Buffalo Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (92) reaches in on Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams (30) during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
RANT SPORTS – Thursday is Thanksgiving which means the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys will be hosting NFL games.
The best game of the day will come after dinner when the turkey has been made into late-night sandwiches and the Green Bay Packers host the Miami Dolphins.
Here’s a look at all three Thanksgiving Day NFL games to whet your appetite before the soup and salad course.
Chicago at Detroit, 12:30 EST, CBS
This is that appetizer that might actually be better than it looks.
Despite the fact it plays on Thanksgiving every year the Lions are not all that good at it. Detroit is 37-45-2 on Thanksgiving, despite being at home every year, and has not won a Turkey Day game since 2016 when it beat Minnesota, 16-13. That’s seven straight losses for those who are math challenged.
Two of those seven losses (2018 and 2019) have come to the Bears.
This year could be different. These are not your father’s Lions. They’re your grandfather’s Lions or maybe even your great grandfather’s. Detroit is 10-1 for the first time since 1934. In typical Lions fashion they finished that season 10-3 and did not advance to the postseason.
You might want to watch this one just to see how the Bears (4-7) manage to lose. Already this season they have lost on a Hail Mary to Washington; on a blocked field goal as time expired to Green Bay; and after scoring 11 points in the final 30 second only to lose in overtime to Minnesota.
Another factor to watch for in this one is Detroit’s running back tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The duo have each scored a touchdown in nine games. The record is 10 set by Green Bay’s Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung over 50 years ago.
New York Giants at Dallas, 4:30 EST, Fox
Eat dinner before this one starts. You don’t want to watch this on an empty stomach. And if the Tryptophan from the turkey doesn’t put you to sleep, well this NFC East dud should do the trick.
Dallas (4-7) woke up a bit last week with an upset of Washington last Sunday. The Cowboys, while fun in some ways, are having their worst season in years. Cooper Rush will quarterback the ‘Boys in place of injured Dak Prescott.
The Giants (2-9) will also have a backup quarterback in Tommy DeVito, but that was a choice after the team released starter Daniel Jones and bypassed No. 2 QB Drew Lock to potentially save some money. Jones had an injury clause in his contract that would have guaranteed him $23 million next year if he got hurt this year. And Lock’s contract is loaded with incentives based on playing time incentives.
General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll appear to have lost the team if last week’s loss to Tampa Bay in which they trailed 30-0 at one point means anything. That could bode well as the Giants try for the first pick in the draft. The question is who will be making that pick?
Miami at Green Bay, 8:20, NBC
This is your delicious Thanksgiving Day NFL dessert.
Miami, winners of three straight, venture from sunny South Beach to frigid Green Bay where the temperature is expected to be in the 20s to face the Packers, winners of six of their last seven.
The Dolphins (5-6) need the win to stay within striking distance of Denver (7-5) for the AFC’s final wild-card berth. Green Bay (8-3) is trying to keep pace with Detroit (10-1) and Minnesota (9-2) in the powerful NFC North.
This will also be a battle of two quarterbacks taken in the quarterback-rich 2020 NFL draft. Miami has Tua Tagovailoa, who since coming back from his latest concussion, has completed 76.5 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and one interception. Green Bay will counter with Jordan Love, who despite missing two-and-a-half games this season has 18 touchdown passes, sixth best in the league and fourth best in the NFC.
FILE – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) waves after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. Kelce will bring his highly successful music festival called Kelce Jam back to Kansas City. The second annual one-day event held on May 18 will be hosted by the superstar tight end of the Chiefs and headlined by Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Diplo and local legend Tech N9ne. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
RANT SPORTS – As Super Bowl LIX Beckons, Football Fans Gravitate to Key Stats and Storylines
On February 9, 2025, the NFC and AFC Conference Champions will meet at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Super Bowl LIX. Football fans have been piling into the action all season to make their picks and predictions for the winner.
As Super Bowl Sunday beckons, there will be a tsunami of interest in the many different forms of football betting. Last year, the Super Bowl set records for American wagering, with some $23 billion bet. This year, seeing the popularity of the big game, platforms are going all out to appeal to this mass of betting interest.
So, there are plenty of offers bouncing around and unique ways to bet on the outcomes of Super Bowl LIX. Keep reading to explore these novel options and discover some stats to keep in mind for the potential Super Bowl contenders this year.
A Diverse Landscape for Super Bowl Fans
Every year, betting lines light up with a whole range of quirky selections. For the Super Bowl, prop markets are always a point of interest – and not just for the player lines. The length of the national anthem, style of the halftime performer’s attire, and the color of the winning team’s Gatorade douse are all in the odds.
