New England still does not have ownership. The Lions were edged, 18-17, by the Miami Dolphins last week putting their season in serious jeopardy.

   Final Analysis: Lions should win this one.  NO LINE

TENNESSEE TITANS (6-4) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (6-4)

   Big Time Turkey Day Matchup: Titans Off Bye Week and Big W Over Eagles. Cowboys Coming Off Rout By Rival Washington

   Final Analysis: Hard to see a way Dallas can win this game. While Pavia has played well, he is not in the same class as Ward right now. Add in the fact the Cowboys cannot get anything going on the ground and it's easy to see how the Titans should cruise here. Tennessee 32-22.

 8:00 PM-LOS ANGELES RAMS (0-11) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-7)

Niners' Slide Has Club On Verge Of Missing Post-Season

   HB Jerimayah Love and LB Kyle Louis have been two of footballs' best rising young stars as rookies for the Rams this season. Unfortunately, the rest of the team has not come along for the ride and top pick rookie QB Fernando Mendoza has had, well, a rookie season. The Niners looked as if they might be the real deal early on in the year, but have come crashing back to earth and, now, are not likely going to be repeat playoff participants barring a major turnaround and some help.

   Final Analysis: Not much to write home about in this one, but the Niners can keep their playoff hopes alive with a win. San Francisc0 31-17. 

1:00 PM-WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (7-3) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (6-4)

DC Bunch Hungry For More After Dallas Demolition. Eagles In Pressure Cooker

    Anyone who thought the success of the Washington Commanders was a mirage was sadly mistaken. The Dallas Cowboys got a front row seat to exactly how good they are as the Commanders annhilated them, 48-30, last week in Big D! Washington ran rough shod on the Pokes to the tune of 284 yards on the ground, while the defense, led by rookie MLB Sonny Styles, reeked havoc. Washington would sack Dallas' QB Diego Pavia a season high 5 times (one resulting in a touchdown as Styles scooped up a sack/fumble and rolled in from 19 yards out) and intercepted him twice (once in the endzone) to quash any hopes the Cowboys may have had. Philadelphia, meanwhile, was able to snap a two game skid (and three of last four) via their second sim win in five weeks. 

      1:00 PM-LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (6-4) AT NEW YORK JETS (9-1)

Vegas Back in Control in AFC West. Jets Not As Dominant As Last Season, But Still Flying High In AFC

    The recent losses by the LA Chargers opened the door for the Vegas Raiders to step through and regain control of the division. They are coming off their bye week and are on a three game winning streak in which they have scored 30+ points in each of the wins after eclipsing that plateau just once in their first six games. The league's top rusher, Ashton Jeanty, has found his stride rushing for 453 yards (151 YPG) during the three game span. His running has helped the passing game as well with QB Dante Moore coming off his best game of the year in which he threw for 322 yards and 5 touchdowns! New York has, quite simply, not been nearly as prolific as their championship season of a year ago. Nonetheless, the unit  has the second best record in the AFC and just posted their highest offensive output of the year in their, 45-31, win last week over the Buffalo Bills. QB Justin Fields looked every bit a player within coach Mike Kleinknecht's offense throwing 6 touchdown passes.

   Final Analysis: Like a few other teams this year, it seems the Jets may have been playing a bit of possum with the league. Their offense had been struggling a bit this year until last week's explosion. Vegas remains dedicated to the running of Jeanty as their centerpiece, but will likely not have enough firepower to hang with the Jets. New York 31-16.

  1:00 PM-NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (3-8) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-6)

One Time AFC South Hopefuls Have Fallen On tough Times

  1:00 PM-INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (10-1) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (4-6)

Confident Colts See Top Seed On Horizon. Tapering Texans' Hopes Dimming

    There is no lack of confidence these days in Indianapolis. They have scored 40+ points in five games this season and 30+ points in every game except 1 and there is no reason why that trend will not continue this week. The Colts blasted the Texans, 37-12, in their first meeting sacking Texan QB CJ Stroud 8 times, while running for 256 yards! Injuries to top backs Jonathan Taylor and DJ Giddens has dampened the ground game a tad, but Aaron Jones and Devin Neal have stepped in nicely and rookie QB John Mateer has played pretty well overall. The defense remains a concern, however, and the club has won five of its last seven victories by 8 points or less. Houston has dropped four of its last six games with its lone two wins coming by way of sim wins.

   Final Analysis: Colts have stayed true to their offensive scheme and been able to pull it off. Mateer has had to step it up a bit more of late and has been just good enough to keep the team in the winning mode. Houston might be on the precipice of falling off the playoff ledge. Indianapolis 35-24.

 1:00 PM-ATLANTA FALCONS (6-4) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (3-7)

Atlanta Closing In On Second NFC South Crown In Last Three years. Steelers' Woes Continue

    They have just a 1 game lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5), but Atlanta has to be feeling pretty confident about their odds of winning their division. The NFC South might be the league's weakest group but, as the saying goes. "Get into the Dance and then it's anyone's game". The Falcons have been playing solid ball of late with a balanced look on offense and enough defense to win games. The Steelers have had one thing after another rise up and bite them resulting in a string of hard luck losses. Still, the overall offensive future looks bright with QB Ty Simpson at the helm. The defense is aging, though, and a retool may be forthcoming.

