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Thanksgiving Week brings with it a full slate of NFL action. Three games on Thanksgiving Thursday, 12 games on Sunday, and one for "Monday Night Football."
For the first time since Week 3, no NFL teams have a bye this week.
In Week 11, four teams had a bye: the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. Three of those four may have been glad to see the bye week. The Bills lost via heartbreaking "Hail Mary" to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10; the Bears lost an ugly Monday-night affair to the Vikings, and the 49ers were just beaten up by the New Orleans Saints. The Giants pulled out a win in Week 10, over the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, but the Giants are still just 3-7 and trying to get to the top of the NFL's worst division.
In Week 13, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers will have a bye. The Panthers may not want a week off, as they're riding high after a 20-0 shutout victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 11. Even with starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater injured, backup QB and XFL alum P.J. Walker stepped in and led Carolina to the victory. The Bucs lost a close one to the Los Angeles Rams on "Monday Night Football" in Week 11, another example of Tom Brady and the Bucs being inconsistent this season despite their star-studded roster.
NFL Week 12 Thanksgiving games
This week's Thanksgiving NFL games include the Houston Texans at the Lions, Washington at the Dallas Cowboys, and the Baltimore Ravens at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Lions and Cowboys playing on Thanksgiving is NFL tradition. They've been hosting games on the holiday for decades.
This season, neither the Lions or Cowboys is particularly entertaining or good, however. The Lions are 4-6 and coming off getting shut out in Week 11 by the Panthers.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford can put up big numbers, but the team is missing star receiver Kenny Golladay and No. 1 running back D'Andre Swift. The Lions have future Hall of Fame RB Adrian Peterson to step in for Swift, but the 35-year-old hasn't been consistently effective this season.
The Cowboys are 3-7 and cycling through quarterbacks and offensive linemen -- the two positions where you don't want uncertainty in the NFL.
Andy Dalton returned to start at QB for Dallas in Week 11 after missing two games with a concussion and COVID-19. Dalton was originally the team's No. 2 QB; he was starting because starter Dak Prescott broke his ankle in Week 5. When Dalton was out, third-stringer Ben DiNucci started one game, and practice squad call-up Garrett Gilbert started another.
In Dalton's return, he looked more like the quarterback who led the Cincinnati Bengals to the NFL playoffs multiple times in his stint there. He helped the Cowboys beat the Vikings and actually put a potent offense on the field.
Steelers-Ravens is the unquestioned main event of Thanksgiving. The Steelers are 10-0 and trying to remain the NFL's only undefeated team. The Ravens have it a rough patch, but at 6-4 are still in the playoff mix if they regain some rhythm.
