The NFL has three games scheduled for Thanksgiving, and one of them is of particular interest to the New England Patriots.
New England's AFC East rival, the Buffalo Bills, will begin the toughest part of their 2019 schedule Thursday with a road game against the Dallas Cowboys. The outcome of this game will have a direct impact on the AFC playoff picture, and who the Patriots could play in their AFC Divisional Round matchup (assuming they earn a first-round bye) in January.
Here's everything Patriots fans need to know about the Cowboys vs. Bills matchup on Thanksgiving.
When: Thursday, Nov. 28 at 4:30 p.m. ET
TV Channel: CBS
Live Stream: FuboTV
Odds (via Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas)
Spread: Cowboys -6.5
Over/under: 47
Playoff Picture Impact
The Bills have taken advantage of a soft schedule through 11 games by earning an 8-3 record and occupying the first AFC wild card spot entering Week 13. Buffalo should secure a wild card berth barring some sort of epic collapse down the stretch, but its schedule is about to get much harder. The Bills' next four games are at the Cowboys, home to the Baltimore Ravens, at the Pittsburgh Steelers and at the Patriots -- that's four teams currently in a playoff spot. Thursday's matchup versus the Cowboys is one of the most winnable games for the Bills during that stretch, so it's hard to understate the importance of this Thanksgiving showdown.
Buffalo also is only two games behind the Patriots in the AFC East title race, but it's hard to imagine the Bills winning the division, especially since it cannot secure the head-to-head tiebreaker after losing to New England in Week 4. Still, the longer the Bills avoid being eliminated from the division race, the longer the Patriots will have to take their remaining games seriously and not give some of their star players much-needed rest before the postseason.
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The Cowboys have a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East, and based on the current NFC wild card standings, winning the division looks like Dallas' only path to the playoffs. Dallas' margin for error is very small after last week's road loss to the Patriots.
Updated NFL playoff picture entering Week 13>>>
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