Previewing the NFL’s three-game Thanksgiving Day slate

The GIST: The best way to kick off the holiday slate? An NFC North appetizer with serious playoff implications. Ditch the mulled wine for some milk because this is going to be spicy.

🦁 Turkey Day mainstay Lions trying to keep pace: Detroit’s played every Thanksgiving game day since 1934 — but don’t let their 38-45-2 holiday record fool you: This team has been a contender as of late. That said, with a beleaguered offensive line and star tight end (TE) Sam LaPorta relegated to injured reserve, this season’s been an exercise in resilience for the Lions.

• Still, led by head coach (and noted turkey hater) Dan Campbell, veteran QB Jared Goff, and running back (RB) Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit’s putting up an impressive 29.6 points per game on average, second-best in the NFL. Talk about a cornucopia of talent.

🧀 Elite Packers defense is a recipe for success: Yes, they have the tall task of slowing down a star-powered Lions lineup, but the Pack defense has been feasting this season: They’re one of the top all-around units in the league, buoyed by the acquisition of star defensive end Micah Parsons.

• After losing their top receiving target, TE Tucker Kraft, at the beginning of the month, Green Bay’s defensive prowess has kept them in games as the offense adapted. And adapt they did: Breakout RB Emanuel Wilson had 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Week 12.

🤔 Prediction: Much like your uncle reliving his glory days, let’s look back to Week 1, when the Packers beat the Lions 27–13 and limited Detroit to a pedestrian 46 total rushing yards. It’ll almost certainly be harder to contain a surging Gibbs this time around, but the Pack just might pull it off. Either way, this gridiron appetizer will be delish.

The GIST: Onto the main course — and unlike that obligatory turkey on the table, it’s a juicy one: KC and Dallas both mounted double-digit comebacks to upset their respective conferences’ top dogs last week.

• Now making amends for early-season faux pas, neither team can afford a holiday loss in the hunt for a coveted playoff berth.

🤠 Cowboys riding momentum into 58th Turkey Day tilt: Like the Lions, Cowboys football has been a Thanksgiving staple since 1966, and America’s Team would love to add another dub to their 34-22-1 record on the occasion. They’ll have a heaping helping of confidence on their side after erasing a 21-point deficit in a thrilling Week 12 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

• Their star-studded offense includes QB Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, but the defense couldn’t stop a beach ball all season long…until last week, when they blanked the defending champs in the second half.

❤️ KC’s close-game conundrum: The easiest way to understand QB Patrick Mahomes’ crew this season is by looking at their record in close games. Last year’s Super Bowl runners-up were a perfect 10-0 in games decided by seven points or fewer last season, but this year has been an entirely different story: KC was an NFL–worst 0-5 in one-score games before their Week 12 win.

• Just like that afternoon tryptophan snooze, there’s been an air of inevitability surrounding KC in recent years. And it felt like they rediscovered that late-game magic in last week’s 11-point, fourth-quarter comeback. A scary thought for everyone else.

🤔 Prediction: Count out either squad at your own peril because both offenses have proven they can manufacture down-to-the-wire heroics. Trade deadline acquisitions have bolstered the Cowboys’ defense, but this unit has a challenging job: slowing down one of the best QBs of our generation.

The GIST: Leave some room for this delectable Turkey Day finale. The Ravens fly into this divisional showdown on a five-game win streak, while the anticipated return of the aforementioned Burrow makes this gridiron dessert even sweeter.

🐦‍⬛ Stuffing the stat sheet top priority for Baltimore: The perennial powerhouse Ravens were in quite the predicament — they were 1-5 and missing two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Since then, they’ve racked up five straight wins and now sit atop the AFC North…and their juggernaut offense hasn’t even been at its best.

• The one-two punch of Jackson and RB Derrick Henry has been eerily quiet in recent weeks: Jackson’s posted under 200 yards passing in three straight games, while Henry’s averaging just 4.7 yards per carry this season compared to 5.9 in 2024.

🐯 Bengals thankful for Burrow’s return: Emotional support water bottle in tow, Joe Cool’s hitting the gridiron for the first time since undergoing toe surgery in September. This is exceptional news for a Cincy squad that’s gone 1-8 in his absence. If they can string together some wins with Burrow under center, the divisional crown is still within reach.

• Add in WR Ja’Marr Chase (back after a one-game spitgate suspension) and RB Chase Brown, who’s been carving up the competition, and this Bengals reunion just might rival the one you’re prepping that pie for.

🤔 Prediction: A whole lot of points to go along with your sweet treats because both of these teams can score in bunches when at their best. That means defense could decide the outcome, and the Bengals’ D allows a whopping 156 rushing yards per game, the second-worst mark in the league. Consider it an all-you-can-run buffet for Jackson and Henry.