For millions of Americans, from generation to generation, Thanksgiving Day and NFL football are inextricably linked.On Thanksgiving Day in 1925, a crowd of 36,000 – then the largest in pro football history – watched the Chicago Bears play the Chicago Cardinals at Wrigley Field.
In Detroit, the relationship between the Lions and Thanksgiving football dates back to 1934 when owner G.A. RICHARDS scheduled a holiday contest between the first-year Lions and the defending world champion Chicago Bears. The game was the first NFL game nationally broadcast, with NBC radio on the dial.
Since 1966, the Cowboys have been a Thanksgiving fixture, having hosted the annual contest for 47 of the last 49 years. In 1975 and 1977, the St. Louis Cardinals played host to the game in place of Dallas. In 1978, the game returned to Dallas for good.
From touch football games with friends to watching NFL games with relatives after a holiday feast, these football moments and memories are interwoven with the holiday season.
The 2015 installment of Thanksgiving Day football will feature a tripleheader for the 10th consecutive season.
The first game will send the Philadelphia Eagles to Detroit to face the Lions (12:30 PM ET, FOX). The late afternoon game will feature the Carolina Panthers visiting the Dallas Cowboys (4:30 PM ET, CBS). The holiday concludes with an NFC North rivalry as the Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears on NBC (8:30 PM ET).
GAME
NETWORK
LOCAL TIME
EASTERN TIME
Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) at Detroit Lions (3-7)
FOX
12:30 PM ET
12:30 PM
Carolina Panthers (10-0) at Dallas Cowboys (3-7)
CBS
3:30 PM CT
4:30 PM
Chicago Bears (4-6) at Green Bay Packers (7-3)
NBC
7:30 PM CT
8:30 PM
The Lions will play their 76th Thanksgiving Day game dating back to 1934, while the Cowboys will play in their 48th since 1966. The Packers and Bears will play in their 36th and 34th games, respectively. The Eagles will play in their seventh and the Panthers will play in their first Thanksgiving game.
The Thanksgiving Day records of the teams playing this Thursday:
TEAM
WON
LOST
TIED
Carolina Panthers*
–
–
–
Chicago Bears
16
15
2
Dallas Cowboys
29
17
1
Detroit Lions
35
38
2
Green Bay Packers
14
19
2
Philadelphia Eagles
6
0
0
*First game on Thanksgiving this week
– NFL –
Thursday’s matchup marks the second time that Philadelphia travels to Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. On November 28, 1968, the Eagles defeated the Lions 12-0 behind four SAM BAKER field goals at Tiger Stadium.
Detroit enters Week 12 following an 18-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders.
“This was a tough, hard-fought game,” says Lions head coach JIM CALDWELL. “We knew it was going to take a great effort to win, and we got that.”
Lions quarterback MATTHEW STAFFORD passed for 282 yards and ran for a touchdown, while wide receiver GOLDEN TATE had eight catches for 73 yards in the victory. Detroit wide receiver CALVIN JOHNSON added five receptions for 88 yards in the contest. Johnson (702) became the first player in franchise history with at least 700 career receptions.
The Lions aim for their third consecutive victory this week when they face Philadelphia.
“This is positive to build upon,” says Caldwell. “It’s hard enough to win one game in this league, let alone two. Now we have to see if we can make it three against a really tough team with a short week on Thanksgiving Day.”
Stafford has passed for 1,650 yards in five career games on Thanksgiving Day, the third-most in NFL history. In his past three games on Thanksgiving, Stafford has seven touchdown passes and only two interceptions for a 98.4 passer rating. He aims for his fourth consecutive Thanksgiving game with at least 330 passing yards.
Johnson aims for his seventh Thanksgiving game in row with a touchdown catch. Johnson is the all-time leader with eight career touchdown receptions on Thanksgiving. Johnson also seeks his fourth in a row on Thanksgiving with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown, following last season’s 146-yard, two-touchdown performance against Chicago.
