:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71669852/usa_today_19374166.0.jpg "NFL announcers: Who is announcing Patriots vs. Vikings on Thanksgiving in Week 12?")
To close out a long day of Thanksgiving gorging and football, NBC will deliver arguably the best game of the day. The New England Patriots take on the Minnesota Vikings at 8:20 p.m. ET for a matchup that holds considerable playoff ramifications for both teams. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will call the game from the booth while Melissa Stark will provide reports from the sideline.
The Patriots have maneuvered their way into the heart of the playoff field despite major questions under center. Mac Jones has not played close to the same level he did as a rookie in 2021 while Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round pick this year, has at times outperformed him. Still, Jones remains the starter, for now, putting significant strain on New England's defense.
Meanwhile, the Vikings enter Week 12 more difficult to decipher than a 12-sided Rubik's Cube. The team owns an 8-2 record, tied for the second-best mark in the entire league. However, Minnesota somehow also has a -2 point differential at the moment. That combination of facts seems nearly impossible to exist within the same team, but the Vikings have broken the conventional understanding of football.
DraftKings Sportsbook favors the Vikings by 2.5 points with the over/under set at 42.5 heading into Thursday.