NFL 2024 (Week 13)

Remember when the Lions were the only bad team that played on Thanksgiving?  Detroit used to be so bad, in fact, that Thanksgiving would sometimes be their only national game of the year...and people would complain about having to see them!  My how times have changed!  There are three Thanksgiving games, and only two of the six teams playing are worth watching...and the Lions are one of them.

They've been doing three games on Thanksgiving long enough that it's now a tradition.  Detroit, Dallas, night game.  And now there's the Black Friday game.  Plus, Sunday and Monday night.  That's six national games this week.  Is it any wonder why there are never any byes during Thanksgiving week?

Bears (4-7) at Lions (10-1): Detroit-Believe it or not, the Lions are on a seven-game Thanksgiving losing streak.  Even last year when they were good, they played perhaps their worst game of the season and lost to the Packers (which started Green Bay's run to the playoffs).  It has to end against the Bears, right?  I mean, they've scored 52 points in each of their last two home games.  Although, you also have to wonder how many more different ways Chicago can find to lose after Washington, Green Bay and Sunday against Minnesota.

Giants (2-9) at Cowboys (4-7): Dallas-Dallas hasn't won a home game all season and has lost each of them by 20 points.  It'll be a challenge to keep that streak alive.  Two years ago, these two met on Thanksgiving after a World Cup game and it ended up being a good matchup between playoff-bound teams.  This year, I bet the NFL was wishing they'd been able to flex it out!  Two bad teams playing with backup quarterbacks isn't exactly what they had in mind for one of the showcase games of the season.

Dolphins (5-6) at Packers (8-3): Green Bay-Playing on Thanksgiving certainly isn't a new experience for the Packers, but playing at Lambeau on Thanksgiving night sure is.  Miami was definitely an interesting selection as their opponent, but the Dolphins were a playoff team last season and Tua's a draw, so I do kind of get it.  Even if it does seem super random.  Anyway, it's gonna be cold.  Which you know isn't a good thing for Miami.

Raiders (2-9) at Chiefs (10-1): Kansas City-Thursday, Sunday, Monday.  Now add Friday to the list of days on which the Chiefs have had a game this season.  Four down, two to go.  Last season, they played the Raiders at home on Christmas, played a terrible game and lost.  It was their last loss until that game in Buffalo two weeks ago.  So, they won't take this Black Friday matchup lightly.  Especially since they weren't great and kinda got lucky in Carolina on Sunday.

Chargers (7-4) at Falcons (6-5): Atlanta-Atlanta has dropped two in a row, but still has a one-game lead in the NFC South.  The Chargers, meanwhile, saw their four-game winning streak snapped on Monday night.  They're still in comfortable playoff position, though, with a two-game edge over Miami in the loss column.  This is a big one for both teams.  The Falcons are coming off a bye and playing at home, while the Chargers are flying cross country for a 1:00 game after playing at home on Monday night.  That's why I give the advantage to Atlanta.

Steelers (8-3) at Bengals (4-7): Pittsburgh-For the Steelers, losing in Cleveland was bad.  There's really no way to sugarcoat it.  Then things got even worse when the Ravens won on Monday night.  Now their division lead is just a half-game, and they have a very difficult remaining schedule (at Philadelphia, at Baltimore, Kansas City plus three other division games).  You know the Bengals would relish the chance to play spoiler, but the Steelers know the urgency.

Cardinals (6-5) at Vikings (9-2): Minnesota-Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones were both driven out of New York.  They're now the starter and backup quarterback for a likely playoff team.  Which tells you all you need to know about the state of New York football.  The Vikings are the only NFC North team not playing on Thanksgiving.  Which could be an advantage since they'll know how everybody did.  More significantly, they'll know how they stack up with the Lions and Packers.

Colts (5-7) at Patriots (3-9): Indianapolis-When it was Manning vs. Brady, Colts-Patriots was always a must-see matchup.  These days, it's very much not.  I will say that Indy badly needs to win it, though.  The Colts have dropped three out of four and are on the verge of playing themselves right out of the playoff race.  The AFC South is still winnable for them, too, though.  But not if they don't get a win in Foxboro.

Seahawks (6-5) at Jets (3-8): Seattle-Things are crazy in the NFC West, and it'll likely stay that way for the rest of the season.  The Seahawks took over the division lead with their win over Arizona on Sunday.  Playing the Jets while Arizona visits Minnesota and San Francisco visits Buffalo gives them a prime opportunity to make it a two-game lead with five left.

Titans (3-8) at Commanders (7-5): Washington-After starting 7-2, Washington has lost three straight.  As a result, the Commanders have gone from the 2-seed in the NFC to the 7-seed.  They're coming off a a brutal (albeit entertaining) loss to Dallas.  The Titans were also involved in a brutal loss on Sunday, upsetting the Texans and making the AFC South race a lot more interesting.  Washington needs a win here, especially with the bye finally coming next week.  They don't want to go into that bye on a four-game skid.

Texans (7-5) at Jaguars (2-9): Houston-Just when we thought the division was gonna be a cakewalk, the Texans went and lost at home to Tennessee.  They're 7-5, but they started 5-1, and there have been some bad losses during this 2-4 stretch.  Which Texans team will we see over the final third of the season?  For their sake, it needs to be the first one.  Because they've got games with Kansas City and Baltimore still on the schedule.

Rams (5-6) at Saints (4-7): Rams-I really don't get the LA Rams.  They're a team that's scary, and they're the opponent good teams don't want to see in the playoffs.  It actually seems to vary week-by-week which Rams team will show up.  Although, on Sunday night, they just got outplayed by a better Eagles team.  On the flip side, they're better than the Saints.  New Orleans is 2-0 since firing its coach, though.

Buccaneers (5-6) at Panthers (3-8): Tampa Bay-Tampa Bay is still very much in the playoff mix.  Yes, they were playing the Giants, but that was still an impressive performance on Sunday.  Carolina's performance against Kansas City was impressive, too.  The Panthers are definitely improved.  They're not gonna finish 3-14.  The Bucs definitely need to be on high upset alert.

Eagles (9-2) at Ravens (8-4): Philadelphia-A good one in the exclusive late Sunday doubleheader window.  I'm not sure why people are talking about Lamar Jackson as an MVP candidate.  Because that guy playing running back for the Eagles is sure making a strong case for himself.  How great must Saquon feel to not only be free from the Giants but to be arguably the best player on one of the best teams in football?  That Hard Knocks clip certainly hasn't aged well!  Anyway, I can really see either team winning this one, but I think the Eagles are better, so I'm going with them.

49ers (5-6) at Bills (9-2): Buffalo-If the Packers win on Thanksgiving, the Bills can clinch the division on Sunday night.  And it's supposed to snow in Western New York.  Potentially clinching on December 1 is certainly a much different situation than the one they were in last year, when they needed a win in Week 18 just to make the playoffs.  The 49ers are also in a much different situation than they were last year.  They're running out of time to get back in it.  If they lose here, they'll almost have to win out to have any shot.

Browns (3-8) at Broncos (7-5): Denver-Unfortunately, the Monday night game is a bit of a dud.  Cleveland is one of the most confusing teams in the league.  The Browns lost at home to the Giants and Cowboys, but have also beaten both Baltimore and Pittsburgh...also in Cleveland.  Their only road win came in Jacksonville.  The Broncos aren't the Jaguars.  They're looking more and more like a playoff team with each passing week.

Last Week: 8-5
Overall: 109-70