Lions Lose To Patriots For 7th Straight Defeat On Thanksgiving

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Deion Branch and Wes Welker each caught a pair of touchdown passes from Tom Brady, who recorded a perfect quarterback rating, as the New England Patriots used a huge second half to take down the Detroit Lions, 45-24, on Thanksgiving at Ford Field.

Brady completed 21-of-27 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns for the Patriots (9-2), who handed the Lions their seventh straight loss on Thanksgiving.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis carried the ball 12 times for 59 yards and two scores for New England, which has won three in a row since a loss to the Browns on November 7.

Branch caught three passes for 113 yards, while Welker hauled in eight passes for 90 yards for the victors.

Shaun Hill connected on 27-of-46 passes for 285 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions for Detroit (2-9), which hasn't won on Turkey Day since a 22-14 victory over the Packers in 2003. The Lions have been outscored by a whopping 258-98 margin during their Thanksgiving losing streak.

Maurice Morris rushed for 55 yards and two scores on nine carries, while Calvin Johnson caught four passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in defeat.

NFL Injury Report: Tom Brady Questionable For Lions-Patriots Thanksgiving Day Game

UPDATE: Four of New England's players have been downgraded to out.

The injury report is out for the Thanksgiving Day game between the Lions and Patriots. For Detroit, there isn't anything too interesting about the report. Matthew Stafford and Jason Hanson are out as expected, and with the short week, Lawrence Jackson is out with a concussion. Jahvid Best is probable after being able to practice, as is Cliff Avril. For New England, the interesting thing is that every single player is questionable, including quarterback Tom Brady. I would say he is for sure going to play considering Brady has been on the injury report for the better part of his career, but I guess it's worth noting that he's questionable rather than probable.

Detroit Lions

QB Matthew Stafford (Right Shoulder) - Out

QB Shaun Hill (Quadricep) - Probable

RB Jahvid Best (Toe) - Probable

TE Tony Scheffler (Rib) - Doubtful

C Dylan Gandy (Calf) - Questionable

DE Cliff Avril (Quadricep) - Questionable

DE Lawrence Jackson (Concussion) - Out

DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (Knee) - Probable

DT Corey Williams (Shoulder) - Questionable

LB DeAndre Levy (Groin) - Probable

LB Isaiah Ekejiuba (Knee) - Questionable

K Jason Hanson (Right Knee) - Out

New England Patriots

QB Tom Brady (Right Shoulder) - Questionable

RB Fred Taylor (Toe) - Questionable

OT Mark LeVoir (Elbow) - Questionable

OG Steve Neal (Shoulder) - Out

DE Mike Wright (Neck) - Out

DT Myron Pryor (Back) - Out

CB Jonathan Wilhite (Hip) - Out

S Jarrad Page (Calf) - Questionable

Lions Thanksgiving Day Game 2010: Shaun Hill To Start Against Patriots

The Lions have little time to shake off Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, as they have a game on Thursday against the Patriots. New England comes to town for the Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day game, which Detroit has lost six straight times. The last Lions victory on Thanksgiving was back in 2003, when they beat the Packers. (Interestingly, the last time Michigan beat Ohio State was back in 2003 as well.) The Lions beat the Patriots on Thanksgiving back in 2000. In 2002, New England beat Detroit on Turkey Day by a score of 20-12.

If the Lions win this year, the victorious starting quarterback will go down as Shaun Hill. He will make his third straight start for the Lions after starting five consecutive starts earlier this season. He replaced Matthew Stafford at halftime of the first game of the season and then got injured at halftime of the Giants game last month. The injury happened the game before Stafford returned, so it all worked out timing-wise. That was especially true after Stafford got hurt again against the Jets. Hill came back from a broken forearm a week later against the Bills and started once again on Sunday against the Cowboys.

The Lions have been dealing with injuries throughout the season, as the quarterback position shows, and this week is no exception, especially since there is a quick turnaround. Jahvid Best, Corey Williams and Tony Scheffler are all dealing with injuries that may keep them out on Thanksgiving. Cliff Avril and Jason Hanson may return from injuries on Thursday, but it's still a bit too early in the week to tell for sure. Even if they both are able to play, it looks like the Lions could be short at least a few starters this week, making an already tough game against the Patriots even tougher.

The Lions have an actual practice on Tuesday, so we will find out much more about the status of these injured players then.