For Americans, NFL Football on Thanksgiving is as enduring a part of the holiday as the turkey or the Black Friday sales. Every year, millions of Americans pile in front of their TVs for the NFL’s biggest single day of viewership during the regular season. This year the prime-time game saw the New York Giants taking on the Dallas Cowboys, a fixture of the annual Thanksgiving slate, in Arlington, Texas.
It’s been a tumultuous year for both NFC East franchises. For the Giants, a huge weight of expectations befell Daniel Jones to step up as the franchise quarterback in the wake of star running back Saquon Barkley’s departure. A weight that was too much. After signing a $160 million extension in 2022, Jones struggled to lead a depleted offense, leaving the Giants management to the bench, and eventually releasing a one-time top-10 draft pick. After a disaster class by backup quarterback Tommy Devito against Tampa last weekend, Brian Daboll elected to start former Broncos quarterback Drew Lock for this game. The Giants entered the game with a 2-9 record.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have been limping through the season. Injuries to quarterback Dak Prescott and stars like Trevon Diggs and Jake Ferguson left Dallas relying on backup QB Cooper Rush and a patchwork offense. With a 4–7 record, this Thanksgiving matchup was crucial for the team’s momentum down the stretch of the season.
Despite their struggles, the Giants started off stronger. Dallas settled for an early field goal, while Drew Lock, in a rare highlight, nearly scrambled for a touchdown before running back Tyrone Tracy punched it in from the 1-yard line. A second Dallas field goal kept the game close, but the Cowboys’ defence provided the spark they needed. Drew Lock’s attempted screen pass failed spectacularly when it was batted out of the air by defensive tackle Demarvion Overshown, who took it to the end zone for a pick-6, giving Dallas a 13–7 lead.
Both teams’ offenses continued to struggle through the second quarter, trading successive punts until Graham Gano slotted over a field goal for the Giants to bring the score to 13-10 at halftime.
Drew Lock started the second half off in the worst way possible, fumbling on a reckless scramble, handing Dallas possession at midfield. On the ensuing drive for Dallas, Kevontae Turpin took a Cooper Rush pass 30 yards down the field to set Dallas up inside New York’s 10-yard line, Rush then found Brandin Cooks in the end zone to make it a ten-point lead for the home team. New York’s O-Line continued to struggle against Dallas’ defence and Micah Parsons was able to force another punt with a sack on Lock. Meanwhile, Dallas’ offense came to life behind big plays from Rush and running back Rico Dowdle. Another Cowboys touchdown stretched the lead to 27–10, and the Giants’ only answer came from a long Gano field goal.
Running backs on both sides were the standouts in the second half, Rico Dowdle and Tyrone Tracy both making big plays for their respective teams. Drew Lock continued to struggle, being sacked for a 6th time, while discipline issues in New York’s O-Line saw multiple big plays penalised and undone. A great catch by Malik Nabers in the red zone set up Drew Lock to scramble to the house for a 7-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 7 with 2:18 on the clock, but Dallas was able to hold on to possession and see the game out.
Elsewhere in the league, the Detroit Lions improved their excellent season record to 11-1 with a 23-20 win over their division rivals, the Chicago Bears. The game was noted for its peculiar ending. With Chicago looking to win the game or at least force overtime, Quarterback Caleb Williams took a sack with 20 seconds on the clock, at the edge of field goal range. Oddly, the Bears didn’t use their final timeout, leaving Williams with time for just one desperate heave toward the end zone, which fell incomplete. Fans and commentators alike were baffled by the decision to not take a time out which would have left time for two plays to either attempt a touchdown pass or field goal attempt and no doubt contributed to Bears management’s decision to dismiss Head Coach Matt Eberflus later that evening. The team is now 4-8 and bottom of the NFC North. The win is Detroit’s first on Thanksgiving since 2016.
Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers improved to 9-3 with a comfortable 30-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, behind a 274-yard performance from Jordan Love. Despite their record, Green Bay sit on the fringes of the playoffs in a highly contentious NFC North. Miami’s playoff hopes continued to fade in what had been an extremely disappointing season, as penalties and inconsistent play hampered their performance and saw them fall to a record of 5-8.