Thanksgiving Day Football 2014: NFL Schedule, Picks and Predictions

There's nothing like Thanksgiving football, and this Thursday, fans will be treated to three excellent divisional games with huge playoff implications in the NFC.

The Chicago Bears will travel to Detroit to take on the Lions in the early game, before the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys engage in a battle that has the potential to produce 60-plus points.

The NFL's top-ranked defenses will complete Thursday's slate of games, as the Seattle Seahawks will renew their rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Here's the full schedule for Thanksgiving Day:

Time (ET)	Matchup	Channel	Live Stream	Prediction
12:30 p.m.	Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions	CBS	CBSSports.com	Lions win, 28-13
4:30 p.m.	Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys	Fox	Fox Sports Go	Cowboys win, 33-28
8:30 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers	NBC	NBC Live Extra	Seahawks win, 21-10

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

The Lions will have a chance to rebound from their Week 12 thrashing at the hands of the New England Patriots when they host Chicago, who ended a three-game slide with back-to-back wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Patriots managed to put up 34 points against Detroit's vaunted defense, which comes into this contest ranked third. The defensive line in particular struggled, as Ndamukong Suh and Ezekiel Ansah were largely contained for the first time all season.

The unit as a whole will be looking to make a statement on Thursday, and the Bears know it. As shared by the team's official Twitter feed, Jay Cutler acknowledged they won't be making things easy for him at Ford Field:

Cutler has a wealth of option to throw the ball to, with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery leading the way, but against the Lions' aggressive pass rush, a heavy dose of Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett will help keep that defense in check.

ESPN's Jeff Dickerson confirmed both Reggie Bush and Riley Reiff won't be playing for the hosts:

Despite Bush's absence, the Bears defense will need a big effort to slow down Matthew Stafford, while Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing outings in Week 12.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Dallas and Philadelphia will likely please fans of high-scoring football games when they face off against each other, with both teams ranking in the top seven in points per game.

With an 8-3 record, the Cowboys appear to be the favorites in the NFC East, powered by an offensive unit led by the league's leading rusher DeMarco Murray and Tony Romo, who is playing some of the best football of his life.

Elsa/Getty Images

The Eagles have an identical record and currently own the tiebreaker, and they'll be traveling to Dallas with a star running back of their own: LeSean McCoy, who finally looked himself when he went over 100 yards against the Tennessee Titans last week.

The difference in this game may be the play of Mark Sanchez, who will be making his first Thanksgiving Day start since 2012. As shared by the New York Post's Bart Hubbuch, he may not have the greatest memories from that game:

"

Mark Sanchez is making his first Thanksgiving Day start since 2012. I vaguely recall something eventful happening to him in that game.

— Bart Hubbuch (@BartHubbuch) November 26, 2014"

Romo's gunslinger mentality and Sanchez's rough patch in the past two games (five turnovers) means this game will likely hinge on big plays and one or two key defensive stops, giving the edge to the hosts and their 16th-ranked defense.

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

The defending Super Bowl champions travel to San Francisco to take on their NFC West rivals, and while both teams have somewhat underperformed in the 2014 season, they're both still in prime position in the playoff race.

With identical 7-4 records, they trail the Arizona Cardinals by two games within the division, and the loser of Thursday's game will face a serious battle in the NFC wild-card chase.

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Add the fact these two teams are ranked first and second in defense, respectively, and all the ingredients are there for an instant classic to close out the action on Thanksgiving Day.

Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick have quickly developed one of the better rivalries in the NFL, with the former seemingly winning the battle for quarterback supremacy since the start of the 2013 season. Pro Football Focus' Jeff Deeney believes his ability to handle pressure is one of the main reasons:

"

Wilson is only sacked 15.9% of the time he's pressured, compared to 22.1% for Kaepernick. Wilson also leads the league with 24 throwaways.

— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) November 26, 2014"

Kaepernick ranks among the NFL leaders in sacks, and the Seahawks will undoubtedly send pressure early and often and rely on their all-star secondary to get the job done man-to-man.

Frank Gore is averaging the lowest yards per carry of his career, via ESPN, but going up against the Legion of Boom, expect both him and rookie Carlos Hyde to see a lot of work early. If they can't find any success, it will be a long night for Kaepernick and the Niners.

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