6:45 AM ET
ESPN staff
The Week 12 NFL schedule for the 2022 season begins with 3 Thanksgiving Day matchups, and we've got you covered with what you request to know. Our NFL Nation reporters bring america the keys to each crippled and a bold prediction for each matchup.
Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a large stat to cognize and a betting nugget for each contest, and our Football Power Index (FPI) goes wrong the numbers with a crippled projection. ESPN researcher Kyle Soppe hands retired adjuvant fantasy football intel arsenic well. Finally, Seth Walder and Eric Moody springiness america last people picks for each 3 contests. Everything you privation to cognize is present successful 1 spot to assistance you get acceptable for a loaded day of NFL football.
Let's get into the afloat Thanksgiving Day slate, including Josh Allen against the Lions and an NFC East matchup betwixt the Giants and Cowboys. The football-packed vacation culminates with a conflict betwixt the Patriots and Vikings. Who volition instrumentality different measurement person to the postseason with a triumph Thursday?
Jump to a matchup:
BUF-DET | NYG-DAL | NE-MIN
Bills (7-3) astatine Lions (4-6)
12:30 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: BUF -9 (54)
What to ticker for: After a 1-6 start, the red-hot Lions are trying to widen a uncommon three-game triumph streak successful their archetypal nationally televised matchup of the season. But the Bills are 1 of the toughest teams successful the league and are already acquainted with Ford Field, having conscionable played successful the Motor City aft a snowstorm forced them to power sites successful Week 11. The vacation showdown could beryllium a shootout with some teams ranked successful the apical six successful points per game, yards per crippled and yards per play done 10 contests. -- Eric Woodyard
Bold prediction: Bills backmost Josh Allen volition person a afloat get-right game, throwing for 300-plus yards and rushing for astatine slightest 50 more. After a bumpy archetypal fractional against the Browns, helium had a beardown second-half show successful the win, completing 81.8% of his passes and throwing for 10.3 yards per attempt. The Lions' defence has allowed the astir yards per crippled (415.9) and per passing effort (8.1) successful the NFL. The Bills' discourtesy began moving successful the close absorption implicit the last 2 quarters Sunday, and playing the Lions volition beryllium a large accidental for a implicit performance. -- Alaina Getzenberg
Stat to know: The Lions are looking for their 3rd consecutive crippled with 30 points, which would beryllium their longest single-season streak since 1997. A large crushed they are piling up points is moving backmost Jamaal Williams, whose 12 rushing TDs this twelvemonth are the astir successful the NFL and the sixth-most successful a azygous play successful franchise history. Williams present has 5 games with aggregate rushing touchdowns successful 2022, tied for the astir successful a play by a Lions subordinate since 1950.
What to cognize for fantasy: Buffalo moving backmost Devin Singletary has reached 15 phantasy points 3 times this season, and 2 of those instances person travel successful the past 2 weeks. He has 133 full rushing yards (66.5 per game) and 3 rushing TDs implicit his past 2 games. See Week 12 rankings.
Betting nugget: Since 2004, Detroit is 3-11 against the dispersed and 0-14 outright arsenic an underdog connected Thanksgiving. Detroit's past upset triumph connected Thanksgiving happened successful 2003 against Green Bay (+7). Read more.
Thanksgiving Day throwback: On Thanksgiving successful 1997, Detroit moving backmost Barry Sanders rushed for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Bears successful a 55-20 triumph for the Lions. Read more.
Moody's pick: Bills 31, Lions 20
Walder's pick: Bills 34, Lions 17
FPI prediction: BUF, 82.7% (by an mean of 11.2 points)
Matchup must-reads: Bills recognition Buffalo assemblage aft win: 'That was for you' ... Williams taking starring relation during Lions' triumph streak
Giants (7-3) astatine Cowboys (7-3)
4:30 p.m. ET | FOX | Spread: DAL -9 (44.5)
What to ticker for: The Cowboys person won 5 consecutive against New York astatine AT&T Stadium and 11 of 12 wide against their NFC East rivals. This volition beryllium the 2 teams' archetypal Thanksgiving gathering since 1992, a 30-3 Dallas win. But the vacation has not been benignant to the Cowboys of late. They person mislaid 3 consecutive Thanksgiving Day games, their longest specified streak since dropping 4 successful a enactment from 1986 to 1989. -- Todd Archer
Bold prediction: Giants moving backmost Saquon Barkley volition unreserved for 140-plus yards to support the crippled close. The shorthanded Giants volition person nary prime but to trust connected Barkley adjacent much than usual. It could enactment against a Dallas defence whose weakness is stopping the run. The Cowboys are ranked 26th successful rushing defence (136.1 yards against per game), and Barkley already has 2 games with 30 oregon much carries and 140-plus yards. Make it three. -- Jordan Raanan
Stat to know: No backmost throws touchdowns astatine a higher complaint against the blitz since the commencement of past play than the Cowboys' Dak Prescott (11.4%). He has thrown 25 specified touchdowns successful that timeframe, astir successful the NFL. That could beryllium an contented for New York connected Thursday. The Giants bring the blitz astatine the NFL's highest complaint (43%).
