The NFL on Thanksgiving is always a great thing. Not only do we get to enjoy time with friends and family, but we also get to enjoy some football. It’s something NFL fans look forward to every year. When the season schedule gets released in April one of the first questions everyone asks is about the Thanksgiving games. This year there are three very meaningful games. At 12:30PM it will be the Minnesota Vikings at the Detroit Lions. At 4:30PM the Washington Redskins will be in Dallas against the Cowboys. And to cap it off at 8:30PM the Pittsburgh Steelers will be playing the Indianapolis Colts.
Vikings at Lions
Both of these teams enter this game at 6-4 and are tied for first place in the NFC North. Whoever comes out victorious here will be in first place when the schedule turns to December. In week nine the Lions defeated the Vikings in Minnesota 22-16 in overtime. It was a game where the Vikings looked like they had won it with a Rhett Ellison touchdown with 23 seconds left, but Matthew Stafford drove the Lions down the field at the end to set up a game tying field goal, sending the game to a Lions winning overtime. That was the third loss in a four game losing streak for the Vikings, in which they just snapped in a win over the Cardinals. As for the Lions, they have won five of their past six games to get to the position they are in. This should be a great game to kick things off on Thanksgiving.
Prediction: Lions 24-16
Redskins at Cowboys
The second game of the day will be another division matchup. The Cowboys will enter this game in first place in the NFC East and on a nine game winning streak, which started against the Redskins. The Cowboys defeated them 27-23 in Washington early in the season. The Cowboys are one of the best teams in the league led by rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot. As for the Redskins, they sit at 6-3-1 and in possession of the second wild card spot in the NFC. After a tough start they have won six of their past eight games. If the Redskins have any hope of winning the division this year, they have to win this game.
Prediction: Cowboys 27-20
Steelers at Colts
Both of these teams enter this matchup at 5-5. For the Steelers, that’s good enough to be tied for first place in the AFC North. For the Colts, they sit one game out in the AFC South. The Steelers were riding a four game losing streak until this past week when they beat the Chicago Browns. The Steelers now hope that win can get them on a roll again and takeover in a weak division. The Colts have been on a roller coaster this year, winning one week then losing the next on multiple occasions. Their win this past week against the Titans made it the only time this year they have won back to back games. But even with some struggles, they are still very much in the mix of the AFC South.
Predictions: Steelers 34-23