NFL Thanksgiving: Seahawks make statement in win over 49ers

Don’t buttfumble.

“I mean, it sucked,” Sanchez told Philly.com while reminiscing on the infamous play from Thanksgiving 2012. “I ran into some guy’s butt and dropped the ball on the turf, and they scored. It’s like my favorite holiday. It’s not cool. That was really a bummer. But the game plan was ‘Try not to do that,’ and we accomplished it.”

Baalke is not making her father’s job any easier by publicly asking for an ousting of the offensive coordinator, although she may get her wish. San Francisco has been in turmoil all season when it comes to coaching, with rumors flying around about a rift between Jim Harbaugh and the organization.

Trestman took responsibility for the loss after the game, saying accountability and blame start with him. Per the team’s official site:

Here’s a look at where all of the divisions stand after Thursday’s games:

The logjam in the AFC North didn’t clear up at all following Week 12, as all four teams have seven wins. They just keep winning, with both Baltimore and Cleveland pulling out tough victories. Cincinnati is technically on top thanks to a 7-3-1 record, while the rest of the teams are 7-4. A tie could legitimately decide this division.

Here are three takeaways:

The Seahawks were forced to settle for field goals in the red zone three times, keeping what could have been a blowout to a competitive game most of the way. Seattle wasted a first-and-goal from the one early in the second quarter and had a touchdown pass called back on a penalty on the opening drive of the third.

1) Teams are really keying in on Murray in the red zone

Running back DeMarco Murray is obviously having a huge year for the Cowboys. He came into this game with over 1,300 yards and seven touchdowns on the year, but he hadn’t scored a touchdown in four games. He did break that skid, but he had plenty of opportunities to put up multiple scores in the red zone that were snuffed out by Philadelphia. There were a couple plays where Murray was even brought down from behind by the Eagles, who had to be aware that the Cowboys were going to give Murray plenty of opportunities to find the end zone.

Both the “X” AND the Roc Nation hand sign? SHOTS FIRED.

After a quiet game against the Patriots, Johnson busted out with 109 yards and two touchdown in the first half alone, and finished with 146 yards on 11 catches. He caught his seventh and eighth career Thanksgiving Day touchdowns to set an NFL record.

Three things:

After food, uncomfortable conversations with family members, and midday napping, Thanksgiving is best known for football. Unlike most years, however, Thursday’s slate of games include a multitude of great NFL and college matchups

Two separate college football games kick off at 7:30 p.m. The TCU Horned Frogs challenge the in-state rival Texas Longhorns on Fox Sports 1 and the Texas A&M Aggies take on the LSU Tigers on ESPN. Texas has a grand opportunity to play spoiler against TCU, which sits just one spot out of the top four in the college football playoff rankings. Though neither the Aggies nor Tigers are alive for the playoffs, any matchup of SEC West opponents should produce great football.

Ziggy Ansah had the Lions’ third sack of the day and celebrated by dancing like a turkey. But wait, Ziggy... are you a turkey? Or are you EATING a turkey? ARE YOU A CANNIBAL TURKEY??!?!?!?! Disgusting.

Johnson’s score was the seventh of his career on Thanksgiving, which tied an NFL record. He would later break the record late in the first half on a short fade route that gave the Lions a 24-14 lead. The catch gave Johnson 109 yards receiving on the day, pushing him over 10,000 for his career and just ahead of Eric Moulds for the 43rd overall spot on the NFL career receiving list.

He now has nine receptions for 109 yards and two scores in Thursday’s game, and remains really, really good.

The Fuller family is having a reunion at Ford Field on Thanksgiving. Kyle Fuller is a cornerback for the Bears, and Corey Fuller is a wide receiver for the Lions. In the second quarter Kyle made a catch... and Corey wasn’t having it.

So if your older brother Steve starts talking about his stupid new girlfriend at the table, go ahead, knock a turkey leg out of his hand. You’re not alone.

As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press pointed out, Conte has already suffered two concussions this season. The Bears ultimately announced that Conte had sustained an eye injury and would not be able to return to Thursday’s game. He was determined to not have a concussion.

Conte’s absence would be a blow to a secondary (and defense as a whole) that has struggled mightily this season, giving up more than 260 yards passing per game. Conte has 39 tackles on the season to go with three interceptions.

