Happy American Thanksgiving means more than just scarfing down loads of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
It is also about a gargantuan buffet of NFL football.
But of course, the COVID-19 pandemic just had to mess around with today’s tradition, so it’s not as amazing as in past years.
After at least seven players on the Baltimore Ravens tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the NFL has announced the Thursday night game between 6-4 Baltimore and 10-0 Pittsburgh will be moved to Sunday.
None of the Ravens players who tested positive, including running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins, will be eligible to play in the game.
The Ravens-Steelers game was scheduled to be the night cap in a Thanksgiving triple-header of games and is the 13th game this season to be postponed or moved due to COVID-19-related issues.
So with just two games now on the slate, here are my picks for each pigskin feast.
Houston Texans at Detroit Lions (+3) The Texans improved to 3-7 on Sunday thanks in large part to QB DeShaun Watson. The 4-6 Lions, on the other hand, were skunked 20-0 in Carolina and lost to a quarterback who was making his first ever start in the league. Strange things happen on Thanksgiving, but I see a Lions team trending in the wrong direction. Houston 34-28
Washington Football Team at Dallas Cowboys (-3) Both teams are 3-7, and the winner will remarkably jump into first place in the lacklustre NFC East. Washington and Dallas are both coming off victories last weekend. I think Andy Dalton plays his best game as a Cowboy and America’s Team give their fans something to be thankful for. Dallas 27-20
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.