Show Notes
Thanksgiving week turns into full -blown football chaos on this episode of Football Army.
We kick things off with the tradition itself: Thanksgiving Day football. The hosts walk you through the entire three-game NFL slate – Packers at Lions, Chiefs at Cowboys, and Bengals at Ravens – laying out the history, matchups, and betting angles that will shape the playoff picture. From Detroit’s revenge mission against Green Bay and Jameer Gibbs’ historic tear, to Dak Prescott torching defenses off play-action and Joe Burrow’s risky return from turf toe, every game gets the “how they actually win” treatment. Along the way, we celebrate the legacy of John Madden, from the turducken coin toss to the Madden Thanksgiving MVP awards and youth football donations in his name.
Then it’s time to zoom out to the league-wide storylines. In the NFC East, the Philadelphia meltdown takes center stage: blown leads, ugly third-and-out numbers, A.J. Brown’s visible frustration, and an offense that suddenly looks broken. In Dallas, CeeDee Lamb owns his drops while George Pickens’ breakout season creates a future contract headache for the Cowboys’ cap sheet. We hit the hot seat report too: the Raiders in free fall, Pete Carroll facing real one-and-done rumors, Zach Taylor’s Bengals sliding away from their recent AFC title heights, and Mike McDaniel’s shot to coach himself off the bubble.
Quarterback drama is everywhere. The crew breaks down the polarizing rise of rookie Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland – first-start win, long-term starter status, and the cultural storm around his confidence, flash, and how he’s evaluated compared to other QBs. They unpack Emmanuel Acho’s claims of systemic bias and Kendrick Perkins’ “most powerful Black man in sports” label, and ask what kind of pressure that puts on a rookie who’s barely begun his NFL journey.
On the transaction and injury front, it’s a busy week: the all-in Bills cut Elijah Moore and bring in veteran deep threat Brandin Cooks, Washington starts preparing for life after Bobby Wagner, New England faces a nightmare at left tackle, the Chiefs lose a starting guard for Thanksgiving, Drake London’s status complicates the Falcons’ passing game, and the league may have figured out the Colts by simply erasing Jonathan Taylor.
Then we flip to college football for rivalry week, spotlighting a seismic edition of The Game: No. 1 Ohio State at No. 18 Michigan in Ann Arbor. The hosts explain why this is essentially a playoff elimination game, why Michigan’s run-heavy identity is in jeopardy with Justice Haynes doubtful, and how Ohio State’s suffocating defense and five-star receivers create a nightmare matchup. They also break down the wild trend of Michigan repeatedly defying the spread in this rivalry and touch on the coaching carousel as Jim Mora bolts UConn for Colorado State.
Finally, it’s crunch time for fantasy managers. You get a full Week 13 snapshot: Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and Joe Burrow’s return ranked for fantasy; Gibbs elevated to elite RB1 status; the minefield that is the Chiefs’ backfield; Saquon Barkley as a volume-only play; and deep-league stashes like Chimere Dyke. The episode closes with a bigger question: over the next six weeks, will stars like Hurts, Mahomes, Lamar Jackson – and lightning rods like Brock Purdy, J.J. McCarthy, Daniel Jones, and Shedeur Sanders – prove they truly have the clutch gene when everything is on the line?
If you care about NFL playoff races, college football rivalries, coaching futures, and winning your fantasy league all at once, this is the Thanksgiving week breakdown you don’t skip.