The players with the most career touchdown catches on Thanksgiving:
PLAYER
TEAM
GAMES
TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS
Calvin Johnson
Detroit
8
8
Cloyce Box
Detroit
5
7
Michael Irvin*
Dallas
10
6
Many tied
5
*Pro Football Hall of Famer
Philadelphia enters the game following a 45-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I think everyone understands how bad that was,” says Eagles linebacker CONNOR BARWIN. “It was disappointing. We’ll go watch the film and evaluate. We have to get it fixed and play better on Thursday against Detroit.”
Philadelphia running back DARREN SPROLES had a 35-yard touchdown reception in the game, his first touchdown reception as an Eagle and the 28th of his career. Sproles is the only player in NFL history with at least 25 touchdown receptions (28), 15 rushing touchdowns (18) and five punt-return touchdowns (six).
“You have to be a pro and move on,” says quarterback MARK SANCHEZ, who passed for 261 yards and two touchdowns against the Buccaneers. “We are going to get another chance to play on Thanksgiving, which is going to be great. You get to have your family back at home watching, and then get a mini-bye the week after that. This could be the start of something good. We’ll figure it out and try to get a win on Thursday.”
Sanchez completed 20 of 29 passes (69 percent) for 217 yards and scored two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) in his start on Thanksgiving last season. Eagles running back DE MARCO MURRAY, who has played in three career games on Thanksgiving, aims for his fourth in a row with at least 100 scrimmage yards.
Philadelphia, who is undefeated in Thanksgiving Day games, plays on the holiday for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 33-10 at AT&T Stadium. Philadelphia has the highest winning percentage among active NFL franchises on Thanksgiving (minimum five games).
The active franchises with the highest winning percentage on Thanksgiving Day (minimum five games):
TEAM
WON
LOST
TIED
WINNING PCT.
Philadelphia Eagles
6
0
0
1.000
Minnesota Vikings
5
1
0
.833
Tennessee Titans
5
2
0
.714
Miami Dolphins
5
2
0
.714
New York Giants
7
4
3
.636
Note: tie games prior to 1972 do not count in winning percentage
The Panthers enter Week 12 after defeating Washington 44-16 to improve to 10-0 for the first time in team history.
“10-0 feels great,” says Carolina quarterback CAM NEWTON. “Usually we have 24 hours to celebrate but the fact that we have a short week upcoming, we need to come back and be ready for Dallas on Thanksgiving.”
Newton tied the franchise single-game record with five touchdown passes (STEVE BEUERLEIN, January 2, 2000) in the victory. Newton, who now has 102 passing touchdowns and 39 rushing touchdowns, is the only player in NFL history with at least 100 passing touchdowns and 25 rushing touchdowns in his first five seasons.
“It’s exciting for our players to be able to compete on Thanksgiving Day,” says Panthers head coachRON RIVERA, who played on Thanksgiving Day in 1992 as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears. “Every season presents challenges, regardless of when the games are played. We have to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Carolina prepares to face Dallas with the third ranked defense (322.8 yards per game) in the NFC. Linebacker THOMAS DAVIS is only player in NFL with at least three sacks and three interceptions this season. He also leads the team with 69 tackles. Safety KURT COLEMAN and cornerback JOSH NORMAN are tied for first in the NFC with four interceptions this season. Linebacker LUKE KUECHLY, who is second on the team with 68 tackles this season, had 15 tackles and a fumble recovery in his only career matchup against the Cowboys.
The Cowboys seek their second consecutive victory following a 24-14 win over Miami.
Dallas quarterback TONY ROMO passed for 227 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins, including a touchdown pass to wide receiver DEZ BRYANT. The touchdown marked the 50th between Romo and Bryant, the most by a quarterback-wide receiver tandem in franchise history, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famers TROY AIKMAN and MICHAEL IRVIN (49).
