The NFL once again dominated Thanksgiving Day, with its trio of games drawing a record-setting audience of 141 million viewers combined. Averaging 34.2 million viewers per game, each broadcast set new benchmarks for the league on the holiday.
The early game on CBS, featuring the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, attracted 37.5 million viewers, marking the most-watched early Thanksgiving game in NFL history. This viewership represents an 11% increase from last year’s Packers-Lions matchup.
These numbers underscore the NFL’s firm grip on Thanksgiving as a marquee sports tradition, consistently delivering must-watch moments for fans across the nation.
The Detroit Lions (10-1) host the Chicago Bears (4-7) on Thanksgiving Day at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS, marking the Lions’ 85th Thanksgiving game since 1934. Playing their 38th Thanksgiving game, the Bears have a strong holiday history against Detroit, winning three straight matchups in 2018, 2019, and 2021. Detroit, meanwhile, seeks its first Thanksgiving win since 2016.
The Lions enter the game as the fourth team since 2000 to play on Thanksgiving with at least 10 wins, joining the 2015 Panthers and 2011 Packers. For the first time in franchise history, Detroit has firmly positioned itself as an NFC powerhouse, with back-to-back 10-win seasons.
Quarterback Jared Goff has been stellar on Thanksgiving, throwing six touchdowns without an interception across three games. He aims to join Hall of Famer Brett Favre as the only player to throw multiple touchdown passes in their first four Thanksgiving appearances.
Detroit’s ground game is also rewriting history. Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are the first pair of teammates with at least ten rushing touchdowns each in consecutive seasons. Additionally, the Lions have scored a rushing touchdown in 25 consecutive games, an NFL record.
With their eyes on extending their dominance this season, the Lions are poised to make Thanksgiving memorable for their fans.
The Chicago Bears announced Thursday that they will appear on HBO’s hit documentary Hard Knocks during this year’s training camp.
Since its inception in 2001, Hard Knocks has never featured the Bears, largely due to opposition from Chairman George McCaskey, who had long resisted allowing HBO access. I guess times are changing.
The arrival of No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams, a standout quarterback from USC, provides a compelling narrative for the series. Maybe that had something to do with the McCaskey’s change of heart.
“We are honored to feature such an iconic NFL franchise on ‘Hard Knocks,’” said Shannon Furman, NFL Films’ senior director and supervising producer. “The Chicago Bears have a talented roster, coaching staff, and front office all determined to match the expectations of a hungry fan base.”
The Bears will be the first team to report to training camp in late July and are scheduled to play the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, on August 1. Talk about history made in real-time. The first episode of Hard Knocks will air at 9 p.m. ET on August 6.
The Chicago Bears have built an impressive offensive lineup for either No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams or the incumbent quarterback Justin Fields. In the late house of Thursday (March 14), the Bears finalized a trade for Keenan Allen.
The Bears swapped with the Los Angeles Chargers, returning a fourth-round pick. The 31-year-old wide reciever is in the final year of a four-year contract extension. After declining a paycut, the Chargers decided to deal the star, pairing him with another stud receiver in DJ Moore.
According to ESPN, Allen will also be reunited with wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, who coached him through a career-high of 108 passes.
“We’re extremely excited to add Keenan to our team,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. “His body of work speaks for itself and we look forward to him elevating our offense.”
The Bears still hold draft picks at the Nos. 1, 9, 75, and 122 via Philadelphia.
Experience demonstrates that a team’s popularity often manifests in increased activity on its social media platforms. The analytical team at CasinoSpotfr observed a modest yet steady surge in interest towards the Chicago Bears among Instagram users. For instance, a month ago, the follower count on the account stood at 1,611,121, while today it has escalated to 1,618,871 followers. This marks an addition of nearly 8,000 new fans to the team, a commendable achievement within a month. With such a substantial base of supporters, the Chicago Bears could capitalize on their popularity through sponsored posts, the price of which could range from $3,415 to $5,123.
The Chicago Bears are currently weighing their options on their future at quarterback, but team general manager Ryan Poles says he does not have a “master plan.”
The NFL Draft combine is underway, and while Poles says he has no plan, he does want to make a decision “as quickly as possible.”
