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Nothing goes together quite like Thanksgiving food and football, and we have huge servings of both today. I’ll be honest: A few weeks ago, this slate looked uninspiring. Now, I’m really excited for it.
The day begins with Bears-Lions, and while it’s easy to be excited to watch the 10-1 Lions, Caleb Williams’ progress over the past few weeks with interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown has been really encouraging. Over the past two weeks, Williams has eight completions of 20+ yards, tied for third-most in the NFL. As I wrote, we’re getting more of the college-version, Heisman-winning, highlight machine.
Pereles: “Under Shane Waldron, Williams seemed glued to the pocket. It felt robotic. Under Thomas Brown, Williams has been outstanding extending plays to either run or pass. On Sunday, on throws that took three seconds or more, Williams went 7 for 9 for 146 yards and a touchdown. Both the completion rate and the yardage were career bests. Even the plays that didn’t result in huge gains were impressive.”
Lions coach Dan Campbell has taken notice of Williams’ improvement, but lucky for Campbell, his team has the league’s best safety duo, as Doug Clawson writes, and the “Sonic and Knuckles” Jahmyr Gibbs-David Montgomery duo at running back. The Lions are atop Pete Prisco’s Power Rankings, and I fully expect them to win this one.
I’ll be honest again: The second game, Giants-Cowboys, is a bit tougher to get super pumped for. Tommy DeVito is unlikely to play, meaning it could be Drew Lock time, and New York’s biggest stars have been walking back their critical comments. On the other end, the Cowboys are talking like a team that very much believes it can make a late run. I think they’ll continue that late run here.
Then comes an intriguing Dolphins-Packers nightcap. Miami has won three straight to get back into the AFC playoff hunt, but this is a team that doesn’t especially love the cold. Cody Benjamin has bold predictions for all three Thanksgiving games, and for this one, he has Miami’s offense going even colder than the projected temperature.
Don’t forget, we’re also getting a Black Friday game with the Chiefs facing the Raiders, so make sure to get your shopping done early.
