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Santiago Leon and Dan Madden preview the 2023 #NFL Thanksgiving Games.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Dan Madden – @danimal2478
Panthers fire Frank Reich
Frank Reich was fired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers on Monday. The firing came after the team’s 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Reich’s record with the Panthers was 1-10, including 0-6 on the road.
The Panthers have an NFL-worst 1-10 record and are assured of a sixth straight losing season since owner David Tepper purchased the team in 2018 for $2.275 billion.
The Panthers on Sunday scored 15 or fewer points for the fifth straight week and for the seventh time in 11 games. Quarterback Bryce Young, , the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft that Carolina traded two first-round picks and star wide receiver DJ Moore to get, ranks last in the NFL in Total QBR.
Week 12 Recap
Packers 29, Lions 22
The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions 29–22 on Thanksgiving Day. The Packers were the better team throughout the game.
Jordan Love set the tone with a 53-yard pass to Christian Watson on the game’s first play and finished with a career-high-tying three touchdowns, leading Green Bay to a 29-22 win over the NFC North-leading Lions on Thursday.
The Packers (5-6) were in control of a game they never trailed, taking advantage of Jared Goff’s career-high three fumbles — returning one for a score in the first quarter — and Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness on fourth down.
The Lions (8-3) went for it five times on fourth down and only converted once on the final touchdown drive. One of the failed attempts was a risky decision to fake a punt with a run from their 23 in the third quarter down by nine points.
Goff pulled Detroit within seven points with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds and 2-point conversion pass to Sam La Porta with 41 seconds left, but couldn’t get closer four days after rallying from a 12-point deficit in the last few minutes in a comeback win over Chicago.
Love was 22 of 32 for 268 yards with three touchdowns, including two in the first quarter to rookies Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft. He had a career-long 37-yard run on a read-option play on third down late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Goff finished 29 of 44 for 332 yards with two touchdowns, including one on a 7-yard pass to LaPorta on the Lions’ first drive.
WAS 10 DAL 45
DaRon Bland set an NFL record with his fifth interception return for a touchdown this season, and the Cowboys extended their longest home winning streak in 42 years to 13 by pulling away for a 45-10 victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday.
Sam Howell threw for 300 yards and had a rushing touchdown, but was sacked at his 24-yard line on fourth down early in the fourth quarter, setting up CeeDee Lamb’s touchdown and 2-point conversion catches for a 21-point Dallas lead.
Prescott threw for 331 yards in his fifth consecutive game with at least two TD passes, one shy of his career best. Rico Dowdle, Brandin Cooks and KaVontae Turpin had the other scoring grabs.
Dallas is now within five games of the 18-game winning streak at old Texas Stadium from 1979-81, when the Cowboys were in middle of an NFL-record run of 20 consecutive winning seasons.
SF 31 SEA 13
Christian McCaffrey rushed for 114 yards and two scores in the first half, and the 49ers built a 21-point lead by halftime in rolling to a 31-13 victory over the Seahawks on Thursday night.
The 49ers (8-3) won their fourth straight against their division rivals and have a two-game lead in the NFC West over Seattle. San Francisco won its third in a row overall following a three-game losing streak and picked up its 10th consecutive victory against a division opponent.
Deebo Samuel ran for a 2-yard touchdown on San Francisco’s opening possession and Brock Purdy completed 15 of 20 passes in a nearly flawless first half for the 49ers.
Purdy finished 21 of 30 for 209 yards, and while he didn’t have the perfect passer rating he did last week against Tampa Bay, he outplayed the quarterback on the other side.
Smith was 18 of 27 for 180 yards. He was sacked six times, threw an interception in the first half and nearly had a few more throws picked off. The Seahawks’ first five possessions gained 15 total yards, and when Seattle tried to rally in the second half, Smith took a couple of untimely sacks.
MIA 34 NYJ 13
The Miami Dolphins defeated the New York Jets 34-13 in the NFL’s first Black Friday game. The Dolphins improved to 8-3 and hold the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
Jevon Holland returned an intercepted first-half Hail Mary attempt 99 yards for a score.
The Dolphins logged 7.0 sacks.
Touchdowns: Raheem Mostert ran for two touchdowns.
IND 27 TB 20
Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans had two scores.
Colts offense: Taylor ran for two scores, and Minshew added another. Gardner Minshew completed 24 of 41 passes for 251 yards with one interception. Michael Pittman Jr. had 10 catches for 107 yards.
