It's Thanksgiving. As Cris Collinsworth says, this is when the NFL season really starts. And this year, even the Thanksgiving games are good. Lions-Vikings for first place, then the best team in football against their archrivals, and finally Colts vs. Steelers, two teams that need a win if they're going to have any playoff hopes in December. That's just the start of a great Week 12, which also includes the Grey Cup, where I see Calgary concluding its dominant season with a victory over Ottawa.
Vikings (6-4) at Lions (6-4): Detroit-Jim Caldwell is 2-0 on Thanksgiving as Lions coach. He's clearly a big fan of being regulars on the holiday. And this year, it's not just the token "Why are the Lions on?" appearance. This is actually a really good matchup. One of the best of the week. The Lions are on a roll, too. I think they keep their Thanksgiving winning streak alive and take sole possession of first place.
Redskins (6-3-1) at Cowboys (9-1): Dallas-The Cowboys are the best team in the league. They continue to prove it. Nine in a row, and they've looked more impressive by the week. Now they head into their annual Thanksgiving showcase against the rival Redskins, who would love nothing more than to snap Dallas' winning streak. Don't expect it to happen, though.
Steelers (5-5) at Colts (5-5): Indianapolis-Finally AFC teams are allowed to play on Thanksgiving again! Ever since they started allowing CBS to show NFC vs. NFC games, they've had both the Lions and Cowboys play a division game while the AFC got left out in the cold. Well, this year, the AFC is back on Thanksgiving, with the Steelers taking on the Colts in the night game. Pittsburgh finally got a win last week, but it was against Cleveland, so does it really count?
Cardinals (4-5-1) at Falcons (6-4): Atlanta-Atlanta's been off seemingly forever. In fact, the Falcons have played just once in the last three weeks, going Thursday night, Sunday, bye. And in that one game they did play, they were brought down to earth a little bit by the Eagles. That game, however, was in Philadelphia. They're a much better team at home. And the Cardinals have struggled on the road all season. Give me the Falcons to hang on to first place in the NFC South.
Jaguars (2-8) at Bills (5-5): Buffalo-Buffalo is trying to stay in the playoff conversation. The Bills are a team nobody wants to face. But they're also one that you have no idea what you're going to get from them. One thing is certain, though. If they want to stay relevant, they can't lose at home to the Jaguars. Especially with a trip to Oakland on tap next week.
Titans (5-6) at Bears (2-8): Tennessee-Much like the Bills, the Texans are desperate to show that they're relevant in the AFC. What happens after they get that huge win over the Packers, though? They go and lose at Indianapolis. Tennessee's record is a product of the teams they've played. Yes, they've beaten Detroit and Miami, but their other two wins are over Cleveland and Jacksonville. It does mean they take care of business when they're supposed to, though. And the Bears are one of those teams they should take care of business against.
Giants (7-3) at Browns (0-11): Giants-Last season, the Giants lost all of their close games. This season they've won them all. As a result, they sit at 7-3 and holding the top wild card spot in the NFC. They've also won five in a row since losing three straight. What's the best way to make it six? Playing the Browns. I do think Cleveland will beat somebody. It just won't be the Giants.
49ers (1-9) at Dolphins (6-4): Miami-If not for the Browns, we'd all be talking about how bad the 49ers are. Nine straight San Francisco has lost since winning on the opening Monday night. Now they head cross country for a matchup with a Dolphins team that's suddenly in the heart of the AFC wild card race. Miami has won five in a row since starting 1-4. And they've got a lot of home games left. Look out for the Dolphins down the stretch.
Rams (4-6) at Saints (4-6): New Orleans-LA and New Orleans have the same record, but they're vastly different 4-6's. The Saints have dropped a couple close ones in the last two weeks (although they were down big at Carolina before scoring a couple late touchdowns to make it look respectable). The Rams, meanwhile, have had all kinds of trouble scoring, especially on the road. It doesn't seem likely that'll change this week.
Bengals (3-6-1) at Ravens (5-5): Baltimore-Any doubts that Marvin Lewis' days as Bengals coach are numbered were put to rest last week when Cincinnati lost at home to Buffalo. Now they head to Baltimore to face the first-place Ravens. It's not inconceivable that we could end up seeing Cincinnati in the playoffs, it's just highly unlikely.
Chargers (4-6) at Texans (6-4): Houston-For some reason, San Diego is favored in this game. I have no idea why. The Chargers aren't going to beat the Texans in Houston. They'll probably have the lead in the fourth quarter, but I think this game ends the same way most Chargers games this season have.
Seahawks (7-2-1) at Buccaneers (5-5): Seattle-What's the best NFC team not based in Texas? That's an easy one. The Seahawks resemble the team that made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances more and more every week. They might be the only NFC team even remotely on the same level as Dallas right now. This week, they make one of the longest road trips possible in the NFL (only Seattle to Miami is longer) to face their 1976 expansion brethren. The Bucs have been playing some good football, too, and got that win in Kansas City last week. Expect them to keep it competitive, but the Seahawks do what they usually do and find a way to pull it out.
Panthers (4-6) at Raiders (8-2): Oakland-People are still questioning whether or not Oakland is for real. That's completely ridiculous. The Raiders have the best record in the AFC and are right up there with the Cowboys and Patriots as the best teams in the NFL. Yes, Oakland is for real. Carolina is showing signs of life, but will everyone believe in the Raiders after they beat the defending NFC champs?
Patriots (8-2) at Jets (3-7): New England-Ladies and gentlemen, the Jets have done the impossible. They got Tom Brady flexed OUT of prime time. Last season, of course, we saw that overtime Jets win in Week 16 that cost the Patriots the No. 1 seed in the AFC. This year, they moved the game from Christmas weekend to Thanksgiving weekend. The last time the Jets hosted the Patriots on Thanksgiving weekend? Butt fumble!
Chiefs (7-3) at Broncos (7-3): Denver-NBC flexed Jets-Patriots OUT so that they could flex this one IN. They'll actually have both Broncos-Chiefs games on Sunday Night Football this season (the rematch is on Christmas night). Kansas City lost last week, which dropped them out of a tie for first place in the ultra-competitive AFC West. They're both holding down wild card places, but the winner will have a better shot at staying with the Raiders.
Packers (4-6) at Eagles (5-5): Green Bay-Philadelphia is 5-5. That would be good for second place in four of the NFL's eight divisions. But in the NFC East, it's got them in last. The Packers, meanwhile, I still have no idea what's wrong with them. They got smacked in Washington and are a shell of the team they're supposed to be. For some reason, I'm picking Green Bay to finally snap its losing streak, though.
Last Week: 9-5
Season: 100-59-2
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