Green Bay.

The Detroit Lions could also be without star wide receiver Calvin Johnson who has hand and knee injuries. Johnson had a career-best 161 yards last week. The Lions have been terrible on Thanksgiving of late in NFL betting odds. They have been outscored by 23.4 points per game in their last five on Thanksgiving. They were blown out 47-10 last year by Tennessee. They could face a similar result against a Green Bay offense that had 484 yards last week against San Francisco. The Packers are fourth in the NFL in total offense, averaging 403.4 yards per game. In his career against Detroit, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 994 yards and eight TDs. Bet Detroit +12.5 as home underdogs in NFL picks against Green Bay.

Whitmore's NFL Picks: The poor Lions... every year they play on Thanksgiving and every year they get smoked like a holiday ham. This year they will be without Stafford and Johnson... the poor Lions. My NFL pick for this game on FOX is to take the Packers on the road laying the points in NFL odds against the Lions to the UNDER. Vegas odds at Caesars sportsbook have the Green Bay Packers -12 favorites against the Detroit Lions with a total of 48 for the first of three Thanksgiving Day football games.