Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Here’s what you need to know about football on Turkey Day.
Most football fans know everything that’s happened in the 2023 NFL season, but there are plenty of people who only watch on Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl. It’s difficult to encapsulate an entire season here, but we can give a brief breakdown on the top games Thursday so you can better understand how they fit into the league.
Instead of wasting precious minutes you could be napping on explaining football to your loved ones, you can send them this to read and it’ll catch them up.
Green Bay Packers (4-6) vs. Detroit Lions (8-2), 12:30 p.m. ET
The Lions are one of the best teams in the NFL … seriously. This probably comes as a major shock if you only watch a little football each year, but the Lions are a complete team that’s incredible on offense and defense. There’s a legitimate argument that Detroit is one of the best teams in the NFC this year, and while they don’t have a lot of true star power, they’re well coached and are completely buying in to their coach Dan Campbell.
Green Bay is in a very different spot now. Aaron Rodgers was traded away and they’ve turned the team over to Jordan Love. Long-term the jury is still out, but the early returns on Love aren’t great. This team is really missing Rodgers under center, and we’ve seen the Packers’ issues magnify without him under center.
Washington Commanders (4-7) vs. Dallas Cowboys (7-3), 4:30 p.m. ET
This game is all about those Cowboys. We say it every year, but 2023 really could be when this team puts it all together. They have a profoundly dangerous defense, paired with a streaky offense that can score in bunches. Consistency has been an issue for Dallas this season, but in this matchup they’re the clear favorites.
Washington started the season looking strong, but have really struggled in recent weeks. They’ve lost three of their last five games, and have had some truly mystifying losses their season to the Bears and Giants. The saving grace for the Commanders is their offense, which is run by Eric Bieniemy, former architect of the Chiefs.
San Francisco 49ers (7-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (6-4), 8:20 p.m. ET
This is easily the best matchup of the day, but the 49ers are still favored in this one. The 49ers are one of the best teams in the NFL this season outside of a few missteps. Boasting one of the most fearsome defenses in the league, their defensive line is adept at wrecking fools, and on the other side of the ball Brock Purdy has proven he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league to run Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and could be the missing piece to getting San Francisco over the hump.
Normally this would be a much better game from Seattle’s point of view — however, quarterback Geno Smith is nursing an injury so it’s unclear just how effective he’ll be. This is still a really well coached Pete Carroll team without a lot of weaknesses. That could make it much more competitive than most expect.
