Football is as much a part of Thanksgiving as cranberry sauce from a can and annoying cousins. The Detroit Lions have been playing on Thanksgiving since 1934. The Dallas Cowboys have for over half a century. Even the Thanksgiving night game has been around for 20 years.
It's a three-game feast that kicks off a critical week. It's Week 13. Just two games remain in the regular season. For teams on the fringes of playoff contention, the edict is clear—win or else.
If you have been Living the Stream with regularity, then odds are you are one of those IDP managers on the fringe. It wasn't planned—no one wants to be sitting at 6-6 at this point in the season. But all it takes for things to go sideways is for an injury to hit a starting linebacker. For an edge-rusher to pick the worst possible time to go full Krispy Kreme. For a defensive back to be a defensive back.
The playoffs remain a possibility. But there's no margin for error. They are paddling against the current. Without a life vest. Things are perilously close to coming off the rails. For Thanksgiving dinner to be ruined.
We can't let that happen, now can we?
Week 13 Matchup Plays
EDGE Dennis Gardeck, Jacksonville (at Tennessee)
For the first seven seasons of his professional career, Gardeck was a member of the Arizona Cardinals. But Sunday in Glendale, Gardeck was on the other team, logging 1.5 sacks for the Jaguars in a three-point win. The 31-year-old told reporters that showing out against his old team was more important to him than he expected.
"I definitely had them circled as soon as I signed out here," he said. "It was kind of strange for it to be a big deal to me before the season and everything. Something that I had kind of looked forward to. It didn't seem like it was going to be that big of a deal until Sunday morning where, hopping on the bus, getting ready to go over there, and I'm like, 'Man, like I'm excited for this one.' It was really cool."
Gardeck played a season-high 53 snaps against the Redbirds, adding six total stops to that sack and a half. Walker isn't expected to be ready for return for Sunday's trip to face the one-win Titans, and no quarterback in the NFL has spent more time on his backside than Cam Ward, who has been sacked a whopping 45 times.
EDGE Uchenna Nwosu, Seattle (vs. Minnesota)
Back in 2022, Nwosu seemed headed for stardom, logging 66 total tackles and 9.5 sacks for the Seahawks. A pair of injury-marred seasons threatened to derail the 28-year-old's career, but Nwosu is healthy again and leading the Seahawks in sacks with 5.5. He told reporters that he feels more and more like his old self with each passing week.
"I'd probably say I'm still trying to get my legs back," he said. "I didn't really have offseason training, which I kind of feel. But it's steady, coming along with each game, each day of practice, I'm trying to continue to work and push my body to make sure I'm still here. I'm still climbing. I'm still getting back to myself."
Nwosu has actually been mired in a bit of a dry spell—he hasn't had a sack in three weeks. But the Vikings represent a great opportunity to break out of that funk—the Vikings have given up 39 sacks (second-most in the NFC) and will likely be rolling out undrafted rookie Max Brosmer at quarterback Sunday in Seattle.
LB D'Marco Jackson, Chicago (at Philadelphia)
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