Thanksgiving Day football is always the best time of the season. Waking up on Thursday morning, the only thing that matters to me is eating a bunch of delicious food and watching football. Since I have been alive, I have had a love-hate relationship with the holiday.
The days can be filled with many mixed emotions. On one hand, a combo of Thanksgiving food and a Cowboys win makes for an enjoyable day of festivities. However, in recent memory I have been eating a lot more homemade apple pie to cope with the Cowboy losses. In the last ten Cowboy Thanksgiving games, we have only won four. A game against the Commanders this time around should make for one of the more enjoyable days in recent history.
This week’s Michelin Star Player of the Week is Russell Wilson. When the Broncos needed plays from their stars last week versus the Vikings, Russell Wilson stepped up and delivered. In the final minutes of the game, Mr. Unlimited took his team on a 75-yard drive and delivered his infamous moon ball in the back of the end zone to Courtland Sutton for a game-winning touchdown. Don’t look now, but the Denver Broncos have just won four straight, with Wilson playing some of his best ball we have seen from him in a Broncos uniform. Sitting at 5-5 right now, the conversation has shifted from Caleb Williams number one overall talk to a potential playoff berth. Only time will tell, but for now, the Broncos are riding.
The waiter has arrived, what’s first on the menu?
First Course | Green Bay Packers (4-6) vs. Detroit Lions (8-2), 9:30 a.m. PST, FOX
The Detroit Lions have been the most surprising team so far this season. Dan Campbell has implemented a culture within the team that makes each player play for one another. This type of culture has shown up on the field, and is partially responsible for their best start since 1962.
Quarterback Jared Goff has improved medially from his Ram days to where he is now, being a lot more of a confident passer. The Lions are less one-dimensional now, and now have the ability to beat you with both the rushing and passing game, a trend I see continuing with Goff picking apart the Packers’ secondary, and David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs causing problems on the ground against a 28th-ranked rush defense.
I have already said it a few times in this column, but the Packers have done nothing to help the young gunslinger Jordan Love. There has been no sort of run game to complement a passing game, and in large part because running back Aaron Jones has not been able to stay on the field. The hangover of losing Aaron Rodgers this offseason has hit them hard.
In a game where the Packers are very much an underdog, I want to see Jordan Love just have fun and let loose. A quarterback who is too much in his head is never a good sight.
Stuffing — David Montgomery, Lions running back — Montgomery is an old fashioned back with the way he uses his power. What sticks out most about his game is how he never stops turning his legs. It’s not a common trait in all running backs, making him a hard target to get to the ground.
Dessert — IT’S NOT THE SAME OLD LIONS. In the 22nd Thanksgiving meeting between the Lions and Packers, this should be an appetizer for what is to come. The Lions had the Packers number the first meeting of the season in a 14-point win. And now being a home game in Detroit, I think the Lions should handle business early on.
Second Course | Washington Commanders (4-7) vs. Dallas Cowboys (7-3), 1:30 p.m. PST, CBS
In the last two weeks we have seen both teams play the struggling New York Giants. On one hand, the Cowboys took care of business early on, running away with a 43-17 victory. Yet on the other hand, the Giants’ new starting quarterback Tommy DeVito looked like a completely different player versus the Commanders. What seemed like a cakewalk for the Commanders was suddenly turned into trying to find offense. They would end up falling 31-19 to the G-Men. These two games say a lot about what is going to conspire on Thursday.
The Dallas Cowboys, and more specifically Dak Prescott, have looked completely different since their week five loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The realization from the coaching staff of getting the ball to the playmakers has worked exceptionally well. The Prescott-Lamb connection has been on fire, and in the last five games Prescott has a 14:2 touchdown to interception ratio. The only question is, will the Cowboys overthink things?
Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has shined in moments this season, and showcased the big arm that he possesses. However, the 12 interceptions are a problem, and have unfortunately cost the team some possible wins this season. Against an aggressive Dallas defense, the main key for Howell and the offense will be protecting the ball. Keeping Prescott and the Cowboys offense on the sideline is critical to having a chance in this game.
Mashed Potatoes — Daron Bland, Cowboy’s cornerback — If you don’t know the name, I would start Googling. The fifth-round draft pick from 2022 has shined with every opportunity he has gotten. With his fourth interception returned for a touchdown of the season last week versus the Panthers, he is now tied for most in an NFL season. Will a day of thanks and turkey be a moment in history for the young star?
Dessert — HOW BOUT THEM BOYS. The Dallas Cowboys will dominate this game, in all three phases. Prescott is cooking, and the defense is ready to feast on Thursday.
Third Course | Seattle Seahawks (6-4) vs. San Francisco 49ers (7-3), 5:20 p.m PST, NBC
A divisional matchup is a great way to end the day of festivities. After taking down a pound of turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole, grab some apple pie and turn on NBC to finish your night.
After a rough slide of three straight losses, the 49ers have responded with two double-digit wins in the last two weeks. Purdy appears back in form, and the team is getting significantly healthier. The 49ers at any time have the ability to be explosive with the plethora of weapons on the offense, and for the Seahawks, that means trouble.
The Seahawks are going to want to be smart with how they roll out their players on Thursday night. While it is a divisional game, putting out hurt players like Geno Smith and Kenneth Walker could be detrimental. In a short week, it’s not worth risking a season like the Bengals did with Joe Burrow last Thursday.
Cranberry Sauce — Devon Witherspoon, Seahawks cornerback — I was shocked when the Seahawks pulled the trigger at five in this year’s draft to select Witherspoon. However, the first-round pick has silenced the critics, including myself, with his play this season. He excels in pass coverage, with unique traits as a downhill tackler at the cornerback position.
Dessert — BANG BANG NINER GANG. The 49ers are the better team, Levi Stadium is going to be rocking, and that energy is going to feed into a huge team win for the 49ers.
While football is on and the festivities are around the hour, Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for what we have. Final projects and exams may feel like the antithesis of our existence right now, but take a moment to enjoy this time with family and friends. The work can wait a second, but memories with others can’t. I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with many laughs and great eats, while you kick back and enjoy some NFL football on turkey day. Happy Thanksgiving!
Last week’s record: 1-2
Overall record: 11-13
Recipe of the week
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to give you guys a special recipe from the family tree. This recipe is brought to you by my cousin Ally Bailey of Denver, Colo. Personally, my favorite dish on a Thanksgiving table is stuffing because of how versatile it is. In pretty much any combination of Thanksgiving food you could put on your plate, stuffing is a must.
Ingredients
Bread: Start out by toasting 3-4 small loaves of bread to make it nice and crunchy, and then cut it up into 1/2-3/4″ squares and leave it out for an hour or more.
Onions: yellow onions, 3-4 large, chopped into 1/2″ pieces.
Celery: 1 large bunch, cleaned and chopped into 1/2″ slices.
Parsley: fresh, 2 bunches, chopped semi finely.
4 cups water and 1-2 sticks of butter heating on the stove.
Other spices: add fresh sage, rosemary, thyme. At least 3-5 T each. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Other choice items: toasted pine nuts (2 cups), dried cranberries (2 cups).
Directions
1. Combine all together (hands work well) in a very large pan. Add more water, as needed, for desired wetness. Taste often. Add more of anything you want!
2. Divide into several smaller casserole dishes and bake in a 375° oven. You can bake covered (more uniformly moist) or a combo. I prefer to bake covered for about 30 min, then uncovered for 20-30 min more (crunchy and golden on top).
Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!