Colts defense: The Colts forced the Buccaneers to go three-and-out on four of their 10 drives. They had a combined six sacks and nine quarterback hits.
NE 7 NYG 10
The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 10-7 on Sunday, November 26, 2023.
The Giants’ defense intercepted the Patriots’ quarterbacks three times.
Xavier McKinney’s interception set up Randy Bullock’s 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
New England kicker Chad Ryland missed a 35-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds.
The loss dropped the Patriots to 2-9 on the year.
PIT 16 CIN 10
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10. The Steelers’ win moved them to 7-4 on the year.
- Kenny Pickett: Threw for a season-high 278 yards
- Freiermuth: Caught nine passes for 120 yards, his first career 100-yard game
- Najee Harris: Punched it in to give the Steelers a 10-7 lead
The Bengals were playing without their star quarterback, Joe Burrow.
CAR 10 TEN 17
The Tennessee Titans beat the Carolina Panthers 17-10 in Week 12 of the NFL season. The Titans’ win snapped a three-game losing streak and Panther fire coach Frank Riech.
The Panthers were 6-16 on third downs and 2-3 on fourth downs.
The Panthers’ offensive line allowed four sacks and nearly 20 pressures.
JAX 24 HOU 21
The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Houston Texans 24-21 in a Week 12 game. The Jaguars improved to 8-3, while the Texans fell to 6-5.
- Trevor Lawrence: Threw for 364 yards and a touchdown
- Matt Ammendola: Missed two field goals, including a 58-yard attempt that bounced off the crossbar with 34 seconds left
- C.J. Stroud: Completed 8 of 9 passes for 108 yards to start drives
The Jaguars’ win put them two games ahead of the Texans in the AFC South.
NO 15 ATL 24
The Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 24-15 in Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season. The Falcons are now tied for first place in the NFC South with a 5-6 record. The Saints lost multiple players to injury and fell to 5-6.
- Falcons kicker: Younghoe Koo made his first field goal within the final two minutes. He was also successful from 39 yards out.
- Grupe: Attempted a 54-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining, but missed.
- Ridder: Overcame two interceptions to lead the Falcons past the Saints.
LAR 37 AZ 14
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals 37-14 on Sunday, November 26, 2023. The Rams’ defense played well, and quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdown passes, two each to Tyler Higbee and Kyren Williams. Stafford also threw for 229 yards.
- Kyler Murray: Ran for a touchdown and threw for a score. Murray had 256 yards on 27-of-45 passing.
- James Conner: Led the Cardinals in rushing with 27 yards.
- Gary and Kendrick: Intercepted a pass.
CLE 12 DEN 29
The Denver Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns 29-12. The Broncos’ win extended their winning streak to five games.
- Russell Wilson: Made plays at key moments against one of the NFL’s top defenses
- Browns fumble: The Broncos added a field goal after another Browns fumble to extend their lead to 27-12
- Safety: The Broncos’ defense recorded a safety to secure the victory
- Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto: The defensive end and outside linebacker recorded a sack for a safety to extend the Broncos’ lead
The Broncos’ next game is against the Houston Texans in Week 13.
BUF 34 PHI 37
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-34 in overtime on Sunday.
- Josh Allen: Completed 29 of 51 passes for 339 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception
- Buffalo: Outgained the Eagles 276-99 in total yards over the first two quarters
KC 31 LV 17
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 31-17 in a divisional game on Sunday. The Chiefs rallied from an early 14-point deficit to win their sixth straight game against the Raiders. The Chiefs’ record now stands at 8-3, while the Raiders drop to 5-7.
The Chiefs’ touchdowns were scored by:
- Pacheco: 1-yard run
- Mahomes: 3-yard pass to Justin Watson
- Pacheco: 1-yard run
The Chiefs’ touchdowns came in the second quarter: - Pacheco: 1-yard run
- Mahomes: 3-yard pass to Justin Watson
- Pacheco: 1-yard run
The Raiders’ early lead was reminiscent of their 2022 games.
BAL 20 LAC 10
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 20-10 in Week 12 of the NFL season.
- Ravens forced turnovers The Ravens forced four turnovers, including a turnover on downs with less than a minute left in the game.
- Flowers scores Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers caught a touchdown and ran for a 37-yard touchdown to seal the game.
- Ravens pass rush The Ravens’ pass rush pressured the Chargers’ offensive line, allowing three sacks, nine quarterback hits, and 14 pressures.
Predictions
CHI-MIN
DM: MIN
Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.