The Detroit Lions enter the holiday week on a nine-game winning streak and as arguably the best team in the NFL, with both statistical metrics and the eye-ball test to prove it.
They will kick off a busy six-game Week 13 with their annual Thanksgiving game against the Chicago Bears, the first of three Thursday games.
Playoff contenders Kansas City, Green Bay, Buffalo, Denver and Miami also will appear on the loaded national stage, as will underachievers Dallas, the New York Giants, Cleveland, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The Lions are 10-1, tied with Kansas City for the best record in the league, but the similarities end there. The Lions lead the league in scoring (32.7 points per game) and are second in total offense behind an offensive line that is considered the best in the league.
Detroit is in the top six in both rushing and passing offense, led by running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs and quarterback Jared Goff. Gibbs is fourth in the league with 886 yards rushing and Montgomery has 632, and the pair has combined for 21 touchdowns, 11 by Montgomery.
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They are the first pair in NFL history with 10 rushing touchdowns each in consecutive seasons. Both scored in a 24-6 victory over Indianapolis last Sunday, the 11th time both backs have scored in the same game, including the playoffs. It is the most such games NFL history, according to ESPN Research.
Thursday Games
Chicago Bears (4-7) At Detroit Lions (10-1)
How to watch: CBS, 12:30 pm ET
Key matchup:
Early line: Lions -10.5
The Lions enter with a point different of plus-177, which is by far the largest in the league. The Bills (plus-106) are the only other team in triple figures, and Philadelphia (plus-97) is third.
This a trap game for Detroit, which plays Green Bay and Buffalo the following two weeks. Victories in those could go a long way toward clinching home field advantage in the playoffs.
Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams has responded well to interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who began calling plays two weeks ago. Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in a 30-27 loss to Minnesota. The Vikings blocked a field goal by Cairo Santos, his third blocked kick of the season.
The oldest of NFC North rivals have split their last 10 games both straight up and against the spread, and they have done the same in their last 10 when playing in Detroit. The Lions have won the last two at home.
New York Giants (2-9) At Dallas Cowboys (4-7)
How to watch: FOX, 4:30 pm ET
Key matchup: Cooper Rush vs Giants QB TBD
Early line: Cowboys -3.5
Dallas used a pair of late touchdown kickoff returns to break a five-game losing streak to hold of Washington 34-26 last week, but the play of backup quarterback Cooper Rush was the most noteworthy.
Rush completed 75 percent of his 32 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, reprising the success he had when filling for injured Dak Prescott in 2022. Rush was 4-1 as the Cowboys starter then.
The Cowboy’s have won nine of the last 10 against the Giants. This is the first time in the Super Bowl era that both teams enter traditional Thanksgiving second course with losing records. Tampa Bay blitzed the Giants 30-7 in quarterback Tommy DeVito’s debut last week, and DeVito might not play because of a forearm injury.
Miami Dolphins (5-6) At Green Bay (8-3)
How to watch: NBC/Peacock, 8:20 pm ET
Key matchup: Josh Jacobs vs Dolphins D
Early line: Packers -3.5
Green Bay is third in the loaded NFC North but is a lock for the playoffs unless the wheels falls completely off. Quarterback Jordan Love gets a lot of the headlines, but the Packers with win a balanced offense that ranks third in the league in rushing.
Halfback Josh Jacobs had 106 of the Packers’ 169 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns in a lopsided 38-10 over the 49ers last week. The Packers are 15-20-2 on Thanksgiving, although their 29-22 victory at Detroit lats season was their first in a short week since 2015.
Miami is on three-game winning streak and is 3-2 (with losses by one and three points) since quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned from a concussion on Oct. 27. He has thrown for seven touchdowns the last two in victories over Las Vegas and New England, but this will be a step up in class.
The Dolphins are within wishing distance of the playoffs, but they have not beaten a team with a winning record this season.
Friday Afternoon
Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) At Kansas City Chiefs (10-1)
How to watch: Prime Video, 3 pm ET
Key matchup: Chiefs D vs Aidan O'Connell
Early line: Chiefs -12.5
Kansas City has won its last 13 one-score games, which is tied for the longest streak in NFL history, according to Elias. Patrick Mahomes may be 16th in the league in passers rating and his 11 interceptions are one short of the league high, but he makes plays, such as the 33-yard scramble that set up the winning field goal in a 30-27 victory over Carolina last week.
The Chiefs are fourth in the league in total defense, and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has three touchdowns in five games since going them before the first Raiders’ game Oct. 27, a 27-20 win.
Once one of the premier rivalries dating back to the old American Football League, the Raiders have lost eight of the last 10 although both their wins came in Kansas City, the last last season.
The Raiders will return to Aidan O’Connell after Garrett Minshew suffered a broken collarbone in a 29-19 loss to Denver last week. O’Connell is 0-4 in his four starts.
SUNDAY NIGHT
San Francisco 49ers (5-6) at Buffalo Bills (9-2)
How to watch: NBC/Peacock, 8:20 pm ET
Key matchup: Josh Allen vs 49ers D
Early line: Bills -6.5
This looked like a potential Super Bowl matchup when the schedule was released, but only the Bills have played like a contender. MVP candidate Josh Allen.
Allen does not necessarily overwhelm with numbers — he is 14th in the league with 2,543 passing yards and is 10th in passer rating — but he has rushing touchdowns in each of the last two games, including the 30-21 victory that gave the Chiefs their first loss two weeks.
The Bills, who have won six in a row, are 9-1 with a five-game winning streak in their last 10 after a bye. They are a league-best plus-14 in turnover margin.
The 49ers have been a study in frustration, and they hit a low in the 38-10 loss at Green Bay. Quarterback Brandon Allen, subbing for injured Brock Purdy, threw for 199 yards. They gained only 44 yards on the ground, 31 from Christian McCaffrey, who has not found his rhythm since returning three weeks ago.
MONDAY NIGHT
Cleveland Browns (3-8) at Denver Broncos (7-5)
How to watch: ESPN, 8:15 pm ET
Key matchup: Bo Nix vs Browns D
Early line: Broncos -5.5
Nix, the sixth quarterback taken in the 2024 draft, has passed for more yards than any of his more heralded classmates than Washington’s Jayden Daniels, and his grasp of the offense has led to eight touchdown passes in the last three games, when the Broncos are a blocked field goal attempt from being 3-0.
The Broncos are one of three teams to hold opponents under 300 yards total offense per game and they are third in the league in scoring defense and cornerback Patrick Surtain II can take an opponent’s best receiver out of the game.
Jameis Winston has pumped some life into the offense in his four starts, which include victories over ver AFC North rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Winston has 1,183 yards passing with six touchdowns and four interceptions in that span.
The defense is trying to keep up. The Browns held the Steelers to 19 points in a 24-19 victory Nov. 21, but the unit is minus-7 in turnover margin with only two interceptions this season. Only the Giants (one) have fewer.
