NFL Thanksgiving Day Preview and Picks

NFL Thanksgiving Day Preview: Bears vs Lions, Eagles vs Cowboys, Seahawks vs 49ers

NFL games on Thanksgiving Day have become tradition, just as much as eating turkey. With three big games on the table this holiday, we preview all of them so you know which ones are okay to dose-off on.

by +Rodney Fisher

Chicago Bears (5-6) vs Detroit Lions (7-4)

Megatron will be ready to help get the Lions' offense
back on track.

For the Detroit Lions, playing a divisional opponent on Thanksgiving is tradition. This will be their first time hosting the Lions since 1999, a loss 21-17. The Lions lost nine straight Thanksgiving games until last year when they torched the Green Bay Packers 40-10.

The Lions are only one game out of first place in the NFC North, but have not scored a touchdown since November 9th. They have only scored five field goals in back-to-back road losses to Green Bay and New England. For a team that has the offensive firepower they have there is no excuse to perform so poorly. Injuries to "Megatron" Calvin Johnson, Reggie Bush, and Joique Bell are not the only reason. Matthew Stafford, mister 300 yards, has thrown six interceptions in the last five games.

The Detroit defense has been one of the best this season, but with no offense to put up points they have no support after getting three-and-out's.

The Bears have won back-to-back games over teams with losing records. Their offense has stuttered at times similar to Detroit. They defense has seen better days also, and might be without Lance Briggs and cornerback Kyle Fuller. In the last six games, the Bears have been outscored 41-0 in the first quarter. They will need to score early to put the pressure on Detroit to catch-up.

Both teams have big play ability and what's an NFL game on Thanksgiving without big plays. The Lions will figure out a way to score touchdowns again and Golden Tate will be the key.

Lions Win, 24-17

Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) vs Dallas Cowboys (8-3)

No doubt, this is the biggest matchup of the day. This will be the first of two games in three weeks between these two teams. The winner today will have possession of first place in the NFC East.

The Eagles new quarterback Mark Sanchez had his third consecutive 300-yard passing performance in the 43-24 win over Tennessee last week. LeSean McCoy had his best game of the season with 130-yards rushing. The team, however, has not been very good on the road (2-3). In a divisional game for first place, records and stats don't really matter. This will be personal for the Eagles to play hard.

Tony Romo has thrown 7 TDs, 0 Ints in the
 last two games.

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has been on fire since missing one game due to re-injury of his surgically
repaired back. He has thrown for seven touchdowns and no interceptions in the last two games including the winning TD to rally and beat the New York Giants late Sunday. DeMarco Murray had his 10th game rushing for over 100-yards.

The Cowboys defense has been "bend-and-not-break" this season. This will be big test going against the high-powered, fast offense that the Eagles with head coach Chip Kelly.

The Eagles are 5-0 on Thanksgiving, while the Cowboys have won two consecutive on the holiday. Dallas has been a better road team than a home team, plus the crowd in AT&T Stadium is expected to be split 50/50. The Cowboys will pull away late to get the win after a Mark Sanchez turnover leading to a Dan Bailey field goal.

Cowboys Win, 27-24

Seattle Seahawks (7-4) vs San Francisco 49ers (7-4)

The last time these two teams meet the Seahawks moved on the win the Super Bowl, Richard Sherman told the world what he thought about Michael Crabtree, and Navarro Bowman was injured for the year. Now when they meet, making it to the postseason will be on the line. Like the Cowboys vs Eagles, this will be the first of two matchups in three weeks.

Volatile rematch between Michael Crabtree and
Richard Sherman is set for Thanksgiving.

"It's in the past", said 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick when asked about that game. The present game will be a bigger test for the young QB due to his offense's lack of cohesiveness this season. He has a 1-3 record as a starter against the divisional foe. Expect running back Frank Gore to get the majority of the carries over Carlos Hyde. He has performed better at home, averaging 7.3 yards per carry when facing the Seahawks.

The 49ers defense got a huge boost last Sunday with the return of defensive end Aldon Smith. He had two sacks against the Washington Redskins in the 17-13 victory. He has been a disruptive force against the Seahawks pressuring Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks will welcome back linebacker Bobby Wagner after missing five games due to injury. Their secondary has not been the "Legion of Boom" of last season, but safety Earl Thomas feels that they will return in full force for this game.

Russell Wilson and the offense will rely heavily on the running power of Marshawn Lynch. In his last two games at San Francisco he has rushed for 175-yards.

This will be another brawl. The Seahawks will squeak out a tough victory in a low scoring game.

Seahawks win, 17-13