NFL Week 12: Trends which will decide each game

Happy Thanksgiving as all 32 NFL teams will be taking the field this week.

There’s a full slate as every club in the league will be in action in Week 12. The Lions and Cowboys will once again be hosting Thanksgiving Day affairs and six of the 16 contests this week are of the interconference variety. There are also a half-dozen divisional match-ups, five of those tilts rematches from earlier this season. And the defending Super Bowl champions have an intriguing encounter in Tampa.

NOTE: All times ET

Thursday, Nov. 26

Houston Texans (3-7) at Detroit Lions (4-6), 12:30 pm

Texans: The franchise will make just its second appearance on Turkey Day and once again it will be in the Motor City. Back in 2012 when Gary Kubiak was the head coach and Matt Schaub was the starting quarterback, Houston came away with a 34-31 overtime victory.

As for this year’s edition of the Texans, the club comes off a seven-point win over the visiting Patriots in which quarterback Deshaun Watson continued his solid season. He’s hitting on 68.9 percent of his throws for 2,883 yards and four times as many scores (20) as interceptions (5).

The four-year pro has run for 269 yards and two TDs and has not lost a fumble despite being sacked 26 times in 10 outings.

Lions: It’s a tradition that dates back to 1934. And some have questioned why the Lions are still a Thanksgiving Day staple despite the lack of success by the franchise?

The franchise now owns a subpar 37-41-2 lifetime record on this holiday and for the most part, has been the real turkey when it comes to this contest. And Matt Patricia’s team was blanked this past Sunday in Charlotte as the club managed only 185 total yards in a 20-0 setback. It was only the second time that a team had been shut out in the first 11 weeks of 2020.

Even more distressing has been the Lions’ record at home, a combined 6-14 the last two-plus seasons (1-3 in 2020) under the current head coach.