We haven’t sat down for dinner yet and the NFL on Thanksgiving has already run into a snag. With the Ravens dealing with cases of the COVID-19, the league made the decision to move their Thursday night game against the Steelers to Sunday.
Games have been moved around before, so at first glance, my eyes weren’t raised. But some Pittsburgh players weren’t having it.
“What a joke….,” wide receiver Chase Claypool tweeted. Backup QB Devlin Hodges added, “that’s some BS.”
Wait, why? What’s the problem? Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster chimed in with what probably has his teammates steamed.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
“First the NFL takes away our bye week because another team can’t get their Covid situation together, now they take away our Thanksgiving primetime game for the same reason. Smh.”
Huh. Well, that’s understandable. The Steelers’ original Week 8 bye was moved up to Week 4 because the Titans had an outbreak of their own. And now, what should have been a nice little break between games has been eliminated. That’s a bummer.
Well, just because the Steelers are feeling salty, doesn’t mean I have to share their sentiment. So, in honor of Thanksgiving and cliches, here is what I’m grateful for this season.
Young quarterbacks
They’re all over the place. Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen are all killing it despite their relative inexperience and have me feeling confident that the position is in good hands as we come out of the Manning/Brady/Brees era.
Living in the Pacific Time Zone
I want to make this clear: This is not an east coast vs. west coast thing. I love all things Americana and my experiences on the eastern seaboard have all been pleasant. New York rules. Philadelphia has a great vibe. I’ve never been to Baltimore, but I’m sure once I get there, I’ll have a blast.
But there’s just something special about being able to wake up on Sunday mornings and have games starting at 10 a.m. What’s even better are Sunday night and Monday night games ending around 8:30 p.m. There’s still time to go out and grab a bite afterwards. Can’t beat that, amirite?
The NFC East
Most of us can agree that this division has a good number of the most insufferable franchises in the league. And while it doesn’t give me great joy to see fanbases all bummed out, watching them play horrible football always puts a smile on my face. I feel no guilt about that.
Russell Wilson
He’s kinda lame, speaks in cliches and is a little bit of an annoying overachiever, but there’s nothing more scintillating than watching him play quarterback. He has a rocket arm and yet has the softest touch on deep throws and no lead is safe with him on the field. Maybe he won’t be named MVP this season, but I’ll tell you what, he’ll at least get some votes.
Brandon Staley
Everyone mocked and questioned Sean McVay when he jettisoned former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Is he insane? The nerve on this guy. And then he went out and hired a 30-something linebackers coach for the job? Psssh, ridiculous!
Well, all Staley has done is put together one of the top defenses in the NFL with a secondary that’s playing lights-out football. And once again, he’s made McVay look ahead of his time. The only thing that worries me is some team will come knocking on his door soon with a head coach job. So, I’m just going to enjoy this while it lasts.
NFL’S TOP 10
- Chiefs — You just knew that when Patrick Mahomes got the ball with a little more than a minute remaining and trailing by three points, that he would find a way to get the win. I just didn’t expect him to make it look so easy. I hope Kansas City fans are grateful for what they have. He’s going to bring them joy for many years to come.
- Steelers — They’re sitting with a 10-0 record and here are their remaining opponents: Ravens, Washington FT, Bills, Bengals, Colts and Browns. Think they can get to 16-0? Because I don’t. But they could finish 14-2 and that would be an amazing rebound from their blah 2019 season. The Chiefs are still better though.
- Saints — I was worried about how they would look with Taysom Hill under center. There’s a part of me that’s still surprised they actually went with him the entire game against the Falcons? Was he perfect? No, but he was good enough and New Orleans is just trying to treat water until Drew Brees returns from his 47 broken ribs.
- Rams — They might be ranked a little high, but give me a break. It was hard not to be pumped up after watching them go into Tampa and take down Tom Brady’s bunch. Despite his bad interception late, Jared Goff looked totally in control despite a lackluster running game and Brandon Staley’s defense really showed me something.
- Colts — Run the ball and play solid defense. If more teams just concentrated on doing that well, you can overcome questionable quarterback play. Sorry, couldn’t resist taking an unnecessary shot at Philip Rivers.
- Buccaneers — Tom Brady did look lost at times during that loss to the Rams. But there’s too much talent on this team for me to freak out. The Bucs are still very much a work in progress and there’s enough time for them to pull it together down the stretch.