What to cognize for fantasy: Dallas moving backmost Tony Pollard has gained 464 yards connected his 61 touches implicit the past 3 games, portion backfield mate Ezekiel Elliott has picked up 241 yards connected his past 61 touches. Pollard besides has six scrimmage touchdowns since Week 8, tied for the astir successful the NFL implicit that span with Jamaal Williams. His 4 consecutive games with 100 yards from scrimmage is besides the longest progressive streak successful the league. See Week 12 rankings.
1:50
Stephania Bell and Field Yates interruption down the phantasy outputs of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott.
Betting nugget: Since 2020, New York is 7-0 against the dispersed successful short-rest games -- and each person been with Daniel Jones arsenic its starting quarterback. Read more.
Thanksgiving Day throwback: In 1982, Giants antiaircraft extremity Lawrence Taylor intercepted Lions backmost Gary Danielson successful the 4th fourth and took it backmost 97 yards to the location for the go-ahead -- and eventual game-winning -- touchdown. Read more.
Moody's pick: Cowboys 28, Giants 21
Walder's pick: Cowboys 24, Giants 20
FPI prediction: DAL, 87.2% (by an mean of 13.6 points)
Matchup must-reads: What does Jones request to beryllium to beryllium portion of the Giants' future? ... Where bash Cowboys' Elliott, Pollard fertile among elite RB duos? ... Were the Giants exposed successful Week 11? ... Giants WR Robinson retired for play with torn ACL ... What's Chef Hoppie cooking up for Cowboys' stars connected Thanksgiving
Patriots (6-4) astatine Vikings (8-2)
8:20 p.m. ET | NBC | Spread: MIN -2.5 (42)
What to ticker for: The Patriots person had their mode with Vikings backmost Kirk Cousins successful 2 matchups against him, beating his teams some times and holding him to an mean of 5.0 yards per effort -- his lowest against immoderate squad helium has faced successful aggregate games. This season, the Patriots are fielding the benignant of defence that gives him trouble, too. They're generating unit connected 34% of opponents' dropbacks, the third-highest complaint successful the NFL. The Vikings volition beryllium playing without standout near tackle Christian Darrisaw (concussion), and Cousins' QBR has dropped 60 points erstwhile nether unit successful 2022. -- Kevin Seifert
Bold prediction: Quarterback Mac Jones and the Patriots' struggling reddish portion discourtesy -- which ranks 31st successful the NFL successful presumption of TD percent (12 successful 28 trips, 42.9%) -- volition interruption retired of a slump and people doubly from wrong the 20-yard line. That is an country wherever the Vikings person struggled to defend, arsenic they fertile past successful the NFL successful opponents' touchdown percent (20 TDs against successful 28 trips, 71.4%). -- Mike Reiss
Stat to know: The Patriots person allowed 17 oregon less points successful each six of their wins this play (0-4 erstwhile allowing much than 17 points), and they've present gone 2 consecutive games without allowing a touchdown. New England has gone 3 consecutive without a TD against erstwhile earlier successful franchise past (2018-2019), and the Vikings failed to people a touchdown successful Week 11 for the archetypal clip successful their past 93 games.
What to cognize for fantasy: Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson managed conscionable 6.3 phantasy points past week successful the blowout nonaccomplishment to the Cowboys aft clearing 15 successful each of his six anterior games. The past clip helium failed to drawback 5 passes successful a crippled was Week 3, and helium followed that dud up with consecutive double-digit drawback efforts. See Week 12 rankings.
Betting nugget: Minnesota (4-5-1 ATS) and Kansas City (4-6 ATS) are the 3rd and 4th teams successful the past 20 seasons to commencement 8-2 oregon amended outright but person losing records against the dispersed (2018 Rams, 2012 Ravens). Read more.
Thanksgiving Day throwback: In 1998, Vikings receiver Randy Moss caught 3 passes for 163 yards against the Cowboys -- and each 3 went for touchdowns. Read more.
Moody's pick: Vikings 24, Patriots 14
Walder's pick: Vikings 27, Patriots 19
FPI prediction: MIN, 62.6% (by an mean of 3.7 points)
Matchup must-reads: Patriots' punt instrumentality TD with seconds remaining stuns Jets ... After 1 of the worst losses ever for an 8-1 team, the Vikings' communicative shifts again ... Patriots anticipation to 'flip the switch' successful reddish portion and people much TDs ... Jefferson, Vikings look to regroup aft 'embarrassing' loss
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