“We just have to get back to work,” says Cowboys head coach JASON GARRETT about preparing for a quick turnaround. “We’ll go to work because that’s what we do. We love playing football, we love coaching football. These guys love playing with each other. We are excited about the opportunity we have. We have a game on Thursday. The Carolina Panthers are coming to town. They are a darn good football team.”
The Cowboys enter their matchup against the Panthers having won six of their past nine on Thanksgiving.
Romo has led the Cowboys to six wins in eight Thanksgiving starts. For his career, Romo has passed for 2,232 yards and 18 touchdowns on Thanksgiving, both the most all-time on the holiday.
The most career passing yards and touchdown passes on Thanksgiving Day:
PASSING YARDS
PLAYER
TEAM
GAMES
PASSING YARDS
Tony Romo
Dallas
9
2,232
Troy Aikman*
Dallas
10
2,174
Matthew Stafford
Detroit
5
1,650
Danny White
Dallas
10
1,545
Bart Starr*
Green Bay
8
1,345
*Pro Football Hall of Famer
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
PLAYER
TEAM
GAMES
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
Tony Romo
Dallas
9
18
Bobby Layne*
Detroit
8
14
Danny White
Dallas
10
14
Troy Aikman*
Dallas
10
11
Brett Favre
Green Bay
4
11
*Pro Football Hall of Famer
“Romo gives everybody some extra juice,” says Bryant about Romo, who returned to the starting lineup following an injury he sustained in Week 2. “His play just shows how much he really means to the team. We all know who our leader is. Tony is outstanding. He just makes good things happen.”
Tight end JASON WITTEN, who will play in his 13th Thanksgiving Day game this week, is currently the all-time leader on Thanksgiving with 66 catches. His 740 receiving yards trail only HERMAN MOORE(834) for the most all-time on Thanksgiving.
The most career receptions and receiving yards on Thanksgiving Day:
RECEPTIONS
PLAYER
TEAM
GAMES
RECEPTIONS
Jason Witten
Dallas
12
66
Herman Moore
Detroit
10
51
Michael Irvin*
Dallas
10
49
Calvin Johnson
Detroit
8
47
Emmitt Smith
Dallas
13
42
*Pro Football Hall of Famer
RECEIVING YARDS
PLAYER
TEAM
GAMES
RECEIVING YARDS
Herman Moore
Detroit
10
834
Jason Witten
Dallas
12
740
Michael Irvin*
Dallas
10
722
Calvin Johnson
Detroit
8
676
Tony Hill
Dallas
9
622
*Pro Football Hall of Famer
Witten also ranks second all-time amongst tight ends with 994 receptions and needs six catches on Thursday to join TONY GONZALEZ (1,325) as the only tight ends in league annals with 1,000 career receptions.
Green Bay and Chicago cap off a full day of Thanksgiving football with an NFC North matchup on Thursday night.
The Packers will host their first Thanksgiving Day game since 1923 when they defeated the Hammond Pros 19-0 at Bellevue Park in Green Bay.
“I think it’s great, and it will be great for our fans,” says Packers head coach MIKE MC CARTHY about hosting a Thanksgiving Day game at home. “The first time we’ve had a Thanksgiving night game here at Lambeau Field. I think it will definitely be a special night.”
Adding to the excitement, the Packers will honor former quarterback BRETT FAVRE during a halftime ceremony. Favre’s name and retired No. 4 jersey will be unveiled on Lambeau Field’s north facade during halftime of Thursday’s game. Favre, who played in four Thanksgiving Day games in his career, is one of six Packers legends to have their number retired, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers DON HUTSON (No. 14), TONY CANADEO (No. 3), BART STARR (No. 15), RAY NITSCHKE (66) andREGGIE WHITE (92).
Green Bay aims for their second consecutive divisional victory following a 30-13 win over Minnesota last week.
Quarterback AARON RODGERS passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings. Wide receiver JAMES JONES had six receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in the game. Jones now has seven touchdown receptions this season, which is tied for second in the NFC. Packers running back EDDIE LACY added 100 rushing yards in the victory, his first 100-yard rushing performance this season.
