- One of our prognosticators is now nearly 60 games over .500.
- The NFL’s Week 13 schedule features games from Thanksgiving Day through Monday, with all 32 teams in action.
- Thanksgiving Day matchups include a key NFC North game between the Packers and Lions, and a high-profile contest between the Chiefs and Cowboys.
You ready to eat?
The NFL’s Thanksgiving/Week 13 menu is a fully loaded one, all 32 teams in action, with games nearly every day from Turkey Day through Monday − Saturday being the lone exception.
Thursday should indeed be must-see TV, starting with an NFC North showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, the latter currently sitting outside the conference’s projected playoff field. Thursday afternoon will feature the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, perhaps America’s two highest-profile teams … yet clubs essentially in win-now mode as both sit in 10th place in their respective conferences. As for dessert? Right or wrong, QB Joe Burrow is expected to return as the Cincinnati Bengals visit the surging Baltimore Ravens, whose five-game win streak has vaulted them to the top of the AFC North.
The now-annual Black Friday contest will pit a pair of 8-3 squads as the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles host the Chicago Bears, the winner set to land alone in second place overall in the NFC.
Sunday’s slate admittedly feels like the leftovers. But Cleveland Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders will make his first NFL home start (against the San Francisco 49ers); the Houston Texans will attempt to continue their belated run back to the top of the AFC South on the road against the Indianapolis Colts; and the Buffalo Bills will face the Steelers in Pittsburgh in what projects as the game of the day between two teams that could wind up sparring for a wild-card berth. Sunday ends with the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders meeting on the outskirts of the nation’s capital.
Monday ought to rekindle some notable Super Bowl memories as the New York Giants, who have little to offer their fans aside from Lombardi lore, take on the AFC-leading New England Patriots, the league’s only 10-win team entering Week 13.
Ya got all that? Onward as USA TODAY Sports’ panel of NFL experts select their favorite dishes:
(Odds provided by BetMGM)
NFL Week 13 picks, predictions, odds
- Packers at Lions
- Chiefs at Cowboys
- Bengals at Ravens
- Bears at Eagles
- Texans at Colts
- 49ers at Browns
- Cardinals at Buccaneers
- Saints at Dolphins
- Rams at Panthers
- Falcons at Jets
- Jaguars at Titans
- Vikings at Seahawks
- Raiders at Chargers
- Bills at Steelers
- Broncos at Commanders
- Giants at Patriots