There are many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season, but one of them is not the slate of NFL games scheduled for Turkey Day.

I’m all for tradition and everything, but when said tradition revolves around the Detroit Lions, it might be time to rethink things.

The Lions have been terrible for years, and so, the entire country has been subject to watching awful football during a time where there’s a captive audience. You’d think the NFL, with all their marketing savvy, would figure out a way to get a showcase game on TV during Thanksgiving, but thus far their efforts have only resulted in a NFL Network night game – a channel that half the country doesn’t get.

I haven’t even touched on Dallas – the most overexposed team in the league – getting yet another nationwide slot, but at least the Cowboys have some drama.

Speaking of drama, Chris and I are tied again in the overall standings as we head down the home stretch. Let’s see if this week’s games will break the tie …

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Indianapolis at Houston, 10 a.m. Sunday, CBS
The line: Colts by 4

They showed a remarkable stat during last week’s Monday Night game – the Texans are 1-14 against the Colts in their existence. Yet people still are picking the Texans to pull the upset here, this despite not even being able to beat the Titans last week on their home field. So what if Houston gave Indy a tough game just a few weeks ago – the Colts have shown this year that they are going to be one of those teams are more comfortable playing nailbiters than blowouts. I don’t think the Texans have any way to stop Peyton Manning, and I feel that the Indy defense will be able to get enough pressure on Matt Schaub to make the mistakes they’ll need to win the game.
Elliott’s pick: Colts 34, Texans 24
Chris: Colts

Arizona at Tennessee, 1:15 p.m. Sunday, FOX
The line: Titans by 2.5.

Slowly but surely the Titans are climbing out of their 0-6 hole. Since Vince Young returned to quarterback, they have won four straight, and with four of the last six games at home, they actually have a chance at .500 or better. They are only two games out of the wild card, so they have plenty to play for. Arizona is 5-0 on the road, but Kurt Warner is questionable after sitting out the second half with a concussion last weekend. It would certainly be apropos for the Cardinals to start Matt Leinart, which would create a QB rematch of the USC-Texas national title game from 2005. That was the game in which Young vaulted himself over Leinart in the draft pecking order. Since then, both have fallen on hard times, but Young is back in the lineup and playing well enough to win. Will Leinart get his chance at revenge this week?
Chris’ pick: Titans 24, Cardinals 17
Elliott: Cardinals

Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 5:15 p.m. Sunday, NBC
The line: Even

Two teams is desperate need of a win meet in the first meeting of a classic NFL rivalry. Pittsburgh embarrassed itself by losing to the Chiefs last week despite outgaining K.C. by 300 yards. Adding injury to insult were the hits that banged up both Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch, leaving the Steelers in a precarious QB position. Baltimore has been up and down this season, as its .500 mark would indicate, and injuries on the defensive side of the ball have left the Ravens on shaky ground. Will the Ravens be able to establish Ray Rice against the Steelers’ top-ranked run defense? Will the Steelers’ o-line give Big Ben enough time to throw and not take another big hit? As usual, I’ve got to go with my boys.
Elliott’s pick: Steelers 20, Ravens 10
Chris: Ravens

New England at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN
The line: Saints by 3.

We’ve had some big games this season: the Brett Bowls between Minnesota and Green Bay, the Pittsburgh-Minnesota matchup in Week 7, the Bengals’ sweep of the Steelers, the memorable Indianapolis-New England game in Week 10, almost every game Baltimore has played. And Monday night has presented its share of doozies, with really only three duds all year. This is the latest big game to cap the week, a matchup between the top team in the NFL, the undefeated Saints, and the top-five Patriots, whose three losses have come by a combined total of 11 points. One was in overtime in Denver, and the last one was the 35-34 debacle against the Colts. So here the Patriots are again, with seemingly redemptive shot at an undefeated team. And this just so happens to be the team that is threatening to break the 2007 Patriots’ NFL record for points. These teams feature two of the best QBs in the league and plenty of weapons all around. The Saints have big trouble in their secondary, which could make for a big night for Tom Brady, Wes Welker and Randy Moss. But the Saints have a dominant offense themselves, and Drew Brees has a great chance to show the nation that he is every bit as good as Brady, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.
Chris’ pick: Saints 30, Patriots 27
Elliott: Saints

THE REST OF THE SLATE

Green Bay at Detroit
Elliott: Packers
Chris: Packers

Oakland at Dallas
Elliott: Cowboys
Chris: Cowboys

New York Giants at Denver
Elliott: Giants
Chris: Giants

Tampa Bay at Atlanta
Elliott: Falcons
Chris: Falcons

Miami at Buffalo
Elliott: Dolphins
Chris: Dolphins

Cleveland at Cincinnati
Elliott: Bengals
Chris: Bengals

Seattle at St. Louis
Elliott: Seahawks
Chris: Seahawks

Carolina at New York Jets
Elliott: Panthers
Chris: Panthers

Washington at Philadelphia
Elliott: Eagles
Chris: Eagles

Kansas City at San Diego
Elliott: Chargers
Chris: Chargers

Jacksonville at San Francisco
Elliott: 49ers
Chris: 49ers

Chicago at Minnesota
Elliott: Vikings
Chris: Vikings

THE SCOREBOARD
Last week: Elliott 14-2, Chris 13-3
Overall standings: Elliott & Chris 111-49