The Bears hold the No. 1 draft pick in the 2024 draft, a ticket to USC star quarterback Caleb WIliams. They also have incumbent starter Justin Fields, a favorite amongst fans and his teammates.
Speaking at the Combine, Poles revealed regardless of the decision, he wants to “do right by Justin.”
“No one wants to live in gray, I know that’s uncomfortable,” Poles said, according to ESPN. “I wouldn’t want to be in that situation either. So, we will gather the information — we will move as quickly as possible, [but] we are not going to be in a rush — and see what presents itself and what’s best for the organization.”
He added, “I would love to know, but I know that’s not how the process works. Sure, before free agency would be good. Like I said, I’m also taking, if we were to do something with Justin, I want to do right by him and I know, again, living in that gray space, we would want to do something sooner rather than later.”
Poles and the Bears staff will meet with Williams this week in Indianapolis.
Last week, Justin Fields set the record on why he unfollowed the Chicago Bears on Instagram. In short, he is tired of the discourse about picking him or Caleb Williams and needs a football break.
Speaking on the St. Brown Brothers podcast, Fields revealed he doesn’t take social media serious and he has no hate for the Bears.
“I still mess with the Bears, this and that,” Fields said. “I’m just trying to take a little break. I unfollowed the Bears and the NFL. I’m not just trying to have football on my timeline.
“It’s something that I don’t want to see on my timeline. I’m about to go on vacation. I don’t want to see no football. And guess what? Either keep Fields, we want Fields. It’s either draft Caleb [Williams]. I’m tired of hearing the talk. I just want it to be over.”
As of right now, the Bears still own the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, which seemingly puts them in play to draft Caleb Williams out of USC. However, in closing meetings the Bears roster was vocal about keeping Feilds as the starting quarterback.
Fields told the St. Brown’s he still wants to stay in Chicago, stating he loves the city.
Justin Fields reveals to the St. Brown brothers why he unfollowed the Bears on Instagram, via @The33rdTeamFB.
Justin Fields is setting the record straight on why he unfollowed the Chicago Bears on Instagram. In short, he is tired of the discourse about picking him or Caleb Williams and needs a football break.
Speaking on the St. Brown Brothers podcast, Fields revealed he doesn’t take social media serious and he has no hate for the Bears.
“I still mess with the Bears, this and that,” Fields said. “I’m just trying to take a little break. I unfollowed the Bears and the NFL. I’m not just trying to have football on my timeline.
“It’s something that I don’t want to see on my timeline. I’m about to go on vacation. I don’t want to see no football. And guess what? Either keep Fields, we want Fields. It’s either draft Caleb [Williams]. I’m tired of hearing the talk. I just want it to be over.”
As of right now, the Bears still own the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, which seemingly puts them in play to draft Caleb Williams out of USC. However, in closing meetings the Bears roster was vocal about keeping Feilds as the starting quarterback.
Fields told the St. Brown’s he still wants to stay in Chicago, stating he loves the city.
Justin Fields reveals to the St. Brown brothers why he unfollowed the Bears on Instagram, via @The33rdTeamFB.
Chicago Bears, you are on the clock. The Windy City football franchise is now in possession of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Bears finished their season with a 29-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Going into Sunday, the Bears were the No. 2 pick but would hop over the Houston Texans to take the leading pick after the Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts 32-31.
Now-fired Texans coach, Lovie Smith, addressed the decision to be competitive in the last game.
“This is an option that I had,” Smith said to ESPN. “So, you’re saying, ‘Hey guys, play in this last game, all that you’ve been working for your life, you play to win, forget that. Lose the game on purpose.’ Like, that will be a hard one to get by. They won’t expect me to say that. I didn’t. What we work on each week, our game plan, has been to win the game. It’s kind of simple as that. That’s what we follow through on the day.”
The Bears have the ability to trade down in the draft and receive more assets as they already have a quarterback while there are two high-profile prospects on the board. According to ESPN, this is the first time the Bears will have the first draft pick since the 1940s.
Two of the most common reasons behind athletes going broke after their professional career: bad investments and money management. On last month’s “I Am Athlete” podcast, guest and retired NFL linebacker D.J. Williams revealed his former financial advisor invested $1.2 million dollars in various bad investments early in his career that included an investment of $300,000 dollars into the music career of former Bad Boy Records artist, Sara Stokes.
