Thanksgiving is a great holiday for visiting.
Today, in the National Football League, it might also prove to be a great day for visitors.
A few years ago, there was conversation, mostly in the media and bars, that the Detroit Lions should be stripped of their long tradition of hosting the Thanksgiving game. They were so bad, for so long, that the fans and even the television companies looking for ratings, were tired of one-sided losses the woeful Lions routinely endured before Turkey was served.
Well, no more.
Today, the Lions are considered if not the best at least among the very best teams in football. No one in the NFL has a better record than Detroit’s 10-1 mark. And, unlike the Kansas City Chiefs, who are also 10-1, the Detroit victories have not been by narrow margins.
Kansas City is 4 and 7 against the point spread and has only two games this season they won by double-digits. In contrast, the Lions 10-1 straight-up record has also paid off for their backers at the window while generating a 9 and 2 mark against the point spread. On the season, the Lions have outscored their opponents by a league high 177 points.