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In Detroit, quarterback Jared Goff is making a case for not being completely dismissed as an MVP candidate because of the five picks he threw is a win over the Texans. Goff has seven passer ratings of 109.3 or better in 11 games. Three of those are above 153.7, including one perfect 158.3 outing at Jacksonville in Week 11, when all he did was complete 24 of 29 passes (82.8%) for 412 yards, four TDs and no picks. Goff has 39 career 300-yard games. Another one against the Bears on Thanksgiving would make him the fifth player with at least 40 300 yards passing in his first nine seasons. The others: Patrick Mahomes (46 in Year 8), Matt Ryan (41) and Hall of Famers Dan Marino (41) and Peyton Manning (40).

In Chicago, Caleb Williams' two touchdown passes in Sunday's overtime loss to the Vikings increased his season total to 11. A modest total, no doubt, but the young man is doing things statistically that no other Bears rookie quarterback has done in years, decades, ever. (Yeah, that's not saying much). The 11 touchdown passes ties the team rookie record set by Charlie O'Rourke in 1942. The Bears went 11-0 that year but lost the title game to Washington 14-6. O'Rourke also threw 16 interceptions that year, starting only one game as Sid Luckman's backup. With 340 yards passing against the Vikings, Williams reached 2,365 on the year to break Mitchell Trubisky's team rookie mark of 2,193 in 2017. Williams also hasn't thrown an interception in 193 straight passes, another rookie team record.

In Green Bay, the Packers are celebrating a bit of a milestone coming off the win over the 49ers and heading into their Thanksgiving night game against the Dolphins at Lambeau Field: They finally played a game this year in which Jordan Love did not throw an interception. Love has 11 picks in his nine starts — an interception percentage of 3.9 — after throwing 11 in all 17 starts (1.9%) in his first season as a starter a year ago. Miami's defense has only seven interceptions this season, but six players have at least one.

The picks

Bears (+9½) at Lions

Thursday, 11:30 a.m.

Yes, the Lions (10-1) are good now, but they've still lost seven straight Thanksgiving games, and three of them have been to Chicago. The last time Detroit won on Thanksgiving was 2016 when it beat the Vikings 16-13. The streak ends this year. Chicago is better than its 4-7 record. Williams is a QB the Bears can finally win with eventually. And it makes no sense to fire everybody and start all over again. The Bears are just learning how to win and, unfortunately for them, they're forced to do that in the wrong division at the wrong time. Lions 34, Bears 21.

Dolphins (+3½) at Packers

Thursday, 7:20 p.m.

Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving in prime time. Short week. Packers are 8-3, Dolphins 5-6. Perhaps a good survivor pool pick? No way. Not taking the cheese! Literally. Miami's offense and QB Tua Tagovailoa are too hot right now. Tagovailoa has completed 75% of his passes for 605 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions as Miami has scored 68 points in a pair of wins the last two weeks. Green Bay is ripe for the upset. Dolphins 30, Packers 27.

Cardinals (+3½) at Vikings

Sunday, noon

Arizona was on a four-game roll until mustering only two field goals in a 16-6 loss at Seattle on Sunday. The Cardinals defense did give up only 10 of the 16 points, the rest coming on Kyler Murray's pick-six. The Vikings have more firepower offensively, a better defense and a home crowd that's had to wait a month to greet a team that's now 9-2. The Vikings have yet to post a three-game stretch with fewer than four giveaways. They have only two in their last two games. If they're able to continue that trend – a big if – they should have no problem winning. Relatively speaking, of course. Vikings 27, Cardinals 19.

Season results

Record/vs. spread: 28-11/25-13-1.

Vikings pick/vs. spread: 5-6/5-5-1.

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