NFC North notebook: The Detroit Lions are Thanksgiving football

The Dallas Cowboys are America's Team every day of the year, but the Detroit Lions join them for a Thursday late in November. The Lions are synonymous with Thanksgiving football, as the franchise's history of playing on the holiday dates back to its founding.

According to the team's official website, the tradition was started in 1934, when G.A. Richards bought the Portsmouth Spartans, moved them to Detroit and renamed them the Lions. In the relocated, rebranded franchise's inaugural season, they played George Halas' renowned Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day in front of an overflowing crowd of 26,000 at University of Detroit Stadium.

Richards' successful experimentation mixed two great aspects of American culture -- Thanksgiving and professional football -- and turned it into a lasting tradition. The Lions have played 75 Thanksgiving games in franchise history, with 35 wins, 38 losses and two ties on the day most known for turkey consumption.

"It's quite an honor to be able to direct a team that's involved in this particular game," Jim Caldwell told The Detroit News last year, before his first Thanksgiving game as Lions head coach.

While the Lions have the richest history of playing on Thanksgiving Day, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are also frequently featured on America's favorite day of feasting.

This year, the Lions kick off the action against the Philadelphia Eagles in the early afternoon. Those with NFC North rooting interests can eat dinner while the Cowboys play the Carolina Panthers, then return to their TV sets for the Bears-Packers showdown in primetime.

Bears still believers despite 4-6 record

There might be a glimmer of hope in John Fox's eye this Thanksgiving. With a win against the Packers, his Bears can keep their dwindling playoff chances alive for one more week.

Crushing defeats keep interrupting Chicago's impressive wins this season. The Bears have turned around an 0-3 start and gone 4-3 since, with all three losses in the past seven games being by three points or fewer. They're a surprisingly tough team to beat, even without running back Matt Forte and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.

Offensive lineman Matt Slauson is one who believes the Bears can still pull off an improbable run and make the playoffs this year, despite the team's 4-6 record heading into Week 12.

After falling to the Packers, 31-23, in Week 1, the Bears have a chance to take their division rivals by surprise on Thursday. It's a classic trap game for the Packers, who face a quick turnaround after an emotionally demanding victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The intensity of a third consecutive NFC North clash could take its toll on Green Bay.

While the Packers appear to be jaded with their own success at times, the Bears are turning into one of the NFL's hungriest teams.

This matchup is ripe for an upset.

Zimmer's Vikings can exact revenge on Jan. 3

The Vikings have to be kicking themselves after a 31-13 loss to the Packers in Week 11. Minnesota could have taken a two-game lead in the NFC North with a win over Green Bay. Instead, the two teams are tied for first place in the division with identical, 7-3 records.

The missed opportunities must be eating Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer alive.

"I think they played better than we did tonight," Zimmer said after the Packers loss, via the Vikings' official website. "I think we made too many mistakes -- penalties, especially in the first half, and it came back to bite us."

Zimmer should circle Jan. 3 on his calendar. That's when the Vikings travel to Lambeau Field for a game that could decide the division winner, if they can keep pace with Green Bay in the interim.

The Week 17 rematch is likely to have serious playoff implications, but Zimmer's Vikings must be careful not to trip while looking too far ahead. They still have to play the Falcons, Seahawks, Cardinals, Bears and Giants before getting another crack at the Packers.

What's the deal with Eddie Lacy?

The scrutiny seemed like it was starting to catch up with Packers running back Eddie Lacy before last weekend. After losing his starting job to James Starks, Lacy's impact was expected to shrink. Instead, the exact opposite happened.

Lacy carried the ball a season-high 22 times for 100 yards in Green Bay's win over the Vikings last Sunday. Although the bull of a back is starting to look like his old self again, head coach Mike McCarthy hasn't re-committed to him as the team's starter just yet.