49ers, Cowboys and Packers roll on Thanksgiving. Plus, ‘The Game’ leads college football’s Rivalry Week

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.

Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Sorry! There was an error processing your subscription.

🦃 Good morning to everyone but especially …

THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, DALLAS COWBOYS AND GREEN BAY PACKERS

Forget the midseason swoon: The 49ers are absolutely back, and they look terrifying. San Francisco battered Seattle into submission in a 31-13 win, the Niners’ third straight.

I really like this 49ers team. It’s balanced, star-laden and dominant. This was its seventh double-digit win this year, tied for most in the NFL with …

… the Cowboys, who cooked the Commanders’ defense and ate up their offense. And then they ate for real. Dak Prescott threw for four touchdowns — the last of which he celebrated by literally eating a turkey wing — as Dallas rolled Washington, 45-10.

If Prescott’s feast wasn’t enough, DaRon Bland put the icing on the cake pie with his fifth — yes, fifth — pick six of the year, setting an NFL record.

In the early game, Jordan Love posted a second consecutive turnover-free performance for the first time since Weeks 1 and 2 and tied a career-best with three touchdowns in a 29-22 win over the Lions. Love was one of Turkey Day’s biggest winners, writes Cody Benjamin.  It’s the first time the Packers have won consecutive games this year. At 5-6, Green Bay is still hanging around in the NFC playoff picture.

Love set the tone for the day on the first play — a 53-yard completion to Christian Watson — and never slowed down. He threw touchdowns to Watson, Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft. The running game was also strong, and the defense impressed. As for the Lions … we’ll get to that.

👍 Honorable mentions 😕 And not such a good morning for … Getty Images

THE DETROIT LIONS

It was all bad in Detroit: The offense. The defense. The decision making. The halftime show. All. Really. Bad.

One of the league’s boldest and most creative teams produced a stinker.

The Lions have now lost seven straight Thanksgiving games. This latest iteration brings real questions. Every quarterback goes through rough patches, but Goff’s is particularly concerning because he doesn’t make it up with any sort of playmaking out of the pocket. That gets exposed when the offensive line struggles, and struggle it did: The Lions allowed pressure on 54% of Goff’s dropbacks, their worst rate since 2007. Add in a leaky secondary and risks that don’t pay off, and you get another sad Thanksgiving in Detroit.

👎 Not so honorable mentions 🏈 Michigan-Ohio State headlines college football Rivalry Week

Michigan. Ohio State. A College Football Playoff berth (likely) on the line. It truly doesn’t get any better than this. The No. 2 Buckeyes visit the Jim Harbaugh-less No. 3 Wolverines Saturday in one of the biggest versions of “The Game” yet. Harbaugh, who will get a win (or loss) added to his record, and Ryan Day come into full focus, writes Dennis Dodd.

As for the players, for the first time in a while, the Wolverines hold the hypothetical edge at quarterback. J.J. McCarthy holds the keys to Michigan’s success, writes Shehan Jeyarajah.

Tom Fornelli, meanwhile, leads off The Six Pack with his best bet:

The winner of that one heads to the Big Ten Championship Game, but the scenarios are much more convoluted elsewhere. Will Backus breaks down every conference title game scenario as well as the extremely complicated Big 12 title game race.

With rivalries all over the country, we have previews everywhere, too:

Those top eight teams plus No. 9 Louisville still have legitimate College Football Playoff hopes. Unfortunately, only four can make it, and Dennis laid out potential paths there. Alabama could take us on a wild ride.

We also have Black Friday picks, value bets, best bets and SEC picks.

🏈 NFL Week 12 picks: Two star AFC South QBs face off USATSI

If I told you two years ago that the Jaguars and Texans would be battling for AFC South supremacy with legitimate playoff hopes, you probably wouldn’t have believed me. But that’s where we stand with Trevor Lawrence hosting C.J. Stroud for first place in the AFC South.

The co-headliner Sunday is Bills-Eagles, a battle between two teams with little margin for error. In Buffalo’s case, it’s a playoff position, and in Philadelphia’s case, it’s home-field advantage. Josh Allen vs. Jalen Hurts represents a battle of two of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league.

Here are all of the picks:

Pete Prisco | John Breech | Jordan Dajani | Tyler Sullivan

Before we get there, though, there’s a Black Friday NFL game for the first time. The Dolphins visit the Jets, and here’s how it came to be.

📺 What we’re watching this weekend Friday

🏈 No. 20 Iowa at Nebraska, 12 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+🏀 Celtics at Magic, 2:30 p.m. on NBA TV🏈 Dolphins at Jets, 3 p.m. on Prime Video🏈 No. 9 Missouri at Arkansas, 4 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+🏀 Suns at Grizzlies, 5 p.m. on NBA TV🏀 No. 13 Baylor vs. Florida, 5:30 p.m. on ESPN🏀 No. 17 Alabama vs. Ohio State, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network🏈 Texas Tech at No. 7 Texas, 7:30 p.m. on ABC🏀 Heat at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN🏈 No. 16 Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon, 8:30 p.m. on Fox🏀 Spurs at Warriors, 10 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🏈 No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan, Noon on Fox🏈 No. 8 Alabama at Auburn, 3:30 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+🏈 Washington State at No. 4 Washington, 4 p.m. on Fox🏈 No. 5 Florida State at Florida, 7 p.m. on ESPN🏈 No. 1 Georgia at Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m. on ABC🏀 Mavericks at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV

Sunday

🏈 Jaguars at Texans, 1 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+🏈 Chiefs at Raiders, 4:25 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+🏈 Bills at Eagles, 4:25 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+🏈 Ravens at Chargers, 8:20 p.m. on NBC