Heading into this week’s matchup, Rodgers has led the Packers to a 5-1 record when he starts on Thursdays, including a 4-0 record against NFC North opponents. Since 2009, Rodgers is among the leaders in many passing categories on Thursdays, ranking first in the NFC in completion percentage (70.9), touchdown passes (13) and passer rating (113.4). He is also fifth in the NFC with 1,531 passing yards on Thursdays during that span.
The Thursday passing leaders in the NFC since 2009 (minimum three games played and 50 attempts):
PLAYER
TEAM
COMPLETION PCT.
PLAYER
TEAM
PASSING YARDS
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay
70.9
Drew Brees
New Orleans
2,236
Matt Ryan
Atlanta
69.4
Matthew Stafford
Detroit
1,650
Eli Manning
New York Giants
67.4
Tony Romo
Dallas
1,605
Drew Brees
New Orleans
66.8
Matt Ryan
Atlanta
1,578
Tony Romo
Dallas
65.6
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay
1,531
PLAYER
TEAM
TD PASSES
PLAYER
TEAM
PASSER RATING
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay
13
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay
113.4
Matt Ryan
Atlanta
12
Matt Ryan
Atlanta
108.9
Tony Romo
Dallas
11
Russell Wilson
Seattle
96.6
Drew Brees
New Orleans
9
Eli Manning
New York Giants
94.0
Matthew Stafford
Detroit
9
Tony Romo
Dallas
93.8
Chicago enters Week 12 following a 17-15 loss to Denver.
“We can’t afford to hang our heads,” says Chicago guard MATT SLAUSON. “We aren’t out of this by any stretch. We just need to keep on fighting and keep working.”
The Bears will play on Thanksgiving in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1980-81 after losing to Detroit on Thanksgiving last season. The Bears played on Thanksgiving during the franchise’s first 19 years of existence (1920-38) and are 16-15-2 all-time on the holiday.
“We have to come in and flip the switch pretty quickly,” says Bears quarterback JAY CUTLER. “We have to move on. It is part of the game. We have a Thursday night game against Green Bay and hopefully we’ll be energized for it this week on Thanksgiving.”
Cutler aims for his fourth straight game on Thursday with at least two touchdown passes. Wide receiver ALSHON JEFFERY, who has 15 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns in his past two games on Thursday, seeks his third consecutive Thursday game with a touchdown catch.
Bears rookie running back JEREMY LANGFORD has five touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving) in his past five games. His five rushing touchdowns are tied for the second-most among NFL rookies this season.
The rookie running backs with the most touchdowns in 2015:
PLAYER
TEAM
RUSHING TD
RECEIVING TD
RETURN TD
TOTAL TD
Karlos Williams
Buffalo
5
2
0
7
David Johnson
Arizona
3
3
1
7
Todd Gurley
St. Louis
6
0
0
6
Jeremy Langford
Chicago
5
1
0
6
Matt Jones
Washington
3
1
0
4
WEEK 12 – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4-6) AT DETROIT LIONS (3-7)
SERIES
EAGLES
LIONS
THURS. RECORD
11-5
39-40
SERIES LEADER
15-13-2
STREAKS
6 of past 7
COACHES VS. OPP.
Kelly: 1-0
Caldwell: 0-1
LAST WEEK
L 45-17 vs. Buccaneers
W 18-13 vs. Raiders
LAST GAME
12/8/13: Lions 20 at Eagles 34. Philadelphia RB LeSean McCoy rushes for 217 yards & 2 TDs. Detroit WR Jeremy Ross records 58-yard PR-TD & 98-yard KR-TD.
LAST GAME AT SITE
9/19/10: Eagles 35, Lions 32. Philadelphia RB McCoy rushes for 120 yards & 3 TDs. Eagles QB Michael Vick passes for 284 yards & 2 TDs.
