NFL-best Lions kickoff Thursday triple-header on TSN
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A yearly tradition older than the National Football League itself returns with some very rare storylines in this year's edition of Thanksgiving football.
Starting in 1934 and continuing uninterrupted since 1945, the Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving Thursday since before the NFL merger and Super Bowl came into being.
The Dallas Cowboys joined for a doubleheader tradition in 1966, and thus, in the Super Bowl era, a franchise known for its longstanding tradition of success, and another, its longstanding tradition of failure and disappointment, have provided families something else to pay attention to amidst the feast and merriment.
Dallas is one of the premier franchises in the sport, with five Super Bowl titles and eight Super Bowl appearances, while the Lions, despite existing for almost a century, have never even made it to a Super Bowl and hold the distinction with the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only teams to have a winless season in NFL history - which they did in 2008.
This year offers a rare role reversal: The Lions (10-1) ride a nine-game winning streak into their battle against the Chicago Bears, while the Cowboys (4-7) have floundered with inconsistent defensive play all season.
NFL-leading Lions look to buck Turkey Day disappointment
The Lions kick off the day of action with a battle against their historic rivals and NFC North foes, the Chicago Bears.
Detroit is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak on Thanksgiving, and enter this clash with a 6-18 record on Thanksgiving Day in the 21st century.
The Bears (4-7) own a three-game winning streak against Detroit on Thanksgiving, with wins in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Their offence struggled through the midpoint of the season, leading to offensive coordinator Shane Waldron being fired two weeks ago, but quarterback and top draft pick Caleb Williams has started to look better with Thomas Brown calling the plays.
Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns in their overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
“He’s growing in front of our eyes,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said of Williams. “Today was a really good growth for him to be able to go out there and execute the way he did with a 103 passer rating and be able to get those drives going at the end to put us in position to win the game.”
The Lions have already picked up two wins against divisional foes on the road this season, and they look to stay strong in the division in their meeting with the Bears on Thursday.
“We have an identity about us," head coach Dan Campbell said after their 24-6 victory on Sunday. "We know the critical factors as they pertain to winning, and those guys take that stuff serious.”
Cowboys try to stay hot on Thanksgiving Day
The Cowboys have enjoyed some success in recent Thanksgiving Day history, with wins over divisional rivals the past two seasons.
However, like the Lions, their past 10 years on Turkey Day have left a lot to be desired - they have a record of 4-6 in those games, including some ugly losses to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 (33-10), Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 (28-6) and Washington Football Team in 2020 (41-16).
This year's battle against the New York Giants is only the third meeting between the two on Thanksgiving, with the Cowboys winning the first two.
While Dallas has played below expectations this season following three-straight 12-5 finishes, they've been far better than the Giants, who have lost six straight and cut franchise quarterback Daniel Jones last Friday.
The Giants were dismantled 30-7 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in a loss that left many players - veterans and youngsters alike - speaking out in frustration.
With Cooper Rush under centre - filling in for injured star signal caller Dak Prescott - and coming off his best performance of the season, the Cowboys have confidence a win on Thursday can help provide some momentum towards a possible playoff run.
“Lot of games left,” Rush said. “We’re sitting at 4-7. This is why you play them.”
Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers battle to continue playoff pushes
The night game to cap off the triple-header pits the Miami Dolphins (5-6), who have won three straight, against the Green Bay Packers (8-3), who are coming off a 38-10 romp over the San Francisco 49ers.
Miami sits a game and a half out of a wild-card slot in the AFC, but have looked closer to the team that made the playoffs each of the past two seasons with QB Tua Tagovailoa back from injury.
Green Bay, on the other hand, has firm control over a playoff spot right now, but rank third in the hotly-contested NFC North despite their strong record.
Packers signal caller Jordan Love didn't let the team get too high after stomping on the 49ers, who were missing key players due to injury. “It’s the NFL,” said Love. “You’ve got to go find a way to win, no matter who’s out there. It’s tough for them, but we’ll take the win.”
Tagovailoa was proud of the winning streak the team has put together after injuries caused the offence to sputter, leading to a 2-6 record, but he conceded that this game against the Packers is going to be important for the rest of the season.
“We’re still below the .500 threshold, and it’s a long way to where we want to get to," Tagovailoa said after their win on Sunday. “We’ll enjoy this win, but this next one is going to be big for us.”