Thanksgiving Day Essentials
November 22, 2017
Minnesota (-3, 45) at Detroit, 12:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Detroit looks to win a fifth consecutive Thanksgiving Day game, a far cry from the days when watching Lions fans sporting paper bags to hide their faces in shame was as reliable a part of this holiday?s tradition as the turkey and stuffing. To extend the run, they?ll have to do so as a home underdog.
The Vikings (8-2 SU, 7-3 ATS) flexed a little muscle last Sunday, doing so with a quarterback who arguably wouldn?t be on the roster if Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater had each been healthy in training camp. Bridgewater was expected to miss most, if not all of the season, after tearing up his knee in ?16. Recovery has gone well for him and the former first-round pick is healthy enough to claim his job back. Case Keenum isn?t letting that happen.
Although its tremendous defense has done the heavy lifting, Minnesota has managed to score enough to roll off six straight wins, managing at least 20 points in each of the games. Following a 24-7 home win over the Rams on Sunday, Keenum ranks second in the NFL in QBR behind Houston?s Deshaun Watson and has been sacked only once during the winning streak.
Matthew Stafford has been sacked more than any starting quarterback in the NFL besides Indianapolis? Jacoby Brissett, surpassing Green Bay?s Aaron Rodgers. Despite the pressure and an inconsistent running game, he?s been fantastic in spreading the ball around, developing chemistry with Marvin Jones, Jr. in addition to top target Golden Tate. Deep threat Kenny Golladay has gotten healthy of late, so this will be a great test for the Vikings defense, which held Jared Goff and the league?s highest-scoring offense scoreless after surrendering a touchdown on the opening drive.
The Lions (6-4 SU, 5-4-1 ATS) come in on a three-game winning streak themselves, which means there will be a large crowd in store at Ford Field as they look to remain a factor in the NFC postseason race. Currently even with Atlanta and Seattle at 6-4, Detroit doesn?t play another team currently above .500 after this one. That makes this a golden opportunity to get a leg up in the Wild Card race, not to mention pulling the Lions within a win in the NFC North race.
Entering the week, the Vikings were a 1/5 lock at Westgate to win the division, while the odds for the Lions coming back to catch them offered an 11/4 payout. That would almost certainly require a win here, which would mark a second straight Thanksgiving Day win over the Vikings.
Kicker Matt Prater delivered last year?s win with a 40-yard field goal at the final gun, his second kick inside the final 1:45 after being set up by a Bradford interception with 38 seconds left. The teams entered that game 6-4 and gave Detroit the NFC North lead. Green Bay ended up winning the division, but last year?s game ended up making the difference in the Lions making the playoffs ahead of the Vikes, who finished 8-8.
The Lions won the first meeting of this season in Week 4, prevailing 14-7 in Minneapolis by pitching a scoreless second half against the Keenum-led offense. The Vikings literally fumbled the game away, coughing it up three times, so they should be a determined group looking to avoid a season sweep for the second straight year. The Vikings haven?t lost four straight against the Lions since 1963.
Rookie RB Dalvin Cook was still terrorizing defenses and scored Minnesota?s only touchdown in the first meeting, but has since been lost for the seasons. Latavius Murray has his shake back and scored two touchdowns last season, while Jerick McKinnon is jumping over people when he can?t go through them, so their rushing attack remains a threat. Adam Thielen?s 916 receiving yards give him the third-largest output through 10 games behind Randy Moss in the team annals, while Stefon Diggs? hamstring injury has improved, so Keenum still has plenty of help as he looks to fare better against Detroit?s defense than he did on Oct. 1.
The Vikings have scored an average of 12 points in their three losses to Detroit, so taking some shots downfield may be part of the game plan. If Ziggy Ansah (back) misses another game, the Lions will be down their most effective pass rusher. He?s the main injury concern for either team. The Vikings welcomed back DE Everson Griffen last week and will have their secondary intact with Xavier Rhodes and Andrew Sendejo cleared to work for a group that surrendered their lowest-scoring output of the season.
The Lions have averaged 31.7 points over their three-game surge, but are just 37-38-2 all-time on Thanksgiving despite their run of four straight wins.
L.A. Chargers (-2, 47.5) at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS
It?s incredible that just two weeks ago, the Cowboys (5-5, 5-5) opened their November slate with an impressive victory over Kansas City where they imposed their will and the offensive line looked like it had last season, dominating impressively. No one would?ve believed you if you told them you had arrived from the future to declare that the Chargers would be favored in Arlington on Thanksgiving.
