LIONS TO LOSE THANKSGIVING DAY GAME?

As it turns out, the Lions’ worst performance on Thanksgiving Day could have been their last. At least for a while. Per Adam Schefter of NFL Network, the league could be taking up the question of whether to continue Detroit’s perpetual hammerlock on the early game of the fourth Thursday in November. A high-ranking offical told Schefter that the issue “will be reviewed at the March League meetings” and that it “could go either way.” Our guess? This might be part of a broader effort by the league office to persuade the powers-that-be in Detroit to accept input and guidance from the NFL regarding any changes that the franchise needs to make in order to become competitive again. In the past, the league has at time tried to gently steer teams generally toward the right direction when making key hires; if the league is inclined to do the same thing in Detroit, the best piece of leverage would be the promise of not scuttling tradition on Thanksgiving.