The squad will hope to avenge that loss and take out the biggest rivals in one swoop. The team beat the Giants last season but lost to the Cowboys in 2016. This will be the third straight year with Washington playing on Thanksgiving. The team also has several new faces at receiver, hoping the changes could help improve an offense that was a mediocre 16th in the league last season in both yards and points.Ĭonsidering the inability to beat Dallas in recent seasons, any changes could be a positive. The Redskins have undergone a massive makeover this offseason, most notably replacing Kirk Cousins with Alex Smith. However, he has a chance to show what he can do on a national stage against a team he is 4-0 against in his career. With a weak receiving core after releasing Dez Bryant, it could be even tougher in 2018. He was less accurate in his second season and more than tripled his interceptions. This leaves Dak Prescott as the biggest question mark. The defense was young and inexperienced last year, but returning most of the top contributors on that side should help make this an imposing unit. When he is on the field, Ezekiel Elliott is one of the top running backs in football, while the offensive line is as good as there is in the NFL. Of course, the talent is still there to turn things around and return to the top of the NFC East.
The Cowboys were one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season as injuries, suspensions and simple poor play limited the projected Super Bowl contenders to just a 9-7 record and no postseason. LeGarrette Blount could provide some balance offensively as well, likely keeping this team in contention in November for this holiday battle. The squad went 9-7 in each of the last two seasons and returns much of the same faces, with a major exception being at head coach.Īfter a long time with the Patriots, Patricia will try to instill a winning spirit in the Lions, a team that hasn't won a playoff game since 1991. This could create an interesting matchup against the Lions, a team that has been stuck in the middle the past few years. 2 overall draft pick has the potential to carry the team to much greater heights next season. "I feel like these last three days, I've been coached more than I ever have," quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said Thursday, per Chris Emma of 670 The Score.Ĭhicago went 5-11 last season but Trubisky made strides as the season progressed, and the No. The Lions are hoping to improve the defense with the addition of Matt Patricia, while the Bears went with an offensive-minded coach in Matt Nagy.Īlthough the offseason camp is only about a week old, the Bears have already seen a difference with the new staff. The Patriots actually led this game 9-6 in the third quarter, but the Lions broke loose for 4 touchdowns to end the game on a high note.This is a divisional matchup we have seen plenty of times before, but there is a new wrinkle in 2018 with both teams hiring new coaches in the offseason. Eric Mangini, Brian Daboll, and Rob Ryan were all on the New England staff that got embarrassed by the Lions. Charlie Weis was the offensive coordinator, but the defense had the big-time (now) names. They were a 5-11 team, even with some notable names on the coaching staff. In 2000, Bill Belichick did not get the Patriots off to a good start. A Drew Bledsoe-led offense could muster only 9 points on the day as the home team went home happy to gobble up some turkey. November 23, 2000: Lions 34, Patriots 9Īfter a 16-year gap between Thanksgiving games, the New England Patriots were embarrassed in Detroit. Here, I have ranked all 5 of the Patriots Thanksgiving Day games, from the really ugly to the great to the flat-out comical. It’s time to face it the Boston Celtics just aren’t that good.Boston Celtics in search of four-leaf clover on return home.