U.S. Thanksgiving is usually one of the best days on the NFL calendar. Not only does it offer a weekday triple-header, it also unofficially ushers in the most meaningful part of the season when games start to have a little extra weight to them with post-season ramifications starting to pop up.
But, like with most things in 2020, COVID-19 has thrown a curveball into the NFL’s Thanksgiving plans.
After a number of positive tests within the Baltimore Ravens organization since Monday, the NFL has postponed the Ravens’ game against AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers, which was originally scheduled to kick off Thursday night at 8:20 p.m. ET. It’s now expected to be played Sunday.
The absence of Ravens-Steelers, a game with division and AFC playoff implications, means Thursday’s double-header is less appetizing than the original triple-header, but there’s still intrigue in the two remaining games.
Here are the storylines we’re looking at ahead of this year’s NFL Thanksgiving slate.
Will Lions keep their tradition alive?
Thanksgiving in the U.S. brings a tradition unlike any other: turkey, family and a Detroit Lions loss.
OK, not quite. But the numbers historically aren’t in Detroit’s favour. According to CBS Sports, the Lions, who have played at home on just about every Thanksgiving Day, have an all-time record of 37-41-2 on the day and are currently riding a three-game Turkey-day losing streak. They’ve also lost 12 of their past 16 Thanksgiving Day games.
And, based on how they’ve fared so far this season, that’s a tradition that might just continue when the Houston Texans come to town to kick off Thursday’s action.
The 4-6 Lions are coming off a 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers they’d surely like to forget, leaving a fan base clamouring for a head-coaching change. The Lions have struggled mightily on offence this year, particularly on the ground – their run game is ranked 29th, with all the pressure once again on Matthew Stafford’s arm to make the big plays.
They’re not exactly facing an offensive juggernaut, though. In fact, as low as the Lions’ run game is, Houston’s is even worse at 31st. The two offences are actually pretty comparable: Deshaun Watson’s 3-7 Texans have a total offence ranking of 22nd, while Stafford’s is 23rd. The Texans are coming off a victory over New England that saw Watson take the game into his own hands – he barely has a choice, with so few offensive weapons at his disposal.
Both clubs find themselves at a bit of a crossroads in what has been a difficult season. Houston’s heading in the wrong direction, no longer the contender it has been in years past, with the firing of GM and coach Bill O’Brian in the rearview mirror but many more speed bumps ahead. Detroit appears to be barrelling toward big changes, too – some of which might just be riding on this game.
Thanksgiving game a family affair for Moores
Here’s a cool story: Identical twins A.J. Moore (Texans safety) and C.J. Moore (Lions safety) will go head-to-head in the NFL for the first time ever this Thursday.
In the NFC East, first and worst are interchangeable
When we said we had battle for the division happening this Thursday, a tilt between two .300 teams in Dallas and Washington wasn’t exactly what we had in mind. With just three wins apiece, all four of the NFC East’s teams should be giving thanks that they’re actually still very much within reach of the division title.
The 3-6-1 Eagles have a slight edge on the rest of their division foes heading into Week 12 on account of a tie with the Bengals, but with Washington, New York and Dallas all deadlocked at 3-7 and all four clubs almost entirely refusing to win non-divisional games, this one’s clearly going to come down to games like Thursday’s.
In other words, this could be fun – in like, a messy and probably frustrating way.
Both Washington and Dallas broke the division’s unspoken no-wins-allowed rule last week, with each team coming off a victory heading into Thursday – Washington defeated Cincinnati and Dallas won over Minnesota.
Has QB carousel in Dallas, Washington come to a halt?
Both Washington and Dallas have struggled in numerous parts of the game – the Cowboys have the worst-ranked defence in the league while Washington’s offence as a whole has been underwhelming – but a rotating cast of quarterbacks has been among the biggest stories on both sides.
If the Cowboys thought they could downplay Dak Prescott’s importance and avoid backing up the Brinks truck on his next deal, they’ve been proven wrong on a weekly basis. With Prescott, the Cowboys were at least in games – they had some pretty incredible comebacks, with defence often letting them down. Without their leader, who went down with a devastating ankle injury in Week 5, Dallas is sitting at rock bottom in scoring offence with a defence completely incapable of carrying them.
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The Cowboys have now had four different quarterbacks suit up under centre. Andy Dalton first stepped in in Prescott’s absence, but his tenure was also cut short due to a concussion and COVID-19. Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert were the third and fourth to start until Dalton could return. Dalton’s first start back at QB1 this past Sunday yielded a rare W for Dallas.
Washington has seen three different quarterbacks this season, with Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen and Alex Smith all getting starts. Haskins’ benching and a serious injury to Allen led to an incredible comeback for Smith, whose horrific injury in 2018 threatened not just his career but his life. His miraculous return to the field brought back-to-back games with 300-plus passing yards, followed one week later by his first win since his return – and his old job back.
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