Packers, Broncos, and Chargers Win As Thanksgiving Weekend NFL Action Wraps Up

There were some significant NFL games on Thanksgiving Day over the holiday weekend, but there were some important games on Sunday as well.

In Green Bay, the two hottest teams in the NFL met as the Packers took on the New England Patriots. It was billed as a possible Super Bowl preview in the media, and this one lived up to the hype better than most actual Super Bowls do. Green Bay got off to a 13-0 lead and then held on to win 26-21 as the defense came through and stopped Tom Brady and company when it had to. In a game featuring two of the top quarterbacks in the game, Brady completed 22 of 35 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers was 24 of 38 for 368 yards. Rodgers had two touchdown passes as well. Neither QB threw an interception; in fact, there were no turnovers at all by either team. Both teams are now 9-3 and in the running for a first round bye in the playoffs.

Another 9-3 team, the Arizona Cardinals, appears headed in the other direction. The Cardinals were upset by the Atlanta Falcons 29-18, their second loss in a row. Arizona does haev a couple of weaknesses that were exposed. The Cardinals’ pass defense gives up a lot of yards—Matt Ryan threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns—plus the Arizona rushing attack is one of the worst in the league. The Cardinals are averaging just 74.8 rushing yards per game, and had just 35 in this one, though part of that was due to the Falcons getting off to a 17-0 lead, forcing Arizona to take to the air. Arizona is still in first in the NFC West, but Seattle is just a game back at 8-4.

In the AFC West, it looks like the San Diego Chargers have shaken out of their mid season slump in which they lost three in a row. The Chargers edged the Ravens in Baltimore 34-33 for their third straight victory. The Chargers improved to 8-4 and are in second place behind the Denver Broncos, who improved to 9-3 after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 29-16 and sweeping the two regular season games between the two. This was a big win on the road for the Broncos, who are 6-0 at home but only 3-3 on the road.

Kansas City (7-5) dropped to third place in the West. Though they are still in the running for a playoff berth, they’ve lost two in a row, including one to formerly winless Oakland a week ago. They are at Arizona next week. Denver will host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, before visiting San Diego the following week. The Chargers will host New England on Sunday.