Who’s Up, Who’s Down, What’s Next for Each Team?

It’s time for the hard drive of the 2024 NFL regular season.

With thanksgiving week Here, it’s time for the top contenders to separate themselves from the pack, while the pretenders begin to sink into the abyss of mock draft season and coaching carousel chatter.

On Thanksgiving, the NFL brings us the Chicago Bears (4-8) and New York Giants (4-8), with the Detroit Lions (11-1) and Dallas Cowboys (5-7) playing their traditional home roles. It provided a triple action. 2–10) making visits. Detroit won in ridiculous fashion, the injury-riddled Giants falling to the Cowboys while the Bears didn’t seem to realize the game was over after 60 minutes.

In the nightcap, the Green Bay Packers (9-3) welcomed the Miami Dolphins (5-7) to chilly Lambeau Field and handled them, dropping Miami even further down the AFC race.

Then, Black Friday sees the Kansas City Chiefs (10-1) and Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) meet in an old-school AFL rivalry game.

But let’s start with some turkey and three games to go with it.

THURSDAY

My opinion: If there’s one takeaway from this game, it’s that Matt Eberflus should not have been allowed on the team plane. Chicago (4-8) somehow turned an easy shooting opportunity into Cairo Santos’ range with a penalty and a sack. Then somehow the Bears ended the game with: caleb williams Even though Chicago called a timeout, he threw a pass as time expired. Detroit (11-1) got away, largely because of the Bears’ incompetence, but also because the Lions rushed the ball for 194 yards on 5.9 yards per carry.

Stock up on: Detroit keeps winning because the offense is so great. The Lions largely did what they wanted against the Bears, rushing for 405 yards and 25 first downs. The only downside was having to kick four field goals as the offense got bogged down on several long drives.

Stock reduction: Eberflus again. Search timeout. Shout into the headset to tell Williams to move faster. Do something. Do anything. This was the worst 30 seconds of coaching you will ever see at the NFL level.

Next: Bears at 49ers, 3:25 PM ET Dec. 8; Packers at Lions, December 5, 8:15pm ET

My opinion: It’s only fitting that the defense that makes the most plays wins the battle between backup quarterbacks. Led by Cooper Rush, the Cowboys got off to a slow start thanks to DeMarvion Overshown’s 23-yard pick-six in the second quarter that gave Dallas a 13-7 lead. The Giants had no answers from there as the New York defense allowed Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle (112 yards on 22 carries) to hurt them on the ground. It doesn’t bode well for Giants coach Brian Daboll when his defense makes it look like the Cowboys’ rushing attack has Derrick Henry in the backfield. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy may be convincing owner Jerry Jones to give him another year after back-to-back victories that showed plenty of action from his players.

Stock up on: Dowdle closed out the game, but the Cowboys’ defense started the momentum with Overshown’s touchdown and sacked him, allowing Giants quarterback Drew Lock to establish a rhythm. six times. Stud rookie Malik Nabers did not make an impact and the Giants were unable to complete the run. It’s been a rough season for Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, but the passing offense has been spot-on against Lock and New York’s offense.

Stock reduction: Daboll did himself no favors with embarrassing losses. Daniel Jones’ offense has gotten worse since his release, leaving Giants owner John Mara with a lot to think about regarding Daboll’s future with the team. Holding under 200 total yards for much of the game before scoring a late touchdown against one of the league’s worst defenses is the kind of loss that stays on the decision-makers’ minds.

Next: Saints at Giants, 1pm ET December 8; Bengals at Cowboys, 8:15 PM ET December 9

My opinion: While hopes of winning the NFC North remained alive for Green Bay (9-3) on Thanksgiving night, the thought of making the playoffs became more of a pipe dream for Miami (5-7). The Packers controlled the game from start to finish, handling the warm-weather Dolphins in the freezing cold of Lambeau Field. Jordan Love was excellent, throwing for 274 yards and two touchdowns, while Tua Tagovailoa threw for 357 yards and two scores in a losing effort. Now Green Bay prepares for a rematch with Detroit, hoping to split the season series and close the gap with just one game in the league.

Stock up on: Love is starting to play the football we all expected heading into the season. Love, who finally appeared fully healthy after multiple injuries, was unable to make an interception in Green Bay’s final two games as the Packers posted relatively easy wins over the Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.

Stock reduction: Miami’s playoff hopes are on the line once again. The Dolphins aren’t done yet, but they might need to win. They lost the tiebreaker to the Indianapolis Colts and still have tough games against the Houston Texans and 49ers, along with two cold-weather contests in New York and Cleveland.

Next: Jets at Dolphins, 1pm ET Dec. 8; Packers at Lions, December 5, 8:15pm ET

Check back for more updates throughout the weekend.