By all numbers and measures, the Detroit Lions are one of the worst franchises in the NFL. Despite being around since 1930, their lack of success has marked the team throughout the decades, as the Lions have been known mostly for their lousy rosters. Even as the franchise holds 4 NFL championships, they all came between 1935 and 1957, as Detroit followed that last title with only one playoff win over the next 55 years. In fact, the Lions are only one of four teams that haven't made a Super Bowl, while also owning the dubious distinction of being the only squad to go winless over a 16-game season.

The Lions have an accumulated record of 517-620-32 over 85 regular seasons in the NFL (a .454 winning percentage), and had their last division title in 1993. Despite all this systematic failure, Detroit is the second franchise with a fierce tradition of hosting games yearly on Thanksgiving.

The tradition dates all the way back to 1945, when Lions ownership decided to schedule a game on Thanksgiving as a gimmick to boost attendance. Fittingly, they lost 28-21 to the Cleveland Rams. Since the plan worked, the team went on to schedule Thanksgiving games from there on out, though it took them until 1950 to record their first win. Overall, the Lions have a 34-37-2 record on Thanksgiving, a .479 winning percentage that is well in line with their overall performance, but still quite below average for a home team.

Even as the Lions have usually been relegated to the early game on Thanksgiving and don't get much respect from regular fans, they are still an important presence during this holiday.

The most recent results have been even worse for the Lions, as they have gone a ghastly 1-9 over their past 10 Thanksgiving games, though their last win came last year with a 40-10 drubbing of the Packers (though it must be mentioned that Aaron Rodgers was out with an injury). What is astounding is that the Lions have barely been able to cover the spread twice in the last 10 seasons, as their average margin of defeat in their 9 losses was 19.4 points.

In recent seasons, the advent of a competent QB in Matthew Stafford and the emergence of a more competitive team has given the Lions a new identity and turned them into semi-contenders, but their results in Thanksgiving games haven't been much better. Stafford has started 4 games in Thanksgiving, and has gone 1-3 straight up and 2-2 against the spread in the process. These games have averaged 50.7 points per contest, though only two of them went above the posted over/under.

Again this year, the Lions will be relegated to the 12:30 ET slot, meaning that most people will either watch the game while dinner is being prepared or maybe even ignore the game altogether. However, the 2014 Lions have presented a better product and will enter this game knowing that a win is essential to keep their playoff hopes alive. Their rivals in turn, the Chicago Bears, have the fourth-most games played in Thanksgiving in history, with a 16-13-2 record accrued mostly against the Lions.

From a betting standpoint, the Lions will be heavier favorites for a Thanksgiving games than they have been in more than a decade, with the books making them 7-point favorites and with an over/under set at 47 points. The Lions stand at a mediocre 5-6 record against the spread, and they haven't scored more than 24 points in any game since Week 1, and in fact the Lions have seen 9 of their 11 games go under the posted total. In a way, this week's contest may give the Lions the chance to write some new history in their troubled confluence with turkey and family gatherings. And if you plan to place some action on the game, remember that the Lions have always been hard to trust on Thanksgiving.