REFEREE
John Parry
BROADCAST
FOX (12:30 PM ET): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews (field reporter). Westwood One: Kevin Kugler, Mark Malone, Ross Tucker (field reporter). SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 83 (Phi.), 82 (Det.). XM: 88 (WW1), 83 (Phi.), 82 (Det.).
STATS
PASSING
Sanchez: 40-64-417-2-4-65.7
Stafford: 239-372-2607-15-12-84.8
RUSHING
Murray: 141-515-3.7-4
Abdullah (R): 80-284-3.6-1
RECEIVING
Matthews: 55-565-10.3-2
C. Johnson: 59-828-14.0-3
OFFENSE
375.0
336.4
TAKE/GIVE
+1
-10
DEFENSE
374.4
367.2
SACKS
Cox: 5.5
Ansah: 8
INTs
Thurmond: 3
Quin: 2
PUNTING
D. Jones: 47.0
Martin: 46.1
KICKING
Sturgis: 55 (16/18 PAT; 13/16 FG)
Prater: 55 (16/19 PAT; 13/13 FG)
NOTES
EAGLES: Won on Thanksgiving at Det 12-0 on 11/28/68. Play on Thanksgiving for 2nd consecutive year…QB MARK SANCHEZ had 102.2 rating & won start last year on Thanksgiving…In 4 career Thurs. games, RB DE MARCO MURRAY has 571 scrimmage yards (142.8 per game), 402 rush yards (100.5 per game) & 5 TDs. RB-PR DARREN SPROLES has 3 TDs (2 rush, 1 rec.) in 2 games vs. Det. Is only player in NFL history with 25+ rec. TD (28), 15+ rush TD (18) & 5+ PR-TD (6). RB RYAN MATHEWS has rush TD in his past 3…WR JORDAN MATTHEWS had 27-yard TD catch last Thanksgiving. WR JOSH HUFF aims for 3rd in row with TD…DE FLETCHER COX has 3.5 sacks in 3 Thurs. games. LBs CONNOR BARWIN & MYCHAL KENDRICKS each had FR in last meeting.LB BRANDON GRAHAM has 4.5 sacks in past 3 on Thurs. DE VINNY CURRY aims for 3rd in row on Thurs. with sack…LIONS: Play 76th game on Thanksgiving. Host Phi on Thanksgiving for 1st time since 1968…QB MATTHEW STAFFORD aims for 4th consecutive 300-yard game on Thanksgiving & has 1,161 yards (387 per game), 7 TDs, 2 INTs & 98.4 rating in past 3…RB JOIQUE BELL has 4 TDs in past 3 on Thanksgiving…WR CALVIN JOHNSON has 8 rec. TDs on Thanksgiving, most in NFL history. Aims for 7th in row on Thanksgiving with TD catch. Aims for 4th in row on Thanksgiving with 100+ yards & TD. Since 2011, leads NFL with 7,042 rec. yards & 102.1 rec. yards per game. WR GOLDEN TATE had 8 catches for 89 yards last Thanksgiving. WR LANCE MOORE has TD in 4 of past 6…DE EZEKIEL ANSAH has 6 sacks, 3 FFs & FR in past 7. DE JASON JONES has sack in 3 of 4 Thurs. games. S GLOVER QUIN & JAMES IHEDIGBO each had INT last Thanksgiving.
CAROLINA PANTHERS (10-0) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (3-7)
SERIES
PANTHERS
COWBOYS
THURS. RECORD
1-4
31-18-1
SERIES LEADER
9-1
STREAKS
Past 9
COACHES VS. OPP.
Rivera: 0-1
Garrett: 1-0
LAST WEEK
W 44-16 vs. Redskins
W 24-14 at Dolphins
LAST GAME
10/21/12: Cowboys 19 at Panthers 14. Dallas QB Tony Romo passes for 227 yards & TD. Cowboys WR Miles Austin has 5 receptions for 97 yards & TD.
