The Detroit Lions host their annual Thanksgiving Day game on Thursday, and the Philadelphia Eagles will travel to Ford Field to face the Lions in a NFC matchup. The Eagles have lost two straight games, and head coach Chip Kelly will need his team to bounce back after a crushing defeat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday. The Lions has won two straight, and will look to give the city of Detroit something to be grateful for on Thanksgiving with a win over Philadelphia.
Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford has been officially listed as questionable, but is reportedly expected to sit out this game, according to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport. With Bradford unlikely to play, backup quarterback Mark Sanchez will make his second consecutive start for the Eagles. Sanchez threw two touchdowns to three interceptions against the Buccaneers this past weekend, and ball security will be of the upmost importance for the Eagles quarterback.
Kelly will look to establish a strong ground game with Sanchez, as that will alleviate pressure on the Philadelphia quarterback. Running back Ryan Mathews remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, and is unlikely to suit up on Thanksgiving Day, according to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. With Mathews out again running backs DeMarco Murray and Darren Sproles will carry the load for the Eagles offense.
Murray had 91 all-purpose yards against the Buccaneers last week, but was unable to reach the endzone. The Eagles star running back will look to make his presence felt on Thursday, as he can be one of the most dominating backs in the league. Kelly will look switch up the carries between Murray and Sproles, as they both have different styles of running the ball. Sproles is effective on third down passing situations, and is a quick outlet for Sanchez when under pressure. Sproles had three receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown last week, and will look to build off his strong performance.
The Eagles offense has struggled the past two games, and Detroit's defense will look to make it three straight. The Lions held the Packers offense to just 16 points two weeks ago, and only gave up 13 points to the Raiders last week. Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah creates havoc for opposing quarterbacks, and already has eight sacks this season. Ansah will look to disrupt the Eagles offense by creating pressure on Philadelphia's quarterback.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has struggled this season leading the Lions offense. Stafford has thrown for 2,607 yards and 15 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. The Lions quarterback was unable to throw a touchdown last week against Oakland, but managed to rush for one. Lions head coach Jim Caldwell will look to get star wide receiver Calvin Johnson involved early Thursday.
Johnson has had five straight games with 80-plus receiving yards, and will attack a weak Eagles secondary. The Eagles are 16th in the league in terms of passing yards given up per game, and Johnson will try to take advantage. The Lions star wide out has 828 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season.
These are two teams with high-powered offenses that have struggled this season, and it will be interesting to see which offense will get going first on Thanksgiving. The game starts at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Lions' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Eagles' radio broadcast, go here.