   Final Analysis: This could be a closer game than one may think. Nonetheless, the Falcons have been playing a short, quick passing game that is limiting turnovers and sacks and doing so with success. Atlanta 30-23.

  1:00 PM- CLEVELAND BROWNS (6-5) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (7-3)

It's Now Or Never For Browns. Cinci Cats' Plucking Ravens' Feathers Brings Baltimore Back To Pack

    The up and down Browns got a huge gift last week as the Bengals caught the Ravens in a defensive battle, 15-10. The upset brought the Browns within striking distance and a win here in Baltimore would jettison them right into divisional contention as well as bolster their playoff profile. A loss, though, would all but wipe out any chance of winning the AFC North, while also jeopardize their playoff chances. It is, as they say, now or never for Cleveland. The two teams played a tension filled affair in their first encounter with Baltimore prevailing, 30-27. In that one, Cleveland QB Shedeur Sanders would throw season highs in attempts (62), completions (42), yards (423), and touchdowns (3) as the running game was near invisible. That formula might not be good enough to keep this one close again. Raven QB Lamar Jackson suffered one of his worst games of the season last week matching his forgetful week 2 performance versus the Raiders. He was held without a TD pass for only the second time all year, but has bounced back nicely whenever he has had a down game.

   Final Analysis: Not sure there is confidence in Sanders being able to shoulder the load again. The running game has to be at least average. Baltimore has held five teams to 16 or fewer points this year and only given up 30 points in a game just once. Baltimore 28-22.

  1:00 PM- CHICAGO BEARS (7-3) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-9)    

Bears Roaring In NFC After Dumping Cards. Vikes Easy Pickings

4:05 PM-TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-5) AT DENVER BRONCOS (4-6)

Bucs Hanging On By A Thread. Broncos Mean Needed Win Likely

    At 5-5, Tampa Bay is one of the teams in the NFC that is on the edge of the playoff tree. They cannot lose any games they are supposed to win and have some tough games left on their schedule that includes divisional foe Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, and a tough Pittsburgh group. If they cannot go at least 2-2 in these games, they can finish no better than 9-8 and that probably leaves them out of the post-season dance.  NO LINE   

    4:05 PM-SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (7-3) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (8-2)

Can 'Hawks Outfly Cards In Second Chance Duel In the Desert?

    These two played an intense game just two weeks ago in Seattle with Arizona nipping the Seahawks, 23-22! The Cardinals then were defeated last week, 31-21, by the Chicago Bears that has, suddenly and unexpectedly, thrown them into a battle for their divisional lives as well as the top seed in the conference. Arizona gets no rest as it has the defending champion Jets next week followed by Washington the week after that! In both of their losses this season, the inability to run the football seems to have been the main culprit for the Cards. In their, 43-28, week 6 loss to Dallas they ran for only 41 yards and in last week's loss to the Bears they could only muster 31 yards. Those totals easily represent the club's two lows for the season. Seattle also relies a ton on its ability to run the football with top back Kenneth Walker the bell cow. Their basic philosophy has not changed in years: Run the football, have QB Sam Darnold manage the game, and rely upon a solid defense.

   Final Analysis: Two teams that prefer to dominate games with the run. This can lead to a clock chewing outing and a low scoring contest. However, if the Cards can get a team into predictable passing situations they are a near certainty to blitz and, even though they lost to Chicago, were able to get to QB Caleb Williams 8 times. Edge Jaelen Phillips had an amazing game posting 5.5 sacks on the day. Arizona 29-20.

 4:05 PM-BUFFALO BILLS (4-6) AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (7-4)

Sheared Bills In Desperation Mode. Bolts Try To Stay Ahead Of Hard Charging Raiders

    Buffalo remains a dangerous team. Yes they have lost three of their last four as the defense has yielded 37,41, and 45 points, respectively, in the three defeats. But the reality is the team can beat folks depending upon the play of QB Josh Allen. Allen has thrown 11 interceptions over his last five games and had three in last week's, 45-31, loss to the Jets. The Chargers have been reliant upon a power running game led by Omarion Hampton in an effort to minimize the ineffective, and often disastrous, play of QB Justin Herbert. The Bolts' defense has been very good all season long and could present issues for the Bills. Rookie DE Reuben Bain has been enjoying a stellar inaugural season with 13.5 sacks to date.

   Final Analysis: If the Bills can protect Allen and get some running out of HB James Cook, they might be able to keep the Charger D off-balance. They will need to slow down Hampton and force Herbert into passing situations. Los Angeles 27-22.

    Miami is a long shot to make the playoffs, but they are still in the hunt and are a dangerous team to face. The Packers are battling for their playoff lives and are just 1 game out of the playoff field. That makes this one critical for both clubs. Green Bay needs to run the ball effectively here in order to avoid the ball-hawking of the Miami secondary, which is one of the best at taking the ball away in the league.  That is easier said than done, though, as Green Bay has not been consistent running the football for a few years now. QB Jordan Love has excellent targets to throw to, but he must protect the football in this one.

   Final Analysis: Up and down campaigns, thus far, for both teams. Green Bay has not missed the playoffs in a number of seasons, but needs to win this type of game if they wish to keep their post-season streak alive. Green Bay 26-23.

8:30 PM-CINCINNATI BENGALS (6-4) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-6)

Bengals At It Again. Upset Of Ravens Has Team Vying For AFC North Crown!

TEAMS ON A BYE