It's Thanksgiving weekend in the NFL and while we don’t celebrate the American holiday, we can be thankful for one thing this season and that is parity.
It can be argued that we haven’t seen a more open battle for the Lombardi trophy in years and with some great fixtures this weekend, there is a lot to look forward to.
Thanksgiving Thursday
The NFL Thanksgiving slate means that we kick off with a triple header this evening Irish time, with some great games on tap.
The Green Bay Packers travel to the Detroit Lions in an NFC North showdown to kick things off. The Pack had an impressive win over the Minnesota Vikings last weekend, with Micah Parsons registering two sacks on a day where the Packers seemed to really take it up a gear, silencing the critics in recent weeks.
Ireland’s Daniel Whelan had a superb game with a key punt, which ended up being recovered by the Packers.
Pro Bowl voting opens today in the NFL - and it seems like a weekly reminder now - but we’ve never had an Irish player make it to the NFL equivalent of the GAA All-Stars.
Whelan is right up there and he will be key in Thursday evening's showdown against the Lions.
The second game in the Thanksgiving window sees Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs travel to face the Dallas Cowboys.
After a gritty win last week, the Chiefs are rolling into Texas to face a Dallas team that defied the odds and came back from 21 points down to defeat the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
This is the first time that Mahomes will play on Thanksgiving in his career and while the Chiefs defeated the high-flying Indianapolis Colts a few days back, they will want to improve in attack.
The Cowboys comeback last weekend was impressive, but they still need to find more accuracy when they are getting the ball down the field. George Pickens has emerged as a real threat but star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is having a year to forget.
He had multiple drops last weekend and through 12 weeks, Lamb only has two touchdowns, while he had six last season in total.
His output needs to improve - and there is no better game to do it in, with tens of millions expected to watch tonight.
Finally, we will see the return of Joe Burrow overnight as the Cincinnati Bengals head to Baltimore to face the Ravens.
It’s been a difficult year for the Bengals, who have struggled in his absence through injury. Burrow was asked why now is the time to come back as the play-off picture is an upward battle (to say the least) for Cincinnati and his response would get him into any county team in the country:
"If I get hurt, I'm gonna go through the rehab process and then I'm gonna let everybody know when I feel like I can go out there and play. I don't really know what else to say about that."
A Bengals win brings them closer to the top of the AFC North, but time is starting to run out in 2025.
Must win for Steelers
It’s easy to say that a game is a must win for anyone, but Sunday’s visit of the Buffalo Bills to Pittsburgh is one that the Steelers fans and team need badly.
They are coming off a disappointing defeat to the Chicago Bears with Aaron Rodgers not being able to play due to a wrist injury. Mason Rudolph made a commendable effort as a back-up, the Steelers defence was disappointing.
Enter Josh Allen into the frame this week. He now has the most rushing touchdowns in team history and frankly, he is putting the team on his back each week.
The Bills had a poor showing in Houston last time out and with the New England Patriots starting to steam ahead in the AFC East, this is as crucial a game for the Bills as it is the Steelers.
At the time of writing, there is optimism that Aaron Rodgers will return this Sunday, but nothing is guaranteed.
It's do or die now for Pittsburgh. They face the Ravens twice and the Detroit Lions on the road in the final few weeks of the regular season.
Black Friday
While it's becoming a shopping event in Ireland, Black Friday is now taking over as an NFL day in the United States.
This year, they have hit gold, with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the high-flying Chicago Bears on Friday evening (8pm Irish time).
The Eagles need to bounce back from what was a disappointing collapse against their NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. At one stage, they were rolling - and it looked like it could be a cricket score.
Then, it all fell apart.
Star running back Saquon Barkley has been honest and admitted that he is currently in a slump, but the offence generally is just not consistent.
The Eagles sit at 8-3 heading into this weekend, but they need to find a way to get both AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith in the endzone in as many games as they can, while establishing a more effective run game.
That will be on first year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo to work out in the final few weeks of the season.
There is an argument that the Eagles are doing what they need to do most weeks, which is win games - and the record won’t matter if they win the NFC East and make a deep play-off run.
But the team does need to gel better when they are going forward on the offence.
The Bears have won seven of eight games for the first time since 2018 and Caleb Williams is playing with more confidence now than at any stage since he was drafted.
Crucially for this weekend, former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen is controlling the Bears defence at an almost elite level. They made it extremely difficult for the Steelers at times last weekend and it will be fascinating to see how they get on in Philadelphia.
Forget about Black Friday - Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks like the deal of the season for Chicago.
Problems in Minnesota
The Vikings are going through it.
Starting quarterback JJ McCarthy (below) is struggling, with only 87 passing yards last weekend in Green Bay. Add two interceptions in four out of the six games he has played for the Vikings and many are questioning the decision to draft him.
McCarthy is a former college champion with Michigan and was unlucky last year when injury ruled him out before the season even began. Vultures are circling around Minnesota, but the locker room has his back for now.
Coming off a 14-win year with Sam Darnold under centre they currently sit with a record of 4-7 and face their former quarterback this weekend.
It will take a lot for the Vikings to get to Seattle and get out on top. The Seahawks defence is one of the best in the league - ranked seventh in both total defence and scoring defence and it is inside the top five in the league with 36 sacks.
Add McCarthy’s concussion protocol into the mix, with back-up Max Brosmer primed to start if needs be, it could be a long day for the Vikings on Sunday.
Irish kicks
Finally, a few quick points close to home to finish. Jude McAtamney was released by the New York Giants earlier this week, having been put back on the practice squad after missing two extra points against the Denver Broncos last month.
Time will tell how Jude gets on, but New Orleans Saints' Charlie Smyth may have his opportunity as early as this weekend.
The Down man will battle for the starting kicker position after Blake Grupe was released. The Saints held a tryout, meaning that former Browns kicker Cade York will go up against Smyth for the role - something to look out for before the Saints travel to Miami to play the Dolphins.
It’s also the final weekend of the regular season in college football with several Irish players winding up their campaigns.
Tyrone’s Lorcan Quinn will set the record for field goals at Marshall this weekend if he makes any successful attempt in the game.
The Donaghmore man has been a revelation with the team this year. Elsewhere, Derry duo Jack Cassidy and Jack Scullion, along with Galway’s Andy Quinn, will finish their seasons this weekend.