We saw this already, but what an awesome way to spend Thanksgiving together.

Arizona is thankful for: The defense that’s going to help the Cardinals clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2009, and the endless supply of articles pointing out that no team that plays in the stadium hosting the Super Bowl has ever made it to the championship game. Super helpful of you, sportswriters.

Atlanta is thankful for: The existence of divisions. Watch the Falcons go 6-10, win the NFC South, make an improbable run to the Conference Championship, and then agonize over whether they should fire Mike Smith. It’s going to be the best.

Detroit is favored by seven points at home over Chicago, with an over/under of 47.5, according to OddsShark.

For more on the Bears, check out Windy City Gridiron.

Thanksgiving football is the best kind of football. You’re stuffed, a little drunk, and feeling lazy as hell. It’s the only time that sitting on your ass and watching the NFL actually feels like a tradition. Like it’s something you’re supposed to be doing to honor your family. It’s wonderful.

If you find yourself at a house where there is no televised football, that’s ok too. Don’t be the idiot who openly complains about no football because people hate that person. Just relax, drink another beer, and think of it as doing your small part to keep ratings in check. You’re taking one for the team and we appreciate it.

Both teams enter Thursday with 7-4 records, tied for second in the NFC West.

Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara

While the Eagles rely more on the pass, Dallas relies more on its ground game led by MVP candidate DeMarco Murray. The NFL’s leading rusher has 1,354 yards to go with seven scores this season, plus 38 catches for 303 yards. Neither defense has done much, but are good enough to give their offense the chance to win games scoring 26 to 30 points per game. Dallas is averaging 26.5 points per game while allowing 21.8. Philly is averaging 31.1 points while allowing 25.

This has all the makings of a high-scoring Thanksgiving affair with first place in the NFC East on the line. These two teams will face each other again in Week 15, meaning they’ll meet twice in a span of three weeks.

Some -- including players on both teams -- even considered the hard-fought and amazingly close NFC Championship Game to be last year’s “true” Super Bowl.

Of course, with the help of the NFL’s scheduling department, along with some less-than-amazing play both both squads, the rivalry has cooled ever so slightly. Seattle and San Francisco face each other for the first time this year on Thanksgiving, and for the Niners, they’ll have their chance to find out if revenge is indeed a dish best served cold (I’ll let myself out).

The Seahawks hardly looked like defending Super Bowl champions when they started the season 3-3, but since then have reeled off four wins in their last five games. They are coming off perhaps their best defensive performance of the season, holding the Cardinals to a field goal in a 19-3 win on Sunday. Seattle currently owns the tiebreaker over the 49ers (via a better conference record) and the sixth playoff spot, but it faces the toughest remaining schedule of any NFC team.

The 49ers also struggled out of the gate, losing two of their first three games as rumors swirled about the status of head coach Jim Harbaugh. Yet the team has kept the focus on the field and played well despite those distractions, responding with six wins in its last eight games to stay afloat in the playoff hunt. The surging 49ers are primed to keep the momentum going into Thursday’s showdown against the Seahawks, having won their last five home games against their division rival.

The NFC East is shaping up to be one of the more entertaining divisions in football this year. Its top two teams face off on Thanksgiving in Arlington.

The Eagles enter Thursday with a record of 8-3. The Cowboys come in with the same record, as both teams are tied for the NFC East lead.

Romo missed the following week against Arizona, who manhandled the Brandon Weeden-led Cowboys. As for the Eagles, they’ve beaten Washington and New York once, meaning that four of their final five games are within the division.

The Eagles feature one of the NFL’s most balanced offenses. They rank fourth in passing offense, gaining 293.1 yards per game. They can also run the ball effectively, as evidenced by their 118.7 yards per game, good for 12th-best in the league. Their defense has been their Achilles’ heel though, as they rank 26th in total yardage allowed per game in addition to their 25th-ranked scoring defense (25 ppg allowed).

The experts are understandably split on the outcome of Seahawks vs. 49ers. Five of CBS Sports’ eight-man panel sided with the defending champs.

CBS Sports senior writer Pete Prisco had this to say about the game: