What Am I Watching? Thanksgiving Edition

Week 13 starts this week on Thanksgiving. It’s a time for food, family, friends, and football. Let ‘s break down these special Thanksgiving Day matchups and an AFC West matchup on Black Friday. 

Let's start with Thursday…

Chicago Bears AT Detroit Lions, (DET by 10)

Jared Goff is having one of his best seasons. He is currently 8th in passing yards and 5th in passing touchdowns. As they do every year, they are hosting a Thanksgiving game. This time, it was against rookie of the year contender and first pick of the draft, Caleb Williams. He has been playing well as of late coming off a 340-yard, 2-touchdown performance against the Vikings albeit in a losing effort. The Lions' offense may prove to be too potent for the Bears' defense which currently ranks 17th in total defense. The Bears have the 20th-ranked rush defense and the Lions have two running backs that will look to take off on this team. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 3 touchdowns last week against the Colts. The Bears are falling out of contention in a very competitive NFC North division and another NFC North loss could be the potential last blow for this Bears team this season and Matt Eberflus’ chances of coaching the Bears next season.   

Lions beat Bears 30-17

The early window is a divisional NFC North matchup game, and the afternoon slate is a matchup of struggling NFC East foes…

New York Giants AT Dallas Cowboys, (DAL by 3.5)

As it draws closer to the time to cut the turkey and share embarrassing stories and anecdotes we’ve heard millions of times, the Giants will be taking the field in Jerry’s World to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Both of these teams are at the bottom of the NFC East. As much as I can try to sell this matchup, I think the 100th time of your aunt telling this story might be more interesting. Cooper Rush played a solid game against the Commanders last weekend with 247 yards and 2 touchdowns while Tommy Devito and the Giants struggled to get going against the Buccaneers. Could Cooper Rush follow up with another good effort and win the first regular season game for the Cowboys in AT&T Stadium since December of 2023? Could this be the weekend that Tommy delivers an upset victory for the Giants against the Cowboys? Just eat a second helping of holiday ham and get ready for the evening matchup…

Cowboys beat Giants, 21-10

Alright, by this time you’ve loosened that belt a notch or two. You are working on that slice of pound cake or pie of your choosing explaining how you are going to work it off in the gym this week…

Miami Dolphins AT Green Bay Packers, (GB by 2)

Tua and the Dolphins have been on a roll since Tua has returned from injury. They are 4-1 since his return, only losing to their AFC East rival Buffalo Bills. The Green Bay Packers are coming off a game against the 49ers where they dominated. Josh Jacobs had 106 yards on the ground and got into the end zone 3 times. Jordan Love tossed in a couple of touchdowns in the air as well. I see this being a high-scoring, high-octane offensive performance between these two teams. Not only with the Packers’ Jones but Devon Achane on the Miami Dolphins adding speed to one of the fastest offenses in the league if not the fastest. You have the two speedsters on the outside of the Dolphins receiving corps in the Cheetah Tyreek Hill and the Penguin Jaylen Waddle. Speaking of penguins, this could be another snow game on Thursday night. Or at least it is cold enough to snow. Tua is looking to debunk the myth that he doesn’t play well in the cold weather. Judging by his record its more truth than myth at this point. And I don’t see that changing on Thanksgiving night.

Packers beat Dolphins, 35-31

One last bonus game on Black Friday…

Las Vegas Raiders AT Kansas City Chiefs, (KC by 12.5)

One more divisional matchup before Sunday’s slate of games is this AFC West matchup. The Kansas City Chiefs are favored big over their AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders. Besides the Bills earlier this month the last team to beat the Chiefs was the Raiders on Christmas Day. I don’t think Black Friday will be the same fate as the Chiefs get the season sweep in this matchup. The Raiders lost their starting quarterback Gardner Minshew to a broken collarbone last week and Aiden O’Connell will get the start for the rest of the season. The Chiefs are looking to find a groove with their offense before the postseason starts and this is a good team to try to find that groove against. However, we would’ve thought the same thing about the Chiefs Sunday against the Panthers, and they needed a last-second field goal to win that game. The Raiders are the 28th-ranked offense and a meddling 16th passing offense before losing their starting quarterback. I find points for the Raiders in this game to be at a minimum and the Chiefs win big!

Chiefs beat Raiders, 35-14

All point spreads are as of Wednesday morning. Gamble responsibly. Athletically Challenged, Al U Buggin, and all sponsors will not be held liable.