Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving Blues: Five Straight Losses

(AP) DETROIT -- The Green Bay Packers are hoping to bolster their postseason chances with a win at Detroit on Thanksgiving.

Recent history suggests the Lions will be accommodating hosts.

Detroit has lost five straight games on the holiday by an average of 23.4 points since beating the Packers in 2003, and its worst game this season was at Green Bay.

The Lions (2-8), though, are enjoying a positive buzz they haven't had since starting 6-2 two years ago. They rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat Cleveland last Sunday for the franchise's biggest comeback victory since 1957.

"Our locker room is on a high right now," Detroit center Dominic Raiola said. "We're motivated to keep it that way after we were embarrassed at Green Bay. We have something to prove to the Packers, and everybody else watching us on national TV. The last time we were on national TV, last Thanksgiving, we got embarrassed by Tennessee.

"We've got to put our foot down and start winning this game. Since I've been here, we've only beat Green Bay. The Lions used to not lose on Thanksgiving."

The Lions slump on Thanksgiving -- losing seven of eight -- has been bad enough to put them one game under .500 in their annual showcase.

Detroit won four straight and nine of 12 on Thanksgiving before ex-general manager Matt Millen arrived in 2001 and turned a lackluster franchise into a laughingstock.

First-year coach Jim Schwartz has tried to stress the importance of Detroit's traditional game to his players.

"It's not just everybody watching, it's everybody with relatives meeting up with families," Schwartz said. "They're all just sitting around the living room waiting for the turkey and the apple pie and they're going to turn the game on.

"There's some urgency to it from the standpoint that you're on national television and there's a pride thing."

Detroit's chances to win -- or at least be entertaining -- will be directly tied to the health of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.

Stafford (shoulder) and Johnson (hand/knee) were both hurt in Sunday's win over the Browns and were unable to practice two days later in Detroit's only full practice of the week. Stafford was listed as doubtful and Johnson questionable.

The last time the Lions didn't have Stafford and Johnson on the field, it wasn't pretty for them. Green Bay took advantage with a 26-0 win last month.

"We played probably our worst game of the year," Schwartz said.

Green Bay (6-4) won't have any sympathy for the banged-up Lions because it lost cornerback Al Harris and linebacker Aaron Kampman to season-ending knee injuries in last week's win over San Francisco.

Tramon Williams is expected to fill in for Harris and rookie Brad Jones, a seventh-round pick, is slated to play in Kampman's place.

The Packers got some good news Wednesday when center Scott Wells practiced a day after a knee injury held him out of workouts.

Receiver Greg Jennings said the offense might have to do more than usual to make up for the depleted defense.

"Losing those guys definitely hurt," Jennings said. "But as an offensive guy, you kind of take it on yourself to make sure we do our job even more, put more points on the board, take more stress off the defense."

Against Detroit, that shouldn't be a problem.

Brady Quinn threw four touchdown passes, surpassing the career total he had in three seasons, against a team that ranks 31st overall and last against the pass.

"I think you can make a mistake when you look at a team just in their last game," said Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, 7-0 against the Lions. "They're going to make adjustments and they'll have a good plan for us on Thursday."

Aaron Rodgers has almost 1,000 yards passing, eight touchdowns and one interception in his last three games against the Lions.

Rodgers insisted it's not difficult to take Detroit seriously because of what the Packers have at stake.

"It's an important time for us," he said. "We know what December holds, four straight outdoor cold games. We're going to enjoy this indoor game and hopefully get to 7-4."