NFL Week 13 picks: Colts, Broncos, and Seahawks
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his best bets for NFL Week 13 games, including Thursday’s Thanksgiving slate.
Lorenzo’s Locks
Thanksgiving is here in all its glory. Football. Turkey. Football. Apple pie. Football. Family. Football. Stuffing. And, oh, football.
The NFL is back on Turkey Day with a trio of Thanksgiving games. First up: The Detroit Lions defend home turf against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears as their quest for that elusive Super Bowl victory continues. Detroit has morphed into an unstoppable football machine, only fitting of the “Motor City.”
NFC East opponents meet in the late afternoon slot in a quarterback matchup no one quite expected: Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys welcome in Drew Lock and the New York Giants. The Cowboys are all but out of playoff contention, but they have an opportunity to stick it to the longtime rival Giants and Lock, who will be filling in for an injured Tommy DeVito.
For dessert, the hot Miami Dolphins offense travels to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. Frozen might be an understatement: The temperatures for the matchup are expected to be below freezing at kickoff, meaning Mother Nature might be the third opponent for the matchup.
However you slice it (or the turkey), Thanksgiving should be a doozy once again. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the three Thanksgiving Day matchups below.
Jayden Reed catches second touchdown from Jordan Love
The Packers offense stays hot on a third-and-2. Jordan Love dumped a pass off to Jayden Reed and the second-year receiver wove his way through a few Dolphins receivers to log a 12-yard score.
Brandon McManus converts the extra point to give the Packers a 21-3 lead with 1:36 left in the first half. Reed now has two catches thus far, both for touchdowns.
The Dolphins went backwards after getting a goal-to-go opportunity, so they had to settle for a 33-yard field goal. Jason Sanders made it with ease to get Miami on the board and cut Green Bay’s lead to 14-3.
The Packers are imposing their will on the Dolphins early. Josh Jacobs got back-to-back carries in goal-to-go situations. On the first, he pushed a pile of Dolphins defenders 6 yards to get to the 1-yard line. On the next play, he punched it into the end zone.
Brandon McManus converted on the extra point again to give the Packers a 14-0 lead. Green Bay has 50 rushing yards in the first quarter compared to negative-1 for Miami.
The Packers capitalize on the Dolphins’ fumble. After two Josh Jacobs runs, Jordan Love found Jayden Reed breaking out toward the front pylon on an out route. The quarterback perfectly placed the ball in front of the receiver, preventing defensive back Storm Duck from knocking it down.
New York gets back on the board with 47-yard FG
The Giants opened the fourth quarter with 2nd-and-5 from the Dallas 25 but Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons got his second sack of the game. New York couldn’t overcome that setback and had to settle for a field goal. Graham Gano knocked through his second field goal of the game from 47 yards out to cut the deficit to 27-13 with 13:34 to go in the game.
Rico Dowdle scores his first rushing TD of the year
Dallas’ running back punched it in from four yards out to cap off a nine-play, 70-yard drive that took just under five minutes off the clock. Brandon Aubrey hits the extra point and the Cowboys extend their lead to 27-10 with 4:23 to go in the third quarter.
Cooper Rush throws TD to Brandin Cooks
After recovering a Drew Lock fumble, Dallas drove down to the Giants’ 2-yard line after a near-fumble by quarterback Cooper Rush on a scramble. Rush found Cooks in the left side of the end zone for the Cowboys’ first touchdown on offense of the day. Brandon Aubrey’s extra point is good and they take their largest lead of the game, 20-10, with 11:37 left in the third quarter.
Dallas’ linebacker was blitzing and blew up a block by New York’s Devin Singletary. He tipped Drew Lock’s pass to himself and ran 23 yards to the end zone. Brandon Aubrey’s extra point is good and the Cowboys take a 13-7 lead with 11:29 left in the first half.
After a Drew Lock scramble brought the Giants down to the Dallas’ 1-yard line, rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. punched it in. Graham Gano’s extra point is good and the Giants have a 7-3 lead with 3:06 left in the first quarter.
New York got multiple key conversions on the drive. Tracy Jr.’s six-yard run moved the chains on 4th-and-1 and Devin Singletary converted a 3rd-and-1 at the Dallas 35. Lock’s run on 3rd-and-6 from the Dallas 29 brought New York down to the goal line.
With that touchdown, the Giants are leading a game for the first time since Week 5.
Keenan Allen is hungry for points.
The Bears receiver gobbled up his second touchdown grab of the day. Chicago is now 2 for 2 on touchdown drives in the second half and pulls to within 10 points of tying the game.
Hurdles are failed more often than they are successful in the NFL. Jameson Williams hit a successful leap over Bears safety Kevin Byard III on Thanksgiving, getting way up on the attempt and getting extra yards.
Seconds, anyone?
Tight end Sam LaPorta is coming alive in the Thanksgiving matchup, scoring a second touchdown from Jared Goff on a play action pass.
The Bears look like a different team coming out of the locker room. After a first half that saw just a few first downs from the Bears offense, they scored on their first drive, a Caleb Williams touchdown pass to Keenan Allen.
The throw came a play after Williams took an ugly hit to his lower half. Lions 16, Bears 7
The Lions are without star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the season, but his presence is still felt.
On Thursday, Hutchinson was taking in the game from a luxury box, and he, along with the rest of the visitors in the suite, were all wearing very festive turkey hats.
It was all Lions early in their matchup with the Bears.
Sam LaPorta put snagged a touchdown pass from Jared Goff at 14:55 in the second quarter, giving the Lions a 10-point lead early on. It’s LaPorta’s fourth TD reception of the season.
A methodical first drive for the Lions that had plenty of promise ended in a 30-yard Jake Bates field goal.
The Lions didn’t have much issue moving the ball on the first drive, potentially signaling some level of danger for the Bears. Lions 3, Bears 0
Yes, you read that right.
Offensive tackle Penei Sewell lined up at slot receiver, took an end-around handoff and looked to pass downfield. Again, you read that right. Instead, Sewell didn’t like his options, and would be sacked. No easy task for the Bears defense to bring down the big man.
NFL Thanksgiving TV schedule
There are three games scheduled for kickoff on Thanksgiving, bringing you all the way from charcuterie boards to dessert:
- 12:30 p.m. ET: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions (CBS)
- 4:30 p.m. ET: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys (Fox)
- 8:20 p.m. ET: Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers (NBC)
Bears: 20Lions: 23
Giants: 20Cowboys: 27
Dolphins: 3Packers: 24