LAST GAME AT SITE
9/28/09: Panthers 7 at Cowboys 21. Dallas CB Terence Newman records 27-yard INT-TD. Cowboys RB Tashard Choice rushes for 82 yards & TD.
REFEREE
Ronald Torbert
BROADCAST
CBS (3:30 PM CT): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson (field reporter). Westwood One: Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Scott Kaplan (field reporter). SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 83 (Car.), 82 (Dal.). XM: 88 (WW1), 83 (Car.), 82 (Dal.).
STATS
PASSING
Newton: 174-306-2283-20-9-90.1
Romo: 72-100-778-5-4-94.5
RUSHING
Stewart: 190-764-4.0-4
McFadden: 159-623-3.9-2
RECEIVING
Olsen (TE): 48-718-15.0-6
Witten (TE): 51-472-9.3-2
OFFENSE
354.2
343.5
TAKE/GIVE
+13
-9
DEFENSE
322.8
335.8
SACKS
Short: 6
Hardy: 4.5
INTs
Coleman, Norman: 4
Heath: 2
PUNTING
Nortman: 46.1
C. Jones: 45.7
KICKING
Gano: 95 (32/34 PAT; 21/25 FG)
Bailey: 76 (19/19 PAT; 19/20 FG)
NOTES
PANTHERS: Play 1st Thanksgiving game…Are 10-0 for 1st time in franchise history…QB CAM NEWTON tied franchise record with 5 pass TDs last week. Has rush TD in all 3 Thurs. games. Has 30 career games with pass TD & rush TD, 2nd most in NFL history (HOFer STEVE YOUNG, 31)…RB JONATHAN STEWART has 205 scrimmage yards (102.5 per game) & 2 TDs in past 2…FB MIKE TOLBERT had rush TD in last meeting. Had TD catch last week…TE GREG OLSEN has 6 TDs in past 8. Is only TE in NFL with 5+ rec. TDs in each of past 8 seasons. Rookie WR DEVIN FUNCHESShas TD in 2 of past 3…Since entering NFL in 2012, LB LUKE KUECHLY leads league with 541 tackles. Had 15 tackles & FR in last meeting. LB THOMAS DAVIS is only player in NFL with 3+ sacks & 3+ INTs. Leads team with 69 tackles. In past 3 meetings, has 22 tackles, 2 FFs, sack & INT. DT KAWANN SHORT ties for 3rd among NFL DTs with 6 sacks. CB JOSH NORMAN ties for NFL lead with 2 INT-TDs & ties for 4th with 4 INTs…COWBOYS: Are 29-17-1 on Thanksgiving, incl. 6 wins in past 9…QB TONY ROMO is 4-0 as starter vs. Car. Is 8-2 as starter on Thurs. (6-2 on Thanksgiving) with 106 rating…RB DARREN MC FADDEN rushed for 129 yards last week & has 604 scrimmage yards (120.8 per game) in past 5…WR DEZ BRYANT has 3 TDs in past 3 on Thanksgiving. Since 2012, leads NFL with 43 TD catches. Romo & Bryant have 50 TDs, most by QB-WR duo in team history. TE JASON WITTEN ranks 2nd in NFL history among TEs in catches (994) & rec. yards (10,974). Needs 6 catches to be 2nd TE ever with 1,000 career catches…LB ROLANDO MC CLAINhad INT-TD last week. LB SEAN LEE has 12 INTs since entering NFL in 2010, most by LB. DE GREG HARDY had 34 sacks in 63 career games with Car. Had 2 10+ sack seasons (11 in 2012, 15 in 2013) with Panthers.
CHICAGO BEARS (4-6) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (7-3)
SERIES
BEARS
PACKERS
THURS. RECORD
23-20-2
18-25-2
SERIES LEADER
92-91-6
STREAKS
10 of past 11
COACHES VS. OPP.