“Remember when Puffy Daddy had ‘Making The Band’? Ya’ll remember Sara Stokes? The one … the light-skin girl, ” Williams begins to explain the investment at the podcast’s 22:06 minute mark of season 3 episode 21. “Puffy Daddy had ‘Making The Band,’ there was a young lady on there named Sara Stokes. She was a singer. She was like young, like I don’t want to throw her age out there but she had like three four five kids. All I knew was I invested $300,000 dollars into her music career.”
Williams would claim the investment was in result of leaving his finances to a power of attorney given to his financial advisor while he focused on playing professional football.
“What I’m saying was because of the amount of time and energy that I put into football,” he continued. “I’m going into these meetings and I’m sitting across from this man and I’m taking his word. And I’m just … Okay, yeah, that sounds good, that sounds good. What I’m saying is is if you already a million, relax, chill. Stop trying to rush to become a billionaire.”
Drafted in 2014 – 17th overall by the Denver Broncos – D.J. Williams received a $2.4 million dollar signing bonus his rookie year after signing a five-year deal valued at $9 million dollars – according to Spotrac.com. The linebacker would play ten seasons with the Broncos, earning over $35 million dollars. Williams played 12 seasons in the NFL before retiring in 2014 with the Chicago Bears.
It was never revealed throughout the interview if Williams was ever reimbursed for his investment. Stokes was signed to Bad Boy Records from 2002 to 2005.
Sara Stokes, 44, is a Detroit, Michigan recording artist, actress, journalist, best known as the singer in the former Bad Boy Record’s group Da Band. Formed in 2002, Da Band released their gold-selling debut album, Too Hot For TV, in 2003, which spawned hit songs “Bad Boy This, Bad Boy That” and “Tonight.” The six-member group had their journey documented on reality television for three seasons aired on MTV 2.
After Da Band, Stokes, mother of three, released multiple solo singles, independently, throughout the years, like 2015’s “Sneak Peek” featuring Babs Bunny and 2016’s “Fragile Heart.” Outside music, Stokes embarked in an acting career, known for roles in recent films, The Many (2019), The Enemy (2019) and Facade: Chapter 4.
News of the investment comes during a slew of other trending stories going viral right now surrounding Sean “Love” Combs with old clips from the popular 2000s MTV rap competition series Making the Band, which Combs executive produced, and several former music mogul’s artists releasing public criticism about the harsh treatment they endured their time on the reality show and under Diddy’s Bad Boy Records.
Freddy P, who was Diddy’s first choice when putting together former group Da Band, took to Instagram last week to criticize his former mentor and revealed him responsible for the Florida native’s multiple suicide attempts, all stemming from recounts of his time under Diddy’s tutelage.
“This year alone I’ve contemplated suicide three or four times,” he says in the video. “I done pictured my brother walking in and finding me dead. I cried a few times thinking about leaving my son because I just get tired of life. But no matter what you gotta do you just gotta keep at it … there’s n-ggas that wanna see you fall.”
He added: “Like this n-gga Puffy is the main muthafuckin’ reason why I hate fucking life, dawg. People don’t even understand. Like, I don’t even give a fuck. I’ve never been to a point where I thought of suicide my whole life, never. I mean, I’m a gangsta. I don’t even know how I started thinking like that. I done had it all and I fell to the bottom. How do you come back from that when you battling a giant? It ain’t got nothing to do with your skill no more ’cause your skill is 90 percent better than any n-gga that’s out there right now and the world knows it. But it ain’t your skills … the world is built on relationships.”
Freedy’s rant sparked reactions from fellow Da Band member Babs Bunny, who simply responded in an interview that the group just signed a “shitty contracts,” and Willie Taylor, formerly of the Making of the Band-created R&B group Day 26, who chimed in with the belief that the show and group was set up to “fail.”
The 52-year-old billionaire with ownership in Ciroc and his own television network, Revolt, addressed the claims of his former proteges last Monday via social media. On an Instagram Story, he writes, “STOP ALL YOUR CRYING, BITCHING & MOANING. HUSTLE HARDER OR GET THE FUCK OUT OF OUR WAY. – LOVE.”
All parties involved have not issued a statement on Williams’s revelation at press time.
Watch the latest episode of the I Am Athlete podcast below.
green bay will always hold a special place in our hearts!
