It’s Thanksgiving weekend in the NFL, and the New England Patriots will close out the festivities: they will host the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. Naturally, all of our attention is on that
particular game.
It is not the only one worth keeping an eye on between Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday. In fact, 15 other games are being played in Week 13, with many of them having direct implications on the Patriots as well. So, here is who you should be rooting for in those particular contests.
Thursday
1 p.m. ET
Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) at Detroit Lions (7-4): Go good game! The first Thanksgiving game has no major impact on the Patriots and their playoff changes, so let’s just root for some good fun and even better food. | FOX
4:30 p.m. ET
Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) at Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1): Go Cowboys! The Chiefs losing would further weaken their chances of making the playoffs, which might end up being good news for the fourth- and sixth-round draft picks New England owns via trade with Kansas City. | CBS
8:20 p.m. ET
Cincinnati Bengals (3-8) at Baltimore Ravens (6-5): Go Bengals! New England’s strength of victory tiebreaker would benefit from a Cincinnati win given that there is no telling what will happen in Patriots vs. Ravens in Week 16. | NBC
Friday
3 p.m. ET
Chicago Bears (8-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (8-3): Go good game! A chill Black Friday for Patriots fans everywhere, at least when it comes to rooting interest. The game has no real impact on the team. | Amazon
Sunday
1 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams (9-2) at Carolina Panthers (6-6): Go Panthers! Five words: strength of victory and schedule. Both tiebreakers might become important in a competitive AFC playoff race. | FOX
San Francisco 49ers (8-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-8): Go Browns! Not only would the aforementioned tiebreakers improve with a Cleveland win, the Patriots would also benefit from San Francisco ending up outside the playoffs: the draft pick acquired via the Keion White would be better positioned in that case. | CBS
Houston Texans (6-5) at Indianapolis Colts (8-3): Go Texans! The Patriots already have a 1.5-game lead over the Colts in the race for the No. 1 seed, but the more distance the better. | CBS
New Orleans Saints (2-9) at Miami Dolphins (4-7): Go Saints! Neither the strength of victory nor the strength of schedule tiebreakers are impacted by this game, but it could help further bury Miami’s already slim playoff hopes. | FOX
Atlanta Falcons (4-7) at New York Jets (2-9): Go Jets! The Patriots beat both teams already this year, so this one comes down to another angle: draft position. The 2-9 Jets removing themselves further from the top draft picks next spring would be a welcome development. | FOX
Arizona Cardinals (3-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5): Go Bucs! Strength of schedule. Strength of victory. Rinse. Repeat. | FOX
Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) at Tennessee Titans (1-10): Go Titans! All of the top teams in the AFC already beat the Titans, so that game makes no difference from that perspective. So, how about keeping Jacksonville — the current sixth seed — at bay? Sounds good enough for us. | CBS
4:05 p.m. ET
Minnesota Vikings (4-7) at Seattle Seahawks (8-3): Go good game! The Sam Darnold Bowl™ is of no real interest when it comes to the Patriots. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy. | FOX
4:25 p.m. ET
Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-4): Go Chargers! This may seem counterintuitive, but if the race for the No. 1 seed comes down to strength of victory a win by the 7-4 Chargers would be the preferred outcome. Out of the Colts, Broncos and Patriots, New England is the only team not to beat the Raiders this season. | CBS
Buffalo Bills (7-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5): Go Steelers! A second straight Bills loss would go a long way toward the Patriots recapturing the AFC East title this year, even if it comes at the expense of their strength of victory. | CBS
8:20 p.m. ET
Denver Broncos (9-2) at Washington Commanders (3-8): Go Commanders! The Patriots are the current No. 1 seed in the AFC, but a Broncos win on Sunday Night Football might change this. So, obviously, Washington is the team to root for in this game. | NBC
This article also serves as an open thread for this week’s non-Patriots games. Please head down to the comment section to discuss and share your thoughts on the games as they unfold.
