ALLEN PARK -- It’s Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving, and it doesn’t get better than that.
Throw in the fact the each team is trying to keep pace with the division-leading Chicago Bears (8-3) and inside the tight NFC standings, and it means even more. For the Lions (7-4), it’s a chance to avoid getting swept by a divisional rival, while erasing the bad taste in their mouth from the Week 1 beatdown in Green Bay.
“But Detroit, Green Bay, Thanksgiving, I just think it’s -- everybody knows what that is, and everybody for the most part grew up with that, and our guys know that, too,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.
“And so I think that’s what makes it special, to know that -- it’s one thing for everybody to see primetime games, but most of the time, all of the family’s together. Most of the family is together, and they’re watching these games, these two or three games that go on now. It feels special in that regard.”
MLive’s Dungeon of Doom podcast carved out some time to highlight the importance of Detroit’s Thanksgiving game. It’s a game that always means more to this franchise and its fans, but this one carries some extra weight.
The Lions are third in the NFC North, currently on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. They lost the opener to the Green Bay Packers, and avoiding a sweep to a key divisional rival is vital.
Hosts Kory Woods and Ben Raven discuss the team’s win over the New York Giants, while also looking ahead to two pivotal upcoming games for the Lions.
First up, it’s the Packers, and then if the Dallas Cowboys win on Thanksgiving, the following Thursday could bring some added importance. And don’t blink, because after that the Lions are headed to Los Angeles to face the red-hot Rams and Matthew Stafford.
“But just this was a win they needed more than anything to kind of get things going back in the right direction,” Woods said after the OT win against New York. “I’m not so sure if they did that all the way because they have a lot of stuff from this one they need to clean up going into Thursday’s game against the Packers. But, hey, we were going down to the press conference, Lomas Brown looked at us and said, ‘Don’t apologize for a win.’”
Raven pointed back to a previous conversation on the Dungeon of Doom that more than anything, the Lions needed to avoid taking any bad losses with the Packers and Rams games coming up.
“You needed this one and ,honestly, nobody should be feeling amazing after this win long-term thinking, but a win is a win and this was a resilient win because it just was not looking good,” Raven said. “But it’s kind of like what Dan Campbell said after game. As bad as it was at times, their best players stepped up when they needed it most.”
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