- Titans — What a gutsy win on the road against the Ravens. They were able to hold Baltimore to a field goal late in the fourth quarter that sent the ball into overtime and then Derrick Henry turned the lights out with his clutch touchdown run to win it. There’s still something about this team that I can’t quite figure out, but they’re 7-3.
- Packers — What a disappointment. They’re still a solid team and will be in the postseason, but it’s hard to explain how they went into halftime with a 14-point lead over the Colts, only to score just three more the rest of the way and lose. Like the Titans, their record is still a solid 7-3, but does this team give you reason to really feel confident?
- Bills — Another 7-3 team! This team needed a bye week after their rough Week 10 loss and now they get winnable games against the Chargers and 49ers before a big test against the Steelers. They should be in position for a division crown soon.
- Seahawks — They beat the Cardinals and roughed up Kyler Murray in the process. Now check out the next four games on their schedule: Eagles, Giants, Jets and the Washington FT. Here is where they can cement their spot in the playoffs.
WHAT’S THE CHATTER?
This is just bad: Notice the Ravens fell completely out of my top 10? I had no choice. There are a myriad of explanations for why this team has regressed. Maybe it’s shoddy offensive line play. Maybe it’s injuries. Maybe the league has caught up to Lamar Jackson. Whatever it is, the Ravens are circling the drain and are behind the Browns for third place in the AFC North. And with the way the rest of the AFC is shaping up, Baltimore looks more and more like a team that will be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Sad news: Cowboys strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul suffered a medical emergency at the team facility and was rushed to the hospital. The news broke on Wednesday that Paul died at age 54. Join me in sending good thoughts to everyone in the organization in the wake of this tragedy.
Ugh: The Dolphins pulled their rookie QB Tua Tagovailo from Sunday’s loss against the Broncos after he struggled. And now he’s been limited in practice this week because of a thumb injury. After Joe Burrow was lost for the season (and maybe more) after suffering a bad knee injury, it’s a bummer to see another young man dealing with health issues.
Too bad: Pro Football Talk brought up an interesting factoid: Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson hasn’t thrown an interception since Oct. 11 and is on pace to throw for 4,613 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also has a passer rating of 108.6 and is completing 68.9 percent of his throws, both career highs. It’s such a shame he’s being wasted on a rudderless franchise.
APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 12
Texans at Lions: Yes, Thanksgiving is the one time a year that the nation is forced to watch the Lions. Here’s a game: If you make it into the third quarter, you win! Plus, Deshaun Watson is playing, so he’ll most likely do something memorable.
Washington FT at Dallas: Ahhh, yes, a riveting matchup between two 3-7 teams that are still somehow in contention for a division title. But yet, it’s the Cowboys and this game kicks off when a lot of people are sitting down for the meal of all meals. It’s an American tradition. Just soak it in.
Raiders at Falcons: I’m curious to see how the Raiders will respond the rest of the way after taking the Chiefs to the wire last Sunday night. This team might be on the verge of breaking out and joining the league’s elite.
Titans at Colts: These two teams are going to battle to end for the division title. This will be a good one to watch.
Cardinals at Patriots: A loss here would drop New England to 4-7 and pretty much end their postseason hopes. How many of you out there can’t wait to see this happen?
Browns at Jaguars: I don’t know, but I have a sneaking suspicion the Browns will revert back to their Cleveland ways and gack this game against a 1-9 team. Not rooting for it, just suspecting it.
Ravens at Steelers: It’s not on Thursday night anymore, but that doesn’t mean intensity will be less on Sunday. Baltimore is desperate to say afloat and should play like it.
Chiefs at Buccaneers: The game I’m the most excited to see this week. Will Mr. Mahomes layeth the smacketh down on Tommy Boy?
Bears at Packers: It’s as classic an NFL matchup as you can get. Why not check it out?
Have a great and safe Thanksgiving!
NFL Analyst
Currently a Mobile Editor at Yahoo, Saraf spent 5.5 years (Oct. 2010 – Feb. 2016) working for FOX Sports as an NFL Editor and Writer. Prior to that, Saraf worked for CBS Interactive for 4.5 years (May 2006 – Oct. 2010) as a Staff Editor.