The turkey is carved, the family backyard football games are won, and NFL broke through the wild ribbon on Thanksgiving. On Thursday, the league's triple was hailed as monumental, and with good reason. This was not your typical holiday table where one game stands above the rest, as each game carried enormous weight in terms of playoff picture.
We started the day with Packers heading to Motor City and hitting Lionsfinishing work with Bengals upsetting Crows in Baltimore. The division was sandwiched between these two matches. Managers And Cowboys it was essentially a do-or-die contest for each of their playoff hopes, and Dallas came out on top.
Week 13 NFL Thanksgiving grades: Cowboys' best test against Chiefs, Bengals get an A for shocking win
John Breech
Naturally, many storylines will emerge from these three games from the holiday. But which storylines should we take at face value, and which should we dismiss as nothing more than an overreaction? Luckily, we're here to help sort through these storylines and determine it.
Detroit's playoff hopes dashed
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Leos are probably feeling blue after Thanksgiving, and for good reason. Their chances of winning the NFC North likely evaporated after a loss to the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. This ended the Packers' season success and dropped the Lions' record to just 1–3 in the division. While this creates a near-impossible height for the NFC North crown, all is not lost in terms of the Lions making the playoffs. They are currently on the sidelines watching the playoff picture and have no room for error, but they still have the opportunity to get into this current snapshot. If they take care of business over the next two weeks against the Cowboys and Rams (not an easy task), they could reproduce themselves in the picture with some outside help.
Leaders must win
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Things are getting pretty bleak for the Chiefs, who are now 6-6 on the season after losing to the Cowboys. Not only does this push them into an even deeper hole in the AFC West race, but Kansas City's playoff hopes are noticeably dwindling. They currently occupy ninth place in the conference. With the main roster for Week 13 still in place, teams like Houston Texans (6-5), Buffalo Bills (7-4) and Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) can beat them to a win on Sunday. Speaking of the Bills and Jaguars, Kansas City will need to finish the year at least one game above them as they each own the tiebreaker. The same can be said for the Texans at the end of Week 14 when they visit the Chiefs at Arrowhead. If the Chiefs lose this game or any other contest in their final five games, it will likely end their playoff hopes.
The Cowboys are set to make the playoffs.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Dallas Cowboys have suddenly become one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Jerry Jones' club is on a three-game winning streak, with the previous two victories including both clubs that were in the standings. Super Bowl a season ago. While Dallas is rightfully flying first class on cloud nine, these wins don't necessarily mean they're a surefire playoff berth. There is still a lot of work to be done with the 6-5-1 formation. If we strictly look at the wild card race, the Cowboys need to catch the likes of the Packers (8-3-1), 49ers (8-4), or Seahawks (8-3). Green Bay has already won its Week 13 game, while San Francisco and Seattle have a chance to win their games on Sunday for a potential nine wins on the year. This creates a big gap for Dallas. This is impossible? No, but not a castle, as it might seem at this moment.
The Packers are the real team to beat in the NFC North.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Thursday's win over the Lions didn't put the Packers in first place in the NFC North, but it could have done so. Being able to go to Detroit and get a win in that environment once again showed that Green Bay is a team to beat in this division, even if they look up to the team for a moment. Chicago Bears. The Packers finished off the season with a win over the Lions and both of their matchups against the Bears are still on the table, putting them in position to move atop the NFC North by season's end. Already, Green Bay is 3-0 in the division and is a more talented team when firing on all cylinders. Yes, they sometimes downplay the quality of their opponents, but as the stakes rise as we approach the final few weeks of the regular season, I think their play will rise as well.
The Bengals will make the playoffs with Joe Burrow back
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Cincinnati is now 3-0 when Joe Burrow starts for them this season. The club was certainly happy to welcome him back under center for Thanksgiving, as he helped pave the way for a decisive victory over the Ravens in Baltimore. Seeing No. 9 throw two touchdowns has the Bengals dreaming of making the playoffs, but that's no guarantee. Even if they finish the regular season strong, as they did a year ago, they could similarly miss the postseason. The win pushed the Bengals to a 4–8 record on the season. With teams like the Bills and Jaguars entering Week 13 at 7-4, they have a huge gap to secure a wild card spot. Their best path would be to win the AFC North, where they currently have a 3-1 record. This can be useful in tiebreaker scenarios, but it also affects how Steelers and Raven Craters. One of these teams might fall by the wayside, but Cincinnati will have to win, too. Even though their defense played well Thursday night, that side of the ball still risks costing them key games and ruining their playoff hopes.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Lamar Jackson is wrong. Even though the Ravens were riding a five-game winning streak before Thanksgiving, the offense didn't look quite right, and Jackson in particular seemed out of sync. He hasn't thrown a touchdown in two games entering Week 13, and not only has he failed to find the end zone again, but he's recorded three tackles (one interception and two fumbles). Jackson has five total turnovers over his last three games and zero touchdowns. Whether it's health-related or not, if Jackson doesn't turn things around soon, it could jeopardize the Ravens' playoff hopes.
