Quality NFL action on Thanksgiving? It’s not always a guarantee. In fact, we’ve learned to expect the worst and hope for the best but settle for turkey comas.

However, this year’s Thanksgiving slate is quite impressive. All three games matter to all six teams involved, so takeaways aren’t difficult to unearth.

In case the coma hit you early, here’s a rundown.

Updates will be added as games are completed.

Despite Victory, Serious Concerns Surround the Bills

What’s wrong with the Buffalo Bills?

Sure, they’ve been through a whole lot. Kicked out of their home by the elements and still managed to win two games in a five-day span in Detroit, all with injuries mounting and the Super Bowl pressure ratcheting up entering the season’s home stretch.

But quarterback Josh Allen—who appears to be less than 100 percent healthy as a result of an elbow injury—threw six interceptions in a three-game span prior to this double-Detroit stretch, and Allen was again under constant pressure Thursday. He took just one sack but rarely had appropriate time to work in the pocket, which jibes with his taking 11 sacks in the previous four weeks.

It didn’t help that left tackle Dion Dawkins left Thursday’s narrow 28-25 victory with an ankle injury. And on the other side of the ball, top pass-rusher Von Miller also exited for a Bills defense that got standout cornerback Tre'Davious White back from a torn ACL only for White to see zero snaps after the game’s second series.

A Buffalo team that once routinely demolished anyone in its path is finding itself in fights with inferior squads like the Jets and Lions, that stacked offense looks as disjointed as ever and Sean McDermott’s squad has just one game remaining against an opponent that possesses a losing record.

Maybe, for the 57th consecutive season, this just isn’t Buffalo’s year.

The Lions Might Not Make It, But They Look Like a Playoff Team

Meanwhile, the Lions might lead the NFL in moral victories. And while that may not satisfy an even more starved fanbase than the one in Buffalo, it’s worth noting that Detroit looked like a playoff-caliber team Thursday against a high-quality opponent.

And that’s nothing new. The Lions were riding their first three-game winning streak in five years prior to Thursday’s hard-fought loss to a prime Super Bowl contender. A win was within their reach, especially if they’d done a better job managing the clock on a game-tying, late-fourth-quarter drive that could have been a game-winner instead. And had that happened, they absolutely would have been in the playoff picture at 5-6.

They still might be, although the gap to wild-card sitters Dallas, the Giants and Seattle might be too large with a not-too-easy schedule on the post-Thanksgiving horizon. But head coach Dan Campbell is getting plenty out of a squad that actually ranked above the league median in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) at Football Outsiders entering Week 12.

I don’t know if Jared Goff is the long-term answer, but key cogs Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow, Jonah Jackson (who wasn’t available Thursday), Taylor Decker and Jamaal Williams sure seem to be, and it’s hard not to believe in Campbell on the sideline.

At the very least, there’s reason to be optimistic about a Lions team that at least gave us some stellar entertainment to kick off Thanksgiving on Thursday.

The Cowboys Are Officially on a Super Bowl Track

Two weeks ago, the Dallas Cowboys choked in a stunning loss to the struggling Green Bay Packers. Many fans surely panicked.

It's become obvious that was but a hiccup—an aberration—for America’s Team.

Even with two first-half turnovers and 13 penalties, Dallas easily outplayed a contending New York Giants team Thursday, scoring at least 24 points for the fifth consecutive game. In doing so, the NFC’s top-ranked team in terms of DVOA solidified its status as a prime Super Bowl contender.

At 8-3, Dallas still remains 1.5 games back of the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, but the Eagles have scored only 38 points combined in back-to-back poor performances against Washington and Indianapolis. Injuries are also hitting them hard, so the Cowboys might be favored when they host Philly on Christmas Eve.

No other team in the NFC has fewer than four losses except the Minnesota Vikings, whom the Cowboys defeated 40-3 in Week 11 and are a bottom-10 team in DVOA.

This wasn’t a superb Dallas performance, but the game wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. Dak Prescott is one of the most talented and well-supported quarterbacks in the game, Micah Parsons is the Defensive Player of the Year to this point, and the Cowboys are relatively healthy.

The post-Thanksgiving path is clear for the stacked Cowboys to make a run at their first Super Bowl appearance in more than a quarter-century.

The Giants Aren't a Playoff Team

Meanwhile, the New York Giants made it clear Thursday that they don’t have what it takes to sustain their surprisingly strong first half of their 2022 season.

The division-rival Cowboys gave them plenty of opportunities to pull off a road upset on Thanksgiving, but they failed to establish offensive balance with their running game in ghost mode. A Giants defense gutted by injuries couldn’t keep up with the star-studded Dallas offense as the game wore on.

When the Cowboys outscored Big Blue 21-0 to start the second half, the writing was on the wall. With their injury list still bursting at the seams, the Giants now enter a home stretch that contains only one more meeting with a team that currently has a losing record.

Their 6-1 start was magical, but the G-Men have now lost three of their last four games. At this point, it’s hard to envision them holding off the hard-charging Washington Commanders to avoid a last-place finish in the difficult NFC East.

If the Giants do keep Washington at bay, they might sneak into the playoffs in a conference that lacks a deep middle class this season. But if that happens, they won’t really belong there unless a lot changes between now and January.

With Loaded Offense, Vikings' Ceiling Remains High

Sure, the Minnesota Vikings entered Week 12 with a scoring margin of just plus-5 and a DVOA in the bottom 10 despite possessing an 8-2 record. But the Vikings came up big on Thanksgiving Thursday with a clutch victory over a streaking, competitive New England Patriots squad.

As usual, this Vikes team not only reaches higher peaks than most, but also sees lower valleys than many. That’s often been a Kirk Cousins-oriented issue because the veteran quarterback has lacked consistency for much of his tenure in Minnesota, but Thursday night’s outing at least provided a reminder that Minnesota’s ceiling is high.

That’s especially the case with veteran wideout Adam Thielen experiencing arguably his best performance thus far in 2022 with nine catches, 61 yards and a touchdown against New England. He and standout Justin Jefferson combined for 18 receptions on the night, with midseason pickup T.J. Hockenson producing solidly again at tight end.

That’s a hell of a trio in conjunction with Cousins and Dalvin Cook in the backfield.

With that crew generally clicking Thursday, Minnesota controlled the ball for more than 60 percent of the time and converted eight of 15 third-down attempts against a team with the league’s top defensive DVOA.

The Vikings might frustrate fans, but they’ve now scored 33 or more points in three of their last five games. If they catch fire in January, nothing can be ruled out.

This Patriots Team Just Doesn't Have It

While the Patriots moved into contention in the AFC with a 5-1 run leading up to Thanksgiving, Thursday’s disappointing prime time loss to an inconsistent and arguably overrated Vikings team indicated once again that Bill Belichick’s 2022 squad is missing something.

This time, the defense couldn’t keep the Vikings offense off the field. But there were also several killer penalties, multiple special-teams gaffes and some glaring missed opportunities for an offense that failed to find the end zone on three trips to the Minnesota red zone.

It was the antithesis of classic Belichick.

So that was a nice midseason stretch for the Pats, but the schedule was soft and few figured this team really had what it takes to make a real run. Now, they’re back alone in last place in the AFC East, and the Bills could essentially step on their throat next Thursday night.

It might soon be time to start thinking about 2023 in Foxborough.