Saturday provides us with some NFC North, AFC West action

The NFL kicked off Week 15 on Thursday, and we get a little something extra on Saturday. This week and next week, as college football’s bowl season kicks off, the NFL will have a Saturday double-header. This week, we get the Detroit Lions hosting the Chicago Bears at 1:30 p.m. PT, and then the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Los Aneles Chargers at 5:25 p.m. Both games air on NFL Network.

The Lions are 7-6, and along with Dallas and Green Bay, sit a game back of the Seattle Seahawks for the second wild card berth. The Bears are 4-9, and are a game behind the 3-10 49ers in the draft order watch. I think we see a close one, with the Bears covering the 4.5 point spread.

The Chargers and Chiefs square off with first place in the AFC West on the line. The Chiefs won the first game in Los Angeles, so a win here all but locks up the division for them. A Chiefs loss would mean a split, and both teams would be 3-2 in the divisional tiebreaker. I’m not a huge fan of taking the road team in this game, but as a pick ‘em, I’ll take the Chargers to win. They’re playing really well right now, and I think it continues today.

This will serve as our game thread for today’s action.

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

Game time: 1:30 PM PST
Channel: NFL Network
Date: Saturday, December 16
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Kurt Warner, Heather Cox
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass (after the fact)
Odds: Lions -4.5, 44

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

Game time: 5:25 PM PST
Channel: NFL Network
Date: Saturday, December 16
Announcers: Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass (after the fact)
Odds: Pick ‘em, 46.5