Houston Texans at Detroit Lions – 12:30 p.m. ET

The interconference matchup between Houston (-2.5) and Detroit (+3) kicks off the Thanksgiving slate and arguably caries a bit less potential for offensive fireworks than it once did. Houston’s Deshaun Watson-helmed offense still features the likes of Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller, but Randall Cobb (toe) will miss this contest and Kenny Stills (quadriceps) may be sidelined as well. Meanwhile, the Lions’ Matthew Stafford is trying to play through a torn thumb ligament and rookie D’Andre Swift may be hard-pressed to return from the concussion that caused him to miss Week 11. Also, both Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola are both nursing hip injuries that have led to absences of three and one game, respectively.

Nevertheless, factoring in both defenses are suspect and interconference battles always carry a bit of an element of the unknown, and this could evolve into a wire-to-wire affair.

The initial line for this game at FanDuel Sportsbook was Detroit at -1.5. But the Lions’ piling injuries and this past weekend’s results (a Lions shutout loss to the Panthers, and a Texans victory over New England), moved the spread to favor Houston.

Washington Football Team at Dallas Cowboys – 4:30 p.m. ET

The game will mark the second time in franchise history the Texans play on Thanksgiving, with the first having come in a 34-31 overtime victory against the Lions back in 2012. Houston leads the all-time series between the teams, 3-1.

This will mark the 121st meeting overall (including postseason) between Washington (+3) and Dallas (-3), and is the tenth Thanksgiving Day game between the two. Despite Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury, Dallas still brings plenty of star power into the matchup in the form of Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.

Andy Dalton also took a step forward after returning from both a concussion and COVID-19 bout in Week 11 against the Vikings, upping Dallas’ offensive prospects to their highest point since Prescott went down.

The WFT also has reason for optimism on the offensive side of the ball despite the season-ending injury to Kyle Allen in Week 9. Alex Smith has stepped in and played well, with just a Matt Prater 59-yard field goal denying him a 2-0 mark as a starter thus far. Smith is complemented by a couple of young offensive pieces in Antonio Gibson and Terry McLaurin, both of whom canchange a game on any given play.

The Cowboys are 8-1 against the WFT on Thanksgiving Day, and they lead the all-time series between the teams, 73-45-2.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – 8:20 p.m. ET

A second consecutive bitter division rivalry serves as the Thanksgiving nightcap. The Ravens (+4.5) and Steelers (-4) will be meeting for the 54th time overall, including for the second time on Thanksgiving. This contest will feature a healthier, more well-rounded Pittsburgh squad compared to the one missing Ben Roethlisberger for most of 2019, and the Steelers will be looking to accomplish a season sweep of their rivals after dropping both games to them last season.

The Steelers are also trying to preserve an unblemished record that sees them with a four-game lead in the AFC North over third-place Baltimore. One of the most intriguing in-game matchups will undoubtedly be that between the elite athleticism of Lamar Jackson and the suffocating Steelers defense, which is allowing the third-fewest points (19.0) and fifth-fewest total yards (306.9) per game and has also picked off an NFL-high 15 passes. Jackson’s importance goes up another notch with the news Monday that both Mark Ingram and JK Dobbins will miss the game after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Ravens prevailed in the one aforementioned Thanksgiving Day game between the clubs, notching a 22-20 win. However, Pittsburgh leads the all-time series with Baltimore, 28-24.