American Thanksgiving weekend is for watching football.
With four holiday games already in the books, the Week 13 slate is already in full swing.
The early games weren’t always pretty. In fact, there were some downright ugly moments — looking at you Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders.
We’ve already had a coach fired (Bears’ Matt Eberflus) and a team (Kansas City Chiefs) clinch the league’s first playoff spot. And we still have 12 more games on tap where plenty more juicy storylines are sure to unfold.
To get you set for a pivotal Week 13 for many teams, we take a look at some of the big matchups to keep an eye on.
49ers in desperation mode
If you’re a San Francisco 49ers fan, it’s a bit of a good news, bad news situation at the moment.
Let’s start with the bad.
At 5-6, and losers of two straight, the 49ers need to start winning football games. But 5-7 is staring them right in the face, as they head to Orchard Park, N.Y., for a tough matchup with the red-hot Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
The Bills will also be super motivated, as they can clinch the AFC East division with a win on Sunday.
It’s even more concerning when you look at San Francisco’s injury report, as stars Nick Bosa and Trent Williams have already been ruled out for a second straight week.
Not exactly what you want when you’re going on the road against one of the best teams in the league.
Losers of two straight, a third-consecutive loss and the vibes could get really bad for the defending NFC champs.
But it’s not all bad for the 49ers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday that starting QB Brock Purdy is expected to return after a one-week absence. That’s a huge boost for the 49ers as they look to pull off the major upset.
Purdy was sorely missed in their 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers last week, as backup QB Brandon Allen struggled to move the ball.
The other bit of good news for the 49ers is that they play in the NFC West. Even at 5-6, they are currently just one game back of first place in a division that’s currently a four-horse race.
They also still have two divisional matchups remaining, including one with the first-place Arizona Cardinals. There is still a path back to the playoffs, even if San Francisco fails to shock the Bills on Sunday.
But with both Purdy and RB Christian McCaffrey ailing, and no Bosa and Williams, there’s a good chance that the injuries will be too much to overcome for this talented group.
Barkley, Henry go head-to-head
Don’t call it a comeback, but Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley are reminding us just how important a good running back can be to an NFL team.
The league has seen a shift over the past decade, as teams have often opted not to pay star ball carriers big money and allocate that money elsewhere.
But with offences shifting to a more pass-heavy approach, defences have started to play with more two-high safeties and linebackers who are better at covering the pass than stopping the run. This has left the door wide open for the return of the ground attack.
Barkley and Henry have taken full advantage.
All Barkley has done all season is remind the New York Giants what they missed out on when they decided not to pay him this off-season. Now with the Giants’ division rival Philadelphia Eagles, he leads the league in rushing with 1,392 yards through 11 games — 67 more than Henry has.
Barkley single-handily destroyed the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12, rushing for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-20 Eagles win. With that performance, he vaulted himself into the NFL MVP conversation, which has essentially become just a QB award over the past decade.
Barkely and the Eagles take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, and his RB counterpart on Sunday has been no slouch himself. After joining the Ravens in free agency this off-season, some wondered if Henry’s best days were behind him.
But the towering back leads the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns this season and has added another dynamic element to an already dangerous Ravens offence.
The RB that comes out on the right side of Sunday’s heavyweight clash between two Super Bowl contenders could take the clubhouse lead for the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award.
And while only one can win the award, they are both doing wonders for the future of their position.
“We just want to go out there and do our job — do our job effectively (and) show that the position matters,” Henry told reporters this week. “Hopefully, we’ve been doing that well enough to add value for the future of this position and the guys that are coming up and getting paid. It’s a great time for us to be able to have success, and hopefully, it bounces off to the other guys that are coming up and getting the opportunity to get paid.”
Game to Watch: Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) — Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
The two games mentioned above will dominate a lot of the headlines this weekend, but let’s not look past a huge divisional matchup in the AFC North.
It’s especially key for the Bengals, who at 4-7, are already basically in win-or-go-home mode. Another loss, and they can almost kiss their post-season hopes goodbye.
Despite their record, Bengals QB Joe Burrow is having a career year. He has three straight games with three or more passing touchdowns, tied for the best streak of his career.
But despite his stellar play, the Bengals have not found a way to close out games, losing their last two by one score.
The division-leading Steelers have been quite the opposite, with five of their eight wins this season being by one possession.
It’s the AFC North, so this one is sure to be a grind-it-out game. If the Bengals don’t come out on top, they might have to put this season in the rearview mirror already.
Forrest’s Favourites (Season record: 15-15) — All odds courtesy of BetMGM):
Chargers @ Falcons — Pick: Chargers -1.0 (-110): The Chargers were a few dropped passes away from being right in last week’s clash with the powerhouse Ravens. Back Jim Harbaugh to have his team ready to go against the Falcons.
Bengals @ Steelers — Pick: Bengals -3.0 (-110): The Bengals have too much pride to see their season essentially end in Week 13. They’ll come up with a big division win on Sunday.
49ers @ Bills — Pick: 49ers +6.0 (-110): The 49ers are desperate, and a huge snowstorm is always an equalizer. San Fran should at least keep this one close.
Full Week 13 Schedule:
Thursday, Nov. 28
Detroit Lions 23, Chicago Bears 20
Dallas Cowboys 27, New York Giants 27
Green Bay Packers 30, Miami Dolphins 17
Friday, Nov. 29
Kansas City Chiefs 19, Las Vegas Raiders 17
Sunday, Dec. 1
Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET
Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET
Seattle Seahawks at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET
Tennessee Titans at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers, 4 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints, 4 p.m. ET
Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens, 4:25 p.m. ET
San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m. ET
Monday, December 2
Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos, 8:15 p.m. ET
