The NFL certainly gave its fans a treat on Thanksgiving with the matinee between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, providing a controversial ending that had anyone watching wondering how any team could botch a late-game scenario like the Bears. The ending created one of the most memorable Thanksgiving games in NFL history, for all the wrong reasons.
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants didn’t top what happened Thursday afternoon, but the Cowboys are trying to get their way back into the playoff race. The Green Bay Packers dealt the Miami Dolphins a blow to their fading playoff hopes in the tripleheader nightcap. The Thanksgiving games did not disappoint, thanks to the Lions and Bears giving us plenty to talk about — all because of what happened in 43 seconds.
There are plenty of overreactions to go around from the Thanksgiving games; give credit to Matt Eberflus for spicing up Thursday’s batch. Which ones are overreactions and which are reality?
Caleb Williams is just as responsible as Matt Eberflus for Bears clock management
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
There is reason to blame Williams for not calling a timeout himself during the Bears’ ineptitude of clock management in the final 30 seconds of Thursday’s loss. After getting sacked by Za’Darius Smith with 32 seconds left, Williams wasn’t rushing getting the Bears offense back to the line — killing at least 12 seconds before realizing how much time was left on the clock.
Then when Williams realized there was 18 seconds left — and no timeout being called on the sideline — he looked to the sideline and got the play. At the time there were 14 seconds left on the clock, which a timeout should have been called by Williams or Bears coach Matt Eberflus in that moment. Williams was still setting up the play when there were nine seconds left and no timeout being called. Remember, a 59-yard field goal by Cairo Santos was still in play.
The ball wasn’t snapped until five seconds left. Williams and Eberflus wasted 27 seconds before running a play, which ended up being a heave short of the end zone. Game over, Lions win.
While Williams is partially at fault for the clock management, it’s on his head coach with three years of head coaching experience to call a timeout and not put his rookie quarterback in that situation. At the end of the day, this falls on Eberflus and the way he failed to control the end of that game. Eberflus left Williams on an island, having his quarterback shoulder blame for something the head coach should have controlled himself.
Lions are fortunate to still have No. 1 seed in NFC
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Lions still have the No. 1 seed in the NFC, controlling their own destiny in the conference after Thursday’s win over the Bears. No matter what the Eagles do on Sunday, the Lions will have the top seed in the conference by a full game (and the conference-record tiebreaker since they have one conference loss to the Eagles’ two).
Things could have gotten really murky if the Lions would have lost to the Bears, and there was a good chance of that happening. The Bears were at the Lions’ 13-yard line with 40 seconds left and appeared ready to score the winning touchdown, not kick a tying field goal. Despite Teven Jenkins getting an illegal use of hands penalty to back the Bears up to the Lions’ 35-yard line, they still had enough time to get the yards needed for an easier field attempt from Cairo Santos. Then the clock management chaos ensued, leaving the Lions off the hook for what looked to be a late-game collapse.
The Lions should have put this game away in the first half, going 1-for-3 in the red zone and kicking two field goals. Detroit only led 16-0 at halftime despite scoring on all four possessions and outgaining Chicago 279-53. The Lions were still holding on to the lead late, but a missed 45-yard field goal by Jake Bates in the fourth quarter also gave the Bears life. Detroit finished 2 of 5 in the red zone in a game the Lions dominated.
At the end of the day, a win is a win. The Lions are 11-1, but they dodged a bullet and a major collapse in the process. They still control the top seed in the NFC.
Cowboys are going to make a run at making the playoffs
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Don’t look now, but the Cowboys have won two games in five days to get to 5-7. Heading into last weekend, the Cowboys playoff chances were slim to none at 3-7 — then they followed up with wins over the Commanders and Giants to get back in the playoff conversation.
Are the Cowboys really a threat to make the playoffs? The win over the Commanders was impressive, but Dallas was facing a reeling Washington team heading into that game. The Giants are one of the worst teams in football, a team the Cowboys should beat (and did).
Dallas still has Cooper Rush at quarterback and whatever is going on with CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys defense is significantly better with Micah Parsons on the field, but making a run at the playoffs is still a bit of a stretch. The Cowboys needed a first down with under two minutes left to finish off the Giants too.
The Cowboys play the Bengals (4-7) and Panthers (3-8), before finishing with the Buccaneers (5-6), Eagles (9-2), and Commanders (7-5). The final three teams will be playing in games with significant playoff scenarios each week against a Cowboys team with a lot of injuries and having trouble running the ball against good teams.
Dallas needs to finish 9-8 to at least have a shot at the playoffs, so the Cowboys have to win four of the next five. The Giants aren’t on the schedule anymore either, but the next two games are certainly winnable.
Giants should go back to Tommy DeVito at quarterback
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Giants offense actually had a pulse with Drew Lock at quarterback, and this was with Lock not knowing he was going to start for a majority of a short week. Going up against the Cowboys on the road, the Giants scored 20 points and Lock ran for a touchdowns (was an inch away from running for two). Lock also went 21 of 32 for 178 yards and an interception, a better performance than what DeVito gave the Giants on Sunday.
With Lock, the Giants offense actually had a lead for the first time since Week 5! The offense scored two touchdowns in 11 possessions, but there were some positives to take from Lock’s performance (even with a stretch where New York had 33 yards on 19 plays).
Lock got better as the game went on, and so did the Giants offense. This was way better than what New York saw with DeVito last week. The Giants may not want to win games, but Lock gives them the best chance to be competent. Lock should get another week as the starting quarterback.
Dolphins played their way out of AFC playoff race
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Dolphins aren’t out of the race for the final AFC playoff spot, but Miami needed to get a win in Green Bay on Thursday night to really ramp up the playoff noise. Miami wasn’t prepared for the cold weather that was coming at Lambeau Field, having just three points on four possessions in the first half (121 yards). The Packers went on to score 14 first-quarter points and never trailed, as the Dolphins weren’t really competitive.
Miami fell to 5-7 on the season, two games behind Denver for the final playoff spot (the Broncos can increase that lead to 2.5 games on Monday with five to play). The margin of error for the Dolphins will be slim, as they face the Jets (home), Texans (road), 49ers (home), Browns (road), and Jets (road) to close the year. Two of those games are expected to be in cold-weather temperatures, and the Dolphins showed they can’t erase that narrative.
The Dolphins still have a chance, but they needed to beat Green Bay. The Dolphins have to hope the Broncos fall to the Browns on Monday.
Packers’ season is a failure if they don’t reach divisional round
Overreaction or reality: Reality
There’s an argument to be made Green Bay is the third-best team in the NFC. The only problem is the Packers are currently the No. 6 seed thanks to Detroit (11-1), Philadelphia (9-2), and Minnesota (9-2) being ahead of them in the conference. The Packers are third in their own division!
Regardless of Green Bay’s place in the conference standings, it’s clear the Packers are good enough to compete for the Super Bowl in the conference. Their three losses are to the Eagles, Vikings and Lions — which is why Green Bay hasn’t been considered as a Super Bowl contender.
The Packers will either get the No. 5 seed or No. 6 seed, and Green Bay is certainly better than the NFC West and NFC South champion — even if the Packers have to go on the road for a playoff game. If the Packers lose that first playoff game, it would be a disappointment. The Packers should be a tough out for Detroit or Philadelphia in the divisional round if they get there (and they should).
Green bay can help itself by beating Detroit and Minnesota on the road, or split those games at the very least. Regardless of where the Packers finish, they should win a playoff game.
