2018 Thanksgiving Day NFL games: Previews and capsules

For generations of Americans, the tradition of Thanksgiving Day and NFL football are historically intertwined.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1925, a crowd of 36,000 – then the largest in professional football history – watched the Chicago Bears play the Chicago Cardinals to a scoreless tie at Wrigley Field.

In 1934, the Detroit Lions and the defending world champion Bears squared off on Thanksgiving in the first NFL game nationally broadcast, with NBC radio on the call. This year, the three holiday games will be played inside stadiums with a combined capacity of over 215,000 and will be aired to millions across the country and around the world.

The 2018 installment of Thanksgiving Day football will feature a triple-header for the 13th consecutive season. For only the second time since 1970 (2014), the holiday will feature exclusively divisional match-ups.

• The first game showcases a battle of NFC North rivals as the Chicago Bears travel to Detroit to face the Lions (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
• The late afternoon game marks the 41st consecutive Thanksgiving Day contest hosted in Dallas as the Cowboys welcome the Washington Redskins to AT&T Stadium (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
• The holiday concludes at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as the Atlanta Falcons take on the New Orleans Saints in the 99th regular-season meeting between the NFC South rivals (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).

The Lions will play their 79th Thanksgiving Day game dating back to 1934, while the Cowboys will play in their 51st since 1966. The Bears and Redskins will play in their 35th and 11th games, respectively, on the holiday. The Falcons will play in their third and the Saints will play in their second Thanksgiving game.

Thanksgiving Day records of the teams playing this Thursday:

Chicago (7-3) at Detroit (4-6): Thursday’s match up marks the 17th Thanksgiving Day meeting between the Bears and the Lions, dating back to November 29, 1934. Pro Football Hall of Famer Bronko Nagurksi threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Bill Hewitt for Chicago to secure a 19-16 victory over Detroit in the first holiday meeting between the two teams. In their last Thanksgiving Day match-up, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 34 of 45 attempts (75.6 percent) for 390 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 116.0 passer rating in the Lions’ 34-17 victory on November 27, 2014.

Chicago sits atop the NFC North with a 7-3 record and has won four consecutive games. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky leads all NFL quarterbacks with 363 rushing yards this season and is averaging 7.1 yards per carry, the highest average in the league (minimum 50 attempts). Chicago’s defense, led by linebacker Khalil Mack’s eight sacks and five forced fumbles, leads the NFL with 18 interceptions, ranks first in the NFC with 16 forced fumbles and ties for fourth in the league with 32 sacks.

Detroit enters Week 12 following a 20-19 victory over Carolina last week. Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay had eight catches for 113 yards, including the go-ahead 19-yard touchdown catch with 5:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, and rookie running back Kerryon Johnson added a rushing score in the win. Linebacker Jarrad Davis, who leads the team with 63 tackles, is one of four NFL players with at least 60 tackles (63) and four sacks (four) in 2018.

The Lions have won four of its past five Thanksgiving Day games. In eight career games on Thanksgiving, Stafford has 2,469 passing yards (308.6 per game), the most on the holiday in league annals, and 17 touchdown passes, the second-most by a quarterback on Thanksgiving Day behind only Tony Romo (18 touchdown passes).

Players with the most career passing yards and touchdown passes on Thanksgiving:

^Pro Football Hall of Famer

Washington (6-4) At Dallas (5-5): The Redskins and Cowboys meet for the 118th time in series history (including the postseason), with Dallas holding a 70-45-2 advantage. Thursday marks the ninth Thanksgiving Day meeting between the two teams, with the Cowboys leading the holiday series 7-1.

​The first meeting between the two teams on Thanksgiving was played at the Cotton Bowl on November 28, 1968. Cowboys running backs Don Perkins and Craig Baynham each rushed for a score and rookie defensive lineman Larry Cole had a five-yard interception-return touchdown in Dallas’ 29-20 victory.

Last week, Washington running back Adrian Peterson rushed for two touchdowns and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix tied a career high with 13 tackles and recorded a forced fumble in the Redskins’ loss to Houston. Peterson has 105 career rushing touchdowns and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer John Riggins(104) for the sixth-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. The five players with more career rushing touchdowns are all enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Emmitt Smith (164), La Dainian Tomlinson (145), Marcus Allen (123), Walter Payton (110) and Jim Brown (106).

Washington will make its 11th appearance on Thanksgiving Day and will play on the holiday for the third-consecutive season. Last year, wide receiver Jamison Crowder had 141 receiving yards with a touchdown and linebacker Ryan Kerrigan recorded two sacks in the Redskins’ 20-10 victory over the New York Giants.

In Week 11, Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott totaled 201 scrimmage yards (122 rushing, 79 receiving) and a rushing touchdown and kicker Brett Maher converted the game-winning 42-yard field goal as time expired in the Cowboys’ 22-19 victory over Atlanta. Elliott, who has 4,540 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns in 35 career games, joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (4,731 scrimmage yards, 38 touchdowns) and Edgerrin James (4,842 scrimmage yards, 38 touchdowns) as the only players in NFL history with at least 4,500 scrimmage yards and 30 touchdowns in their first 35 career games in NFL history.

In the last Thanksgiving Day meeting between the teams, Elliott rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns, quarterback Dak Prescott both passed and rushed for a touchdown and linebacker Sean Lee recorded 14 tackles and one tackle for loss in Dallas’ 31-26 victory in 2016.

Atlanta (4-6) At New Orleans (9-1): The Falcons and Saints close out an all-day spread of Thanksgiving football with a meeting of two NFC South rivals. Thursday marks the 100th overall meeting between the two teams (including the postseason), with Atlanta leading the series 52-47. The Falcons will make their third appearance on Thanksgiving and first since 2007, while the Saints will be playing in their second game on the holiday with their only previous appearance coming in 2010.

In Week 3, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees completed 39 of 49 passes (79.6 percent) for 396 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions and rushed for two scores, including a game-tying seven-yard touchdown with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and the game-winning one-yard touchdown in overtime, in the Saints’ 43-37 overtime victory at Atlanta. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw five touchdown passes, including three to rookie wide receiver Calvin Ridley, in the loss.

Atlanta looks to rebound following a Week 11 loss to Dallas. Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones had six catches for 118 yards and a touchdown last week. Jones leads the NFL with 1,158 receiving yards this season and has 46 career games with 100+ receiving yards, the most by a player in his first eight seasons in NFL history. Ryan is averaging 330.6 passing yards per game this season, the highest mark in the NFL, and is the only player in the league averaging 300+ passing yards and completing at least 70 percent of his passes (71.1 percent).

Last week, Brees threw for 363 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 153.2 passer rating in the Saints’ 48-7 victory over Philadelphia. Brees has 23 career games with at least four touchdown passes and zero interceptions, including two this season, surpassing New England’s Tom Brady (22) for the most such games by a quarterback in NFL history. New Orleans, which has won nine consecutive games and sits atop the NFC South with a 9-1 record, has scored at least 40 points in six games this season, the most by a team in its first 10 games of a season in NFL history.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving Holiday from the staff at Ace News Today!

(Source: NFL Communications)

~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter