Lions WR Lands on IR Right Before Bears Thanksgiving Matchup

The Bears square off with the Lions on Thanksgiving Day in a pivotal NFC North matchup, but Detroit will be missing one wide receiver after placing Kalif Raymond on Injured Reserve following the foot injury he suffered in Week 12.

Raymond will miss at least four games but is expected to return for the playoffs, if not sooner. While he's not the focal point of the Lions' attack, he does have 21 catches for 204 yards and a pair of TDs on the season.

Based on how much Chicago has struggled this season under Matt Eberflus, the Bears need any small advantage they can get.

Lions Place WR Kalif Raymond on IR Before Bears Game

Raymond hasn't been overly involved in recent weeks, catching just four passes for 42 yards over the last four weeks. He's not a true difference-maker at this stage yet is a former Second-Team All-Pro returner with a lengthy career under his belt.

He's typically played around 30% of the snaps. Now, guys like Allen Robinson presume to see an uptick in playing time. That's good news for a Chicago defense that's shown promise yet limited consistency.

The firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and promotion of Shane Waldron seems to have had a major impact on the Bears' morale overall. They fell by just one point to the Packers before losing by three to the Vikings in overtime, while Caleb Williams enjoyed his finest game as a pro last week with 340 passing yards and two TDs.

Chicago can absolutely hang with Detroit in this game. A victory here would represent the high point of the season and give the Bears some momentum going into the season's final month.

That said, oddsmakers don't expect a competitive game. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Bears as 10.5-point underdogs with +400 odds on the moneyline, though here's hoping Chicago can shock the world and come away with a Thanksgiving Day win.

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