Ah, Thanksgiving. The time to stuff your face with turkey, spend time with family, and then spend frivolously on useless merchandise for the next couple of days. 

The most American of holidays means little to us on this side of the pond. For NFL fans, it’s a chance to enjoy some midweek football. I’m thankful for that. For that reason, we’ll look at the positives, highlighting a reason to be thankful for each of the six teams that played on Turkey Day, even if they eventually took the loss. 

Chicago Bears (4-8) 20 @ 23 Detroit Lions (11-1)

The Lions are thankful for… Sonic and Knuckles.

You’ll be hard pressed to see a more dominant first half display than the Lions mauling of the Bears. Before Motown could ‘enjoy’ Shaboozey’s halftime show, their team held the ball for 22:54, collected 19 first downs to their opponent’s two and converted 50% of their third and fourth downs. Chicago started the game with three straight three-and-outs, leaving their already gassed defense unable to handle the Lions attack. 

That dominance was built off the back of their superstar running back tandem. David Montgomery and Jamhyr Gibbs put up 88 and 87 yards respectively, with most of their action coming in the first 30. While neither man crossed the white line, ending their streak of 25 straight games with a rushing score, they set the table for two short touchdown passes to Sam LaPorta, and a string of first half field goals for Jake Bates. The one blemish on their day was a drive-ending fumble by Gibbs on a screen pass, which halted a red zone drive and left the door open for a Chicago comeback. For all their dominance, a lead of 16-0 at halftime felt underwhelming. 

The Bears are thankful for… 29:30 of Caleb Williams’ second half 

Let’s start with the positives. Caleb Williams second half was a demonstration of all the skills and traits which saw the first overall pick feted as a generational talent. He extended plays, dropped a dime into D.J. Moore for a 31-yard touchdown and showed resilience after a pretty ragged first-half performance. Williams was able to drag his team back into a game they had no business winning, although it cannot be ignored that his five-for-15, 35-yard effort in the opening quarters was a key factor in the Bears’ deficit. 

Williams’ productive second half will likely be lost in the wash, as recriminations over the Bears’ clock management started before the timer even hit zero at Ford Field. Williams started the final drive of the game from his own one-yard line with more than three minutes on the clock. What followed was a stilted and disjointed ‘march’ up the field. For every positive play there was a Bears penalty, or an untimely sack, but Chicago still managed to cross halfway in the final minute after a 29-yard pass interference on Kindle Vindor. 

So began a comedy of errors. First, Matt Eberflus took a timeout with the clock already stopped after a Williams incompletion. Then, an illegal hands to the face penalty pushed the Bears to the edge of Cairo Santos’ range. With 36 seconds on the clock, and one timeout remaining, Williams took a brutal sack by Za’Darius Smith, pushing his offense back to the Lions’ 43. With no chance of a tying field goal from that distance, the Bears needed to snap the ball with around 12 seconds left, attempting to regain their lost ground before calling a timeout to set up the kick. Instead, Williams waited until six seconds to snap the ball, sailing a deep pass intended for Moore that took up the remaining clock. 

It continues a worrying trend for an embattled head coach and a young quarterback that cannot eke out close games. As soon as the clock ticked under 10 seconds, Eberflus should have taken the decision out of his young star’s hands, and burned his final stoppage. Williams will survive and grow from this experience; it may end up being the final nail in his coach’s coffin. 

New York Giants (2-10) 20 @ 27 Dallas Cowboys (5-7)

The Cowboys are thankful for… a win at home 

All is not well in Jerry World. Last season, Dallas were an unstoppable force at home, winning all eight of their games at AT&T while averaging 37 points-per-game. Before Thursday’s game, the Cowboys were 0-5 in their own building. In their previous three home games, they’d scored six, nine, and 10 points respectively. 

The Cowboys were able to ride a 100-yard rushing performance by Rico Dowdle, six sacks by their defensive line and a steady performance by stand-in signal caller Cooper Rush to comfortably see off their NFC East rival. This win won’t catapult the Cowboys back into the playoff picture, but it gives fans a week of respite from the toxicity. The roster, and probably the franchise as a whole, needs root-and-stem reform. Of course, while Jerry Jones remains in charge that is unlikely to happen, but at least Dallas fans could enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner without their crazy uncle spouting off in the corner. 

The Giants are thankful for… Malik Nabers 

It’s been an interesting week for the Giants’ first-round pick. After the G-Men’s crushing home loss to the Buccaneers, Nabers roundly criticised his head coach’s playcalling, lamenting his quiet first half and asking to be fed the ball. 

Well, Nabers got his wish against Dallas, as he was targeted 13 times for eight catches and 69 yards. His 72 grabs through his first 10 games is an NFL record. Despite his early successes, Nabers has also recorded seven drops through the last nine weeks. In a post-match presser, the young wideout said he ‘didn’t care’ about those mistakes, and again reasserted his desire to be fed the ball. 

It’s clear Nabers has a winning mentality, and an awareness of his value to a struggling franchise. He clearly knows he will outlast this regime, and isn’t afraid to assert his personality in the locker room. That should give Giants fans hope for a better future with the Louisiana State alum, but might also make them a bit fearful. If they can’t help this young star reach his goals, they might see him fly the nest and succeed elsewhere. I can’t think of another star skill player the Giants have let slip through their fingers. Can you? 

Miami Dolphins (5-7) 17 @ 30 Green Bay Packers (9-3)

The Packers are thankful for…  Brian Gutekunst 

Green Bay put together a complete performance on a frigid night in Wisconsin, excelling in all three phases to handily beat a Miami Dolphins squad that was probably dreaming of warmer climes. 

General manager Brian Gutekunst has put together a deep and talented roster that can hang with any team in the NFL. It speaks to the strength of the NFC North that this team might only be the third best team in the division, but also the fourth best team in the conference. 

Jordan Love spread the ball around his talented receiving corps, while also finding Josh Jacobs out of the backfield. Jacobs wasn’t the most efficient on the ground, but still found the endzone and was spelled well by his running mates Chris Brooks and Emmanuel Wilson. Five different Packers sacked Tua Tagovailoa as the defense kept Miami at bay by forcing them into tricky third and fourth down situations. Special teams carried their weight too, as Brandon McManus nailed all three of his field goal attempts and punter Daniel Whelan pinned Miami in their own 20 on three of his four nudges. This team is clicking, and will be a tough out for any third or fourth seed they come up against in the playoffs. 

The Dolphins are thankful for… being in the hunt

It can’t be overstated how perilous the situation looked for the Dolphins a few weeks ago. Their high-powered offense had cratered under the auspices of Snoop Huntley, and while this loss will harm their playoff chances — the New York Times’ playoff calculator gave them a 31% chance of reaching the postseason before yesterday’s games — they still have hope. 

Tua completed 37-of-46 passes en route to 365 passing yards and two scores. Jonnu Smith continues to dominate opposing linebackers as he again eclipsed 100-yards, while De’Von Achane, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle all contributed through the air too. According to Tankathon, the Dolphins have the fourth-easiest remaining schedule, as they play a flighty Texans team in Week 14 before facing off against the moribund Cleveland Browns and New York Jets (twice) before season’s end. A 9-8 record could be enough to sneak into the postseason.