Thanksgiving Day previews: Vikings at Lions, Steelers at Colts

Vikings (6-4) at Lions (6-4)

11:30 a.m., KTVT/11

Line: Lions 2  1/2

Matthew Stafford has flipped the script and given Detroit something to be thankful for on Turkey Day. In Stafford’s past four Thanksgiving outings, he has averaged 374.5 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. The Lions have won three consecutive games on Thanksgiving. Minnesota ended its four-game skid last week, returning to its formula of solid special teams and opportunistic defense, both of which produced 100-plus-yard touchdowns. The winner will gain control of the NFC North with only five games remaining.

Steelers (5-5) at Colts (5-5)

7:30 p.m., KXAS/5

Line: Steelers by 7  1/2

A record of 5-5 has likely never felt this good for either team. By the luck of geographical sorting, Pittsburgh is tied for the AFC North lead and Indianapolis is only a game behind Houston in the AFC South. Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is coming off his best game of the year in which he gained 201 total yards in a 24-9 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Colts likely will start Scott Tolzien in place of quarterback Andrew Luck, who entered concussion protocol earlier this week. The Steelers coasted past the Colts sans Luck in 2015 by a score of 45-10.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Thanksgiving Day previews: Vikings at Lions, Steelers at Colts."