Thanksgiving Day Football on FOX: Lions vs Bears

DETROIT - Kick off Thanksgiving morning with FOX as Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions in an NFL battle.

The Bears are coming off a win against the New York Giants, while the Lions head into Thursday’s match-up with a loss against the Washington Redskins.Chicago has won three straight against Detroit, including last year on Thanksgiving.

The Bears’ starting wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and tight end Ben Braunecker are likely to miss the game because of concussions. Coach Matt Nagy said on Tuesday that it was unlikely either could be ready by then.

So the Bears will be relying heavily on their fourth and fifth tight ends in J.P. Holtz and recent practice squad call-up Jesper Horsted. They could also have wide receiver Riley Ridley active for the first time.

As for the Lions, starter Matthew Stafford — who hadn’t missed a game since the 2010 season — will be sidelined a fourth straight game with back and hip problems. Backup Jeff Driskel has been decent at times, but now he’s dealing with a hamstring injury. So it’s possible the Lions will turn to David Blough, a rookie quarterback who has never played in an NFL game.

The sports festivities start with a live two-hour pre-game show from New York starting at 10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. PT.

A special trophy will be handed off to the winners at the end of the game – a WWE-style belt.

This is the second consecutive year that the Lions have hosted the Bears on Thanksgiving.

This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed to this report.