As Thanksgiving rolls around, the NFL plays their games on the day, this year including a game on Black Friday and had a full Sunday slate of games. The Lions upset the Packers, Daron Bland set the pick-six record, CJ Stroud and Trevor Lawrence had a great battle for the South and the Eagles came back against the Bills to stay atop the league with the best record.
Starting on Thanksgiving, the opening was, as always, the Lions, this year, against the Packers. However, the game itself was less than expected. The Lions, coming off their dramatic comeback win against the Bears, fell behind early against Green Bay. They surrendered 20 first-quarter points and turned the ball over several times. It proved to be too much to overcome as the Packers held off the Detroit offense for just long enough and Jordan Love threw for three touchdowns as the Packers won 29-22 and handed the Lions their seventh straight Thanksgiving loss.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, it was a different story. The Cowboys dominated the game from start to finish, especially in the second half, outsourcing the Commanders 25-0. Everyone on the team contributed, spreading the love evenly throughout the team. No player other than quarterback Dak Prescott had more than 100 yards. They also got contributions from the defense as Daron Bland picked off quarterback Sam Howell and took it back to the end zone for his fifth pick-six of the season, setting the NFL single-season record with six games to go.
The 49ers and Dolphins also dominated their holiday games against the Seahawks and Jets, both scoring more than 30 points while only allowing 13. Christian McCaffery had two touchdowns as San Francisco will now look ahead to a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship with the Eagles in Philly. The Seahawks on the other hand have to play another three games against the top three NFC teams. Meanwhile, in the other matchup, the Dolphins’ schedule gets a little easier, but they do have games against the Cowboys and Ravens before their season ends, which will be crucial in their quest for the AFC East. The Jets have to go against the Dolphins again, and then the Browns, so they’ll be hoping for an Aaron Rodgers return.
On Sunday, the noon slate had fewer games than normal, so the attention was heavily focused on Houston where the Texans and Jaguars played for first place in the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence and CJ Stroud had a preview of what will likely be years to come. Lawrence threw for 364 yards, and CJ Stroud threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Stroud ran one in, giving him three total touchdowns on the day. Despite his best efforts, the Texans came one yard away from forcing the game into overtime, with the Jaguars winning 24-21. In the afternoon, the Bills defense confused Jalen Hurts, developing a big lead on the Eagles in Philly, and it looked like it would hold, but the Eagles came back and forced overtime. The Bills got the ball first, but were only able to get a field goal before Jalen Hurts got his second rush touchdown of the game to win the game for the Eagles 37-34. In the night game, the Ravens beat the Chargers 20-10, strengthening the case for Lamar Jackson to win MVP.
With the playoff picture starting to come into focus, the divisional games and major matchups down the stretch will be massive in deciding who gets into the playoffs, and who gets left on the outside looking in.