Standout left tackle Tyron Smith then aggravated a back injury, hasn?t played since that win and has watch as Dallas has been outscored 64-14 by Atlanta and Philadelphia. His brothers on the offensive line have been manhandled and Dak Prescott has been harassed without him in the mix. Over the past two weeks, Prescott hasn?t thrown a touchdown pass and has been sacked 12 times. The absence has been so glaring that even RB Ezekiel Elliott?s suspension has taken a back seat since his presence wouldn?t have mattered much given the offensive line?s ineptitude.
News that Smith will attempt to play on Thursday was therefore met with great relief given that defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa await to feast on any uncertainty along the Dallas? offensive front. Coming off terrorizing a bad Buffalo o-line and forcing five interceptions from rookie QB Nathan Peterman before creating even more mayhem against Tyrod Taylor, the Chargers were licking their chops and may still be the driving force in this middle game of a Thanksgiving tripleheader.
Despite being under .500 at the 10-game mark, Los Angeles (4-6, 5-4-1) harbors playoff aspirations. Only one game behind the Bills for the No. 6 spot in the AFC, the Chargers are actually a hot streak away from contending for the AFC West crown. A 54-24 win over the Bills opened up a world of possibilities, doubling as the new franchise record for a single-game scoring output and providing hope that a team which has dropped four games by three or fewer points has finally made a breakthrough.
L.A. still has a game at Kansas City to play, but following this one, will host Washington, Cleveland and Oakland in addition to visiting the N.Y. Jets. The rest of the games on the schedule are all winnable if Philip Rivers stays healthy, so you can count on an exciting one since both teams are invested in winning to keep their realistic playoff hopes alive.
The sight of an unhappy Jerry Jones had become a popular internet meme on Thanksgiving for a few years there since the Cowboys had lost three of four prior to last season?s thrilling 31-26 win that was put away by Elliott?s second touchdown run. It was the 10th of 11 consecutive wins Dallas secured last season, but the team had lost its previous two games on turkey day by a 66-24 margin.
Besides Smith and Elliott, the Cowboys have missed the services of standout middle linebacker Sean Lee, who has already been ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Key LB Anthony Hitchens is also questionable for the Cowboys, as is guard La?el Collins. DE DeMarcus Lawrence will play through a shoulder issue. Kicker Dan Bailey is also attempting to return from a groin injury, but has been replaced effectively by Mike Nugent, who would once again fill in if Bailey can?t go.
The Chargers list tackles Joe Barksdale and Russell Okung as questionable but expect both to play. The same goes for DTs Corey Liuget and Brandon Mebane. L.A. is playing its first Thanksgiving game since the 1960s, before the merger. The Cowboys are 30-18-1.
N.Y. Giants at Washington (-7, 44.5), 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Schedule makers meant well when they cooked up the idea of this game being a worthwhile nightcap to the Thanksgiving feast. Unfortunately, similar to what transpired back in 2012 when the butt fumble upstaged a 49-19 Patriots? rout of the Jets, we have ourselves a laughable matchup.
Washington (4-6, 4-6) hosts New York (2-8, 4-6) in a game between teams realistically eliminated from the NFC?s playoff picture. The Giants come off a 12-9 overtime upset of the Chiefs on Sunday, taking advantage of windy conditions and a rough outing from Alex Smith to pull out an upset that paid as much as +400.
The Redskins were headed to a remarkable upset win over the Saints in New Orleans before an improbable comeback landed the game in overtime. It was a devastating setback for Washington, which led 31-16 with 4:16 remaining but couldn?t stop Drew Brees or rookie Alvin Kamara down the stretch, then couldn?t get anything going offensively in OT.
Making matters worse, Washington lost its most valuable offensive weapon, RB Chris Thompson, to a fractured fibula. He ranked third in the NFL as a receiving threat out of the backfield. QB Kirk Cousins took a few big hits but is expected to be out leading an offense that has lost WR Terrell Pryor, tight end Jordan Reed and multiple offensive linemen. Rookie Samaje Perine will start at running back, Byron Marshall will try and fill Thompson?s shoes and there?s a possibility Pro-Bowl tackle Trent Williams will be among those who can?t participate.
The Giants won?t sympathize, but can, having lost the likes of Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall and multiple offensive linemen themselves. Second-year WR Sterling Shepard came off an injury and had five receptions for 70 yards to provide some hope, but he missed last week?s games due to migraine and may not play here either. Head coach Ben McAdoo is a lame duck, so it remains to be seen whether the Giants will come out to play for him on a holiday. It?s likely for that reason that Washington is such a resounding favorite since they?re in the same boat health-wise.
The teams will play the final week of the regular season in what will almost certainly be a meaningless game. This one will draw more eyeballs due to people digesting their turkey dinners and attempting to close out parlays. Unlike the other two games that will be played in domed stadiums, weather will be a factor in Landover. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s, but the wind gusts expected should have a minimal impact.