In daily fantasy sports betting, the lines can also see a bit more variation. With some platforms, you’ll be able to bundle in these once-a-year kind of props. Many will also offer boosts on certain players hitting or missing their under-over lines. Others are adapting the formula entirely for the big game.
At Sleeper, the emphasis is on collaborating with your squad to make top fantasy picks. You’ll all get to select the DFS player lines that you think will happen, bundle them into a picks list, and watch the stats move in real time. With the Super Bowl fast approaching, savvy DFS teams will be claiming a Sleeper promo for NFL betting like this.
With the offer, each player will get a $55 bonus cash offer after playing $5. So, naturally, many teams will open an account, make the $10 deposit, play $5 on an upcoming game of the NFL, NBA, or anything else, and then get their 11 $5 bonus wagers to use on the big game.
What to Keep in Mind for the Super Bowl
On the NFC side, coming into the Conference Championships, Jayden Daniels absolutely had the upper hand on the Eagles’ QB, who’d suffered a concussion and then a leg injury. However, the Philadelphia defense ranked as the best in the NFL by quite some margin, only allowing 278.4 yards on average. It was Philadelphia that romped to an easy 55-23 victory.
Over in AFC territory, the Super Bowl machine that are the Kansas City Chiefs might have a shot at history with the unheard-of three-peat, after their 32-29 win over the Bills. There’s also Travis Kelce’s shot at unseating one of Jerry Rice’s long-standing records. With just three receptions in the big game, Kelce would overtake Rice’s haul of 33 takes at the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LIX promises to be a fascinating game, with a second matchup of these two teams in three years. That contest came down to the final seconds, but who will win this one?
The bigger question here is, where will fans be placing their bets for the colossal event?
William Byron (24) and Kyle Busch (18) race into turn one during the NASCAR Cup series auto race in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
RANT SPORTS – NASCAR likes to open with a short track exhibition
A week before heading to Daytona for the 2025 NASCAR season, they will kick off the year with an exhibition race on Saturday night under the lights. The event, known as The Cookout will take place at Bowman Gray Stadium, a NASCAR-sanctioned quarter-mile asphalt flat oval short track and a historic football stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The race, also known as The Clash, will mark the debut for several new drivers. Two of the top young talents making their NASCAR Cup Series debuts are Tim Brown for Rick Racing and Burt Myers for Team Amerivet.
This race also features the Front Row Motorsports debut for Noah Gragson and the return of Zane Smith that team. Additionally, Todd Gilliland will be driving the flagship No. 38 after three seasons in the No. 34. Furthermore, Josh Berry iin the iconic Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford.
Some familiar names with new and full season rides
AJ Allmendinger has returned to Kaulig Racing full-time, while Riley Herbst has joined 23XI Racing. Cole Custer is back now full time at the Haas Factory Team. Cody Ware is also time in the family-owned No. 51.
Ryan Preece is debuting for RFK Racing and Michael McDowell has moved to Spire Motorsports. Shane Van Gisbergen is racing full-time in Cup for Trackhouse Racing
Here is the full list of cars the teams
1 | Ross Chastain | Phil Surgen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
2 | Austin Cindric | Brian Wilson | Team Penske | Ford
3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Boswell | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet
4 | Noah Gragson | Drew Blickensderfer | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
24 | William Byron | Rudy Fugle | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
34 | Todd Gilliland | Chris Lawson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
35 | Riley Herbst | Davin Restivo | 23XI Racing | Toyota
38 | Zane Smith | Ryan Bergentry | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
41 | Cole Custer | Aaron Kramer | Haas Factory Team | Ford
42| John Hunter Nemechek | Travis Mack | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota
43| Erik Jones | Ben Beshore | Legacy Motor Club | Toyot
45 | Tyler Reddick | Billy Scott | 23XI Racing | Toyota
47| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Mike Kelley | HYAK Racing | Ford
48| Alex Bowman | Blake Harris | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
50 | Burt Myers | Tony Eury Jr. | Team Amerivet | Chevrolet
51 | Justin Haley | Billy Plourde |Rick Ware Racing | Ford
54 | Ty Gibbs | Tyler Allen | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota
60 | Ryan Preece | Derrick Finley | RFK Racing | Ford
66 | Garrett Smithley | Carl Long | Garage 66 | Ford
71 | Michael McDowell | Travis Peterson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
77 | Carson Hocevar | Luke Lambert | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
88 | Shane Van Gisbergen | Stephen Doran | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
99 | Daniel Suarez | Matt Swiderski | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
Where to watch and listen to the race
Practice and qualifying is set for 6:10 on FS1 and heat races are set for 8:30 on FS1. The last chance race is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday on FOX and the main event is scheduled for 8 on FOX.
