Time: 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Prediction: Lions win 25-16

To start off Thanksgiving Day, two of the top teams in the NFC will go head-to-head in a game with lots of playoff contention at stake. 

The Lions have been off to a slower start than expected. After going 15-2 and winning the NFC North last year, they are now in third place in the division and are in the hunt for the playoffs. This is not too surprising considering they lost Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson to their division rival, the Chicago Bears. They also lost Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets. After losing both of your main coordinators, it will usually take a season to adjust, so considering they are still having success, it’s a great sight for Lions fans. If they win this game, the NFC North would tighten up, making it anyone’s division. Last week, when they played against the Giants, they struggled, and if it were not for the heroics of Jahmyr Gibbs in overtime, it would have been a tough loss for Detroit.

The Lions’ opponents are the Green Bay Packers. The Packers made the biggest splash of the offseason by acquiring Micah Parsons in early December. So far this season, Parsons has been everything they expected: through 11 games, he has recorded 10 sacks, and since Oct. 19, he has had 7.5 sacks. As of now, the Packers have a point differential of +61. While that seems solid, it is not as great as expected. The Packers are currently 7-3-1 and in second place in the NFC North. If they win this game, it would separate them from the Lions and would help them return to the playoff picture.

For the Lions to win the game, they will need to exploit the Green Bay Packers’ weak run defense, which bodes well for the Lions, who have one of the best run offenses in the NFL with their duo of running backs: David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

For the Packers, the only way to stop this explosive Lions offense is to play press-man coverage, shut down the Lions’ passing attack, and try to take an early lead, forcing them to move away from their dominant run game. The reason the press-man coverage would work is that the Eagles played the same defense against the Lions two weeks ago, and Jared Goff had one of the worst completion percentages in his career.

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS)

Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

Prediction: Cowboys win 35-24 

This Thanksgiving Day contest is set to be one of the most-viewed games this season, featuring two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott. This game is going to be a high-scoring affair, including two of the best offenses in the league. 

The Chiefs are currently 6-5 and third in the AFC West. The Chiefs snapped a two-game losing streak with a gritty win over the Indianapolis Colts, 23-20. While their offense hasn’t consistently hit its explosive stride this year as it has in previous years, the defense has been a major strength, limiting the points they have allowed this season. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will look to exploit a Cowboys secondary that has shown vulnerabilities this season.

However, the Cowboys, coming off a big 24-14 win, pulled off a historic comeback against the Eagles in Week 12, showing immense resilience. Quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense have the potential to be high-powered, and the defense has shown improvement recently, particularly since the mid-season acquisitions of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson. Playing at home on Thanksgiving, a spot where they have mostly been dominant, always adds a unique pressure and atmosphere. With a strong passing offense and one of the best wide receiver corps in the entire league, the Cowboys are first in the league in passing yards so far. With a record of 5-5-1, every game from now on can have massive playoff implications for America’s team.

My prediction of Cowboys 35, Chiefs 24 will pan out as a huge Thanksgiving Day win for Dallas. This is primarily because I believe the Cowboys offense will be able to sustain drives and capitalize in the red zone against a Chiefs defense that has been solid but may struggle to contain the variety of weapons available to Dak Prescott. Furthermore, I anticipate the Dallas defensive front, led by Demarvion Overshown and Quinnen Williams, will generate enough consistent pressure to force Patrick Mahomes into relying on shorter, less explosive plays that keep the high-powered Chiefs attack contained.

Time: 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD

Prediction: Ravens win 24-10

To end the night, we are going to have another divisional matchup. The Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals are going head-to-head in a must-win game for both teams at 8:20 p.m. ET.

The Ravens had a disappointing start to the season, starting 1-5. It did not help them that Lamar Jackson missed three of those games, and their defense was one of the worst in the NFL. Now they are 6-5 and have won their last five games straight. However, the Ravens have had a relatively “easy” schedule, playing only one team with a winning record in those games. The biggest issue for the Ravens this season has been the lack of their rushing attack. After the first game, Running Back Derrick Henry has not broken 123 yards, so they will need to utilize Henry against a weak Cincinnati rushing defense.

With a record of 3-8 and tied for last in the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to go on the road and break their four-game losing streak. The Bengals’ biggest storyline this week is the highly anticipated return of Quarterback Joe Burrow from a turf toe injury. Though Burrow is returning, the team has already ruled out key players like Wide Receiver Tee Higgins (concussion) and Defensive End Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis injury). The game is expected to be a tough outing for Cincinnati, as their league-worst run defense must contain Running Back Derrick Henry and Quarterback Lamar Jackson. While Joe Burrow and Wide Receiver Ja’Marr Chase will attempt to jumpstart the offense against a Ravens defense that has allowed less than 20 points in their five straight wins. 

The reason we think the Ravens will win this game is that the weak Bengals defense will not be able to handle a lethal Ravens offense with many weapons. On the Bengals side, they will also be without star receiver Tee Higgins, so odds are their focus will be on All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase.