NFL games during Thanksgiving weekend are sometimes merely a welcome palate cleanser amidst a sea of turkey and macaroni and cheese: a sprig of parsley or a squeeze of lemon meant only to break up the monotony of a gluttonous few days.
Other times — like this Thursday and Friday — the games are the main dish.
The four NFL matchups Thanksgiving and Black Friday all carry some pretty serious levels of import as we head into the homestretch of the season and teams jockey for playoff position. These aren't games to merely have on in the background while you pretend to care about your cousin's partner's views on the New York mayoral race. These are matchups that feature either a team that's desperate or a team with something to prove.
Here's why every matchup on Thanksgiving and the day after is a significant one.
Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) at Detroit Lions (7-4)
This rematch of a Week 1 game between NFC North foes is the first game on Thanksgiving, and it's a pivotal one for both clubs.
The Packers won the first round, limiting the Lions to only 13 points in the season opener and kicking off a since-constant conversation about Detroit's offense. Both teams were expected to be Super Bowl contenders before the season, and while both have been good, each has also had its struggles.
Green Bay and Detroit each enter with 3-2 records in their last five games. If the Packers win, they'll have a two-game lead over the Lions in the loss column plus the tiebreaker, which would make it incredibly difficult for Detroit to come back and win the division. If the Lions win, they'll be within one game of the North-leading Chicago Bears at worst — which could be extra important this year as Detroit is on the outside of the NFC playoff picture.
Keep an eye on the star pass rushers in this one as Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson are both capable of swinging a game themselves.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) at Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1)
The Chiefs and the Cowboys both pulled out huge comebacks in Week 12, as Kansas City came back from two scores down to beat the Indianapolis Colts in overtime and Dallas erased a 21-0 deficit against the Philadelphia Eagles.
We find these two teams in pretty desperate waters, as both enter Week 13 in 10th place in their conferences. Neither side can afford to lose many more games the rest of the season if it hopes to make the playoffs.
This game has the potential to be a classic quarterback duel. Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott are ranked second and third in passing yards this season. Prescott is also second in passing touchdowns, with 23.
Cincinnati Bengals (3-8) at Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
The Ravens are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winners of five straight games to climb out of a 1-5 hole. The headline of this matchup, though, is the return of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who is expected to make his first start since Week 2 after he suffered a turf toe injury.
Burrow has lost four straight games against Baltimore, three of which were decided by one score, the last two of which were decided by a total of four points. In two games vs. the Ravens last season, Burrow threw for 820 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception.
A Ravens win could put them in the driver's seat in the AFC North if the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to flounder. A win for Cincinnati could be start of its own run as the Bengals try to get back in the hunt.
Chicago Bears (8-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (8-3)
Are the Bears for real? There is no better way for Chicago to prove its 8-3 record is legit than by defeating the defending Super Bowl champs on the road.
The Bears, under first-year coach Ben Johnson, have gotten improved play from Caleb Williams this season, as the former No. 1 overall pick has thrown for 2,568 yards, with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. But six of Chicago's eight wins have come in one-score games, including multiple wins in the final minute. Is the Bears' record in close games sustainable? Or a sign the dam is about to break? Chicago has only one win against teams currently over .500.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are having the 8-3 season from hell. Philadelphia is coming off a dispiriting loss to the Cowboys that ratcheted up the pressure on the struggling offense. A year after they finished seventh in points per game, the Eagles enter Week 13 ranked 17th. Philly's once-vaunted rushing attack has struggled, tumbling from to 179.3 yards per game a season ago to 110.5, 21st in the NFL.
The Eagles need a bounce-back performance to quiet the noise, while the Bears can silence their own doubters with what would be their signature win of the season so far.