NFL Thanksgiving Day Takeaways: Lions survive scare as Packers ...

The table was set for a compelling slate of games to kick off Week 13 in the NFL.

To kick things off, the Detroit Lions were able to avoid a scare against the Chicago Bears and escaped Thanksgiving Day with a rare win. The Dallas Cowboys followed that up by adding to the New York Giants' miserable season to keep their faint playoff chances alive.

To end the festivities, the Green Bay Packers got off to a strong start, held off the Miami Dolphins' late push and put a dent in their playoff hopes.

Here are takeaways from each team in Thursday's triple-header.

Lions fortunate to end Thanksgiving losing streak

Coming into this game, Detroit had not won a Thanksgiving game since 2016, and there was a chance that it could have been another miserable holiday in the Windy City.

In the first half, we saw why the Lions are a Super Bowl contender, going up 16-0 while outgaining the Bears 279-53. Detroit's defence gave Chicago all it could handle, especially early in the game, when the Bears didn't register a first down in the opening quarter.

Then came the second half, and it looked as if the Lions had eaten a turkey dinner while they were in the locker room.

Detroit struggled to finish drives in the red zone, scoring two touchdowns on five trips. Credit to Chicago, which made it a point to limit the Lions' running game in the second half. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery ran for just 50 yards and also fumbled.

The Lions also saw their streak of going 12 straight quarters without surrendering a touchdown come to an end after allowing three scores in the second half.

While there are areas to clean up, the Lions will enjoy a franchise-best 11-1 start to the season and Montgomery and Gibbs's 175-yard combined effort on the ground. Sam Laporta also had his first multi-touchdown game of the season.

What were the Bears thinking?

There has been no shortage of frustrated fanbases across the NFL, but the Bears might be near the top of the list of fans reaching their breaking point.

After getting outplayed in the first half, the Bears pushed back in the second half, outscoring the Lions 20-7.

However, a critical error in the game's final minute allowed the Lions to sneak away with the win, and many were watching the game scratching their heads.

Chicago had an opportunity to tie or win the game in the final minute and were facing third-and-26 at the Lions' 41-yard line with 34 seconds left. Following a sack on quarterback Caleb Williams, Chicago didn't use their timeout as the team hoped to get some additional yards that would allow kicker Cairo Santos to hit the game-tying field goal.

Instead, the clock ticked down, and Williams' only play was to attempt a deep pass to the endzone as he snapped the ball with eight seconds left on the game clock.

Head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that the play was to snap the ball at 18 seconds, use a timeout, and then kick a field goal.

"I think we handled it the right way," Eberflus told reporters after the game. "I do believe that we just re-rack the play, get it in bounds and call a timeout. That's why we called it. It just didn't work out the way we wanted it to."

Chicago has now lost six straight games, and each one has had its own crushing ending, with the last three coming against division rivals. With a 4-8 record that has them near the bottom of the conference, a couple of wins would have them competing for a wild-card spot.

The real question being asked now, and rightfully so, is whether Eberflus should be the coach at this stage. Eberflus' record in one-score games is 5-19, the worst record by any coach with at least 20 such games in NFL history.

It's safe to assume Eberlus is firmly on the hot seat, and you can sense the tension and frustration in the Bears' locker room when you look at the post-game comments.

"It was tough," receiver Keenan Allen said. "I feel like we did enough as players to win the game."

Cowboys get elusive home win

It has taken them 334 days, but the Cowboys finally have a win at AT&T Stadium, avoiding a rare and embarrassing mark for the franchise.

The last time the Cowboys won a game at home was back on Dec. 30, 2023, against the Lions. It wasn't just that they were losing at home — they were uncompetitive, trailing by at least 20 points in each game, an NFL record.

What worked for Dallas over their last two games is that their defence has stepped up after getting a pair of takeaways. On top of that, Rico Dowdle finally showed that he could take on a starting running back's workload with 112 yards on 22 carries for the Cowboys' first 100-yard performance since Week 3 of 2023, a 26-game span.

Sure, getting back-to-back wins has to feel good for the Cowboys, but out of their five wins this season, just two have come against teams in a playoff spot. They also have a pair of wins over a Giants team that holds the league's worst record.

With a 5-7 record, the Cowboys still believe they are in the playoff race, but it's a tough hill to climb. In order to even have a chance of catching the Washington Commanders, Dallas needs to leapfrog four teams ahead of them in the standings, which is easier said than done

More of the same for Giants

Coming off a lacklustre loss, the Giants found a way to hang around and put pressure on the Cowboys to take this game to the final possession.

However, mistakes continue to plague this team no matter who is behind centre at quarterback. After leading the Giants to a touchdown on their first drive, Drew Lock gave it right back with DeMarvion Overshow tipping a screen pass and securing it for a pick-six.

Lock found himself under siege in his first start of the season, getting sacked six times by the Cowboys. He also lost a fumble on the third play of the second half, which set up the Cooks touchdown.

Defensively, the Giants have not recorded an interception in 11 straight games. Also, playing against a beat-up Cowboys offensive line, went without a sack for the third time in four games and allowed Dowdle to rush for over 100 yards.

Fortunately for New York, they don't have to play against the Cowboys for the rest of the year, as the Giants have lost 20 of their last 24 meeting against their NFC East rival.

Packers continue to show contending form

The Dolphins came into this game winning their last three games while holding their opponents to fewer than 20 points, and many wondered if the Packers could slow down their offence, which has scored 34 points in back-to-back games.

Green Bay certainly had no problem showing Miami why they are not just a playoff team but one that is capable of being a Super Bowl threat.

For the third straight game, quarterback Jordan Love had a passer rating over 100 and completed 75 per cent of his passes. More importantly, Love avoided throwing an interception for the second straight game.

Despite struggling to get production on the ground, running back Josh Jacobs showed his value with six catches for 78 yards.

Green Bay has won three straight and seven of its last eight, with a critical showdown next up against the Lions.

Dolphins struggle in the cold again

The big question mark coming into this game was whether or not the Dolphins' offence could continue its hot run at Lambeau Field.

Unfortunately for Miami, a 24-3 deficit heading into the second half was too much to overcome, and they could not dodge the cold weather narrative. However, Tua Tagovailoa definitely did his part to try and prove he can perform when the temperature dips below 45 degrees.

Tagovailoa finished the game with 365 yards, two touchdowns and a 114.2 passer rating. Safe to say, quarterback play was not the Dolphins' issue against the Packers.

Instead, it was Miami's inability to match the physicality Green Bay brought in this game on both sides of the ball. The Packers recorded five sacks in this game, with the one on fourth and goal putting the brakes on any attempt from the Dolphins to try and engineer a comeback.

A troubling stat from the Dolphins had to be the 20-plus missed tackles by the defence, which allowed the Packers to pick up a fair chunk of extra yardage. Gift wrapping Green Bay a red zone opportunity off a fumble on a punt return didn't help Miami's chances either.

The Dolphins' playoff hopes took a big blow, too, as their chances went from 34.9 per cent down to 24.2 per cent to make it.