Thanksgiving and professional football have gone hand-in-hand since 1920 when the Chicago Tigers and Decatur Staleys – who you might know better as the team that became the Chicago Bears in 1921 – squared off in a barn-burner. Dutch Sternaman kicked field goals of unknown distances in the third and fourth quarters in a 6-0 win for the Staleys.
Seriously, Pro Football Reference has the box score right here.
Fast forward to 2017 where Turkey Day and the NFL go hand-in-hand-in-hand … at least, they have since 2006 when the league started playing three games on this day.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Here’s to consuming all the turkey, sides, desserts, and football your heart (and stomach) desires.
Game Info
- Minnesota Vikings (8-2) at Detroit Lions (6-4) – 11:30 a.m., FOX
- Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) at Dallas Cowboys (5-5) – 3:30 p.m., CBS
- New York Giants (2-8) at Washington Redskins (4-6) – 7:30 p.m., NBC
Odds
- Vikings -2.5, Over/Under 44.5
- Chargers -2, Over/Under 47.5
- Redskins -7, Over/Under 45
Game Thread
Your game thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun. It’s Thanksgiving, after all.
Coaches
- Vikings Mike Zimmer (34-24) versus Lions Jim Caldwell (59-47 overall, 33-25 with Detroit)
- Chargers Anthony Lynn (4-6) versus Cowboys Jason Garrett (63-51)
- Giants Ben McAdoo (13-13) versus Redskins Jay Gruden (25-32-1)
Key Players – Vikings at Lions
MIN QB Case Keenum – 2,194 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 93.7 passer rating
MIN RB Latavius Murray – 412 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns
MIN WR Adam Thielen – 62 catches, 916 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
MIN FS Harrison Smith – 3 interceptions, 1.5 sacks, 8 passes defended
MIN K Kai Forbath – 23 field goals made, 26 attempts (88.5%)
DET QB Matthew Stafford – 2,760 yards, 19 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 98.4 passer rating
DET RB Ameer Abdullah – 491 rushing yards, 4 total touchdowns
DET WR Golden Tate – 59 catches, 691 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
DET CB Darius Slay – 4 interceptions, 15 passes defended
DET K Matt Prater – 21 field goals made, 24 attempts (87.5%)
Key Players – Chargers at Cowboys
LAC QB Philip Rivers – 2,514 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 89.6 passer rating
LAC RB Melvin Gordon – 633 rushing yards, 9 total touchdowns
LAC WR Keenan Allen – 56 catches, 755 yards, 3 touchdowns
LAC DE Joey Bosa – 10.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
LAC DE/OLB Melvin Ingram – 8.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 recovered fumbles, 1 touchdown
DAL QB Dak Prescott – 2,139 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 89.8
DAL RB Alfred Morris – 260 yards, 0 touchdowns
DAL WR Dez Bryant – 50 catches, 541 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns
DAL TE Jason Witten – 43 catches, 485 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
DAL DE Demarcus Lawrence – 11.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 recovered fumbles
Key Players – Giants at Redskins
NYG QB Eli Manning – 2,298 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 87.0 rating
NYG RB Orleans Darkwa – 489 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns
NYG TE Evan Engram – 41 catches, 452 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns
NYG WR Sterling Shepard – 38 catches, 475 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
NYG DE Jason Pierre-Paul – 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
NYG CB Janoris Jenkins – 2 interceptions 1 touchdown
WAS QB Kirk Cousins – 2,796 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 101.8 rating
WAS RB Samaje Perine – 327 rushing yards, 2 total touchdowns
WAS WR Jamison Crowder – 39 catches, 420 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns
WAS TE Vernon Davis – 33 catches, 527 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
WAS LB Ryan Kerrigan – 7 sacks, 1 interception, 1 touchdown, 2 forced fumbles
WAS FS D.J. Swearinger – 3 interceptions, 7 passes defended, 1 sack
NEWSLETTER