Fox: 4-2
McCarthy: 14-6
LAST WEEK
L 17-15 vs. Broncos
W 30-13 at Vikings
LAST GAME
9/13/15: Packers 31 at Bears 23. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers throws for 189 yards & 3 TDs. Packers RB Eddie Lacy rushes for 85 yards & TD.
LAST GAME AT SITE
11/9/14: Packers 55, Bears 14. Green Bay QB Rodgers throws for 315 yards & 6 TDs (145.8 passer rating). Packers CB Casey Hayward records 82-yard INT-TD.
REFEREE
Ed Hochuli
BROADCAST
NBC (7:30 PM CT): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya (field reporter). Westwood One: Kevin Harlan, Tony Boselli, Laura Okmin (field reporter). SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 83 (Chi.), 82 (GB). XM: 88 (WW1), 83 (Chi.), 82(GB).
STATS
PASSING
Cutler: 192-303-2310-13-6-92.7
Rodgers: 214-347-2482-23-3-101.8
RUSHING
Langford (R): 78-250-3.2-5
Lacy: 105-408-3.9-2
RECEIVING
Bennett (TE): 50-425-8.5-3
Cobb: 47-553-11.8-6
OFFENSE
352.1
341.9
TAKE/GIVE
-3
+8
DEFENSE
340.9
368.6
SACKS
McPhee: 5
Peppers: 6.5
INTs
5 tied: 1
4 tied: 2
PUNTING
O’Donnell: 45.1
Masthay: 43.0
KICKING
Gould: 84 (15/16 PAT; 23/26 FG)
Crosby: 75 (24/24 PAT; 17/19 FG)
NOTES
BEARS: Play 34th Thanksgiving game (2nd in row)…QB JAY CUTLER aims for 4th Thurs. game in row with 2+ TDs…In past 5 vs. GB, RB MATT FORTÉ has 754 scrimmage yards (150.8 per game) & 5 TDs (4 rush, 1 rec.). Rookie RB JEREMY LANGFORD has 5 TDs (4 rush, 1 rec.) in past 5…WR ALSHON JEFFERY has 15 catches for 166 yards (83 per game) & 3 TDs in past 2 on Thurs. TE MARTELLUS BENNETT had TD in Week 1. Since 2014, leads NFL TEs with 140 catches. WR MARQUESS WILSON had 1st 100-yard game (102 yards) last week…LB PERNELL MC PHEE has 5 sacks & INT in his past 7. LB WILLIE YOUNG has sack & INT in past 2. Rookie S ADRIAN AMOShad 1st career sack last week. LB LAMARR HOUSTON has 3 sacks in past 3…PACKERS: Host 1st Thanksgiving game since 1923…QB AARON RODGERS has won 10 of past 11 starts vs. Chi (incl. playoffs) & has 116.1 rating. In past 3 meetings, has 13 TDs, 0 INTs & 146.7 rating. Has thrown 54 TDs vs. 2 INTs with 120.5 rating in past 21 at home (incl. playoffs). Has 14 TDs, 2 INTs & 112.4 rating in 7 Thurs. games…RB EDDIE LACY has TD (4 rush, 1 rec.) in all 5 meetings…WR RANDALL COBB has 6 TDs in past 4 meetings. Has 10 TDs in past 10 vs. division. WR JAMES JONES had 2 TDs in Week 1 & has 7 TDs in past 6 meetings…LB CLAY MATTHEWS has 6.5 sacks & 2 INTs in past 5 meetings. LB JULIUS PEPPERS has 2.5 sacks, FF & FR in past 2 vs. Chi. In past 5 on Thurs., has 5.5 sacks & 49-yard INT-TD. Is only player in NFL history with 100+ sacks (132) & 10+ INTs (11). DE DATONE JONES had 2 sacks last week. S HA HA CLINTON-DIX leads team with 71 tackles. Has sack & INT in past 2. Rookie CB DAMARIOUS RANDALL leads team with 12 PD.
