It’s the first time in a bit we’ve had Packer football on Thanksgiving, and I have to admit, I’m not exactly stoked for the prospect.

Packer games on the holidays always add an unnecessary extra bit of stress. It’s not like Christmas Day, where I’m mostly just sitting around in the afternoon anyway. On Thanksgiving I’m almost always actively hosting relatives, which makes it very difficult to actually sit and watch the game attentively as I usually like to do.

Then, of course, there’s the fact that this isn’t the same style of Packer team I’ve been fortunate to watch for most of my life. This is a team finding its way, that is more likely to get blown out than to win, that is firmly in the middle of a rebuilding season.

Despite all of that, there are still few things that bring me more joy than watching the Packers. I’ve got an abbreviated article today for Thanksgiving, but I do want to share just a few reasons for us to be thankful for Packer football this year.

• History: Even if you’re one of those people who’s feeling over-the-top negative feelings about the team and its prospects this year, you can at least acknowledge that we are fortunate to have an incredibly rich history, both recent and distant. How cool it is to be fans of the most storied franchise in the league.
• Young talent: The Packers have a lot of young talent that is beginning to shine. Players like Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Luke Musgrave at the pass catching positions. Guys on defense like Carrington Valentine and Quay Walker, and even Rashan Gary is still pretty young. There are a lot of foundational pieces to build around.
• Quarterbacking: It remains to be seen whether Jordan Love is going to blossom into another perennial all star like the Packers have grown used to having at the position, but at the very least, his floor seems to be well above what we’ve seen coming out of Chicago for basically that franchise’s entire existence.
• Culture: The culture of Packer fandom is second to none. The tailgating, the local ownership, the strong ties between team and community, the small town environment surrounding the stadium: it’s an incredibly unique set of circumstances. That’s not even to mention Lambeau Field, the crown jewel of sports in America.
• Uniforms: Holy moly, there are some absolutely hideous uniforms across the league. We are fortunate that the Packers know better than to mess with the classics. Green and gold forever.

Wisconsin Beer of the Week

Rather than feature one beer this week, I want to give a quick shoutout to all the Milwaukee-area breweries that are holding Black Friday beer releases tomorrow. 

The Black Friday beer release is a relatively new phenomenon, but it’s one I greatly appreciate. There are stalwarts like Lakefront Brewery here in MIlwaukee that were well ahead of the game and have been doing it for years. Lakefront’s release is still a sort of cult classic, with people getting in line starting in the middle of the night and sharing rare beers with each other while waiting for the brewery’s doors to open.

Now, though, you’ll find fantastic beer releases all over the city. So if you’re going to be in the Milwaukee area this weekend, here are a few of the brews you can expect to be released at some of my favorite stops.

• 1840 Brewing Company: Plump Black fruited sour (blackberry, black cherry, black currant), Sleepless Knights BA imperial english porter with Stone Creek coffee
• Amorphic Beer: Toasted Coconut Major Particles BBA imperial stout, Bermuda Storms dark and stormy-style beer
• Central Waters Milwaukee: BA Stout aged in 15-year Pappy Van Winkle barrels, peach brandy barrel-aged honey barleywine, Bliss Maple Syrup barrel-aged honey barleywine, and a blend of the peach brandy and Bliss Maple barrel honey barleywine
• Component Brewing: Supreme Haze the Lord imperial hazy IPA, Barrel-Aged Ho Ho Hold My Beer (BA Christmas Ale), BA Swirled Stout barrel-aged pastry stout
• Eagle Park Brewing: Fly By Night (blend of imperial stouts of varying ages), Koko Kleiber BA stout with maple syrup and coconut, Raspberry Vanilla Cheesecake Incident, Milkshake IPA with Papua New Guinea vanilla beans and dry hopped with Mosaic and Cashmere
• Enlightened Brewing: Cosmic Nihilism (Czech dark lager)
• Lakefront Brewery: 2023 Black Friday Imperial Stout, 2023 Black Friday Triple IPA, 2023 Black Friday Double Barrel-Aged Christmas Cookie Barleywine, 2023 Black Friday 5-Year-Old
• Ope! Brewing: BA Quad, English barleywine in double oak (and a variant)
• Supermoon: Cadette (unfiltered Munich-style Helles lager), The Frightener (French oak-aged abbey-style quad), Saison Fernwood (farmhouse-style amber)
• Third Space: Mixed six pack with dessert style beers (imperial stout with variants: lemon and vanilla, honey and cinnamon, pecan, red currant, Linzer Torte)

This is just a small sampling of the Black Friday beers coming out of Milwaukee breweries this year. You’ll also find bus shuttles that will take you back and forth from a variety of them. 

Check ‘em out

Around the NFC North

As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North. 

• The CHICAGO BEARS had the Detroit Lions on the ropes on Sunday, and despite a winning probability of near-100% with just a couple minutes left in the game, they still managed to lose. That speaks not only to the ability of the Lions to weather just about any storm, but also to the incredible ineptitude of the Bears’ coaching staff. The Bears have regularly had massive collapses in the Matt Eberflus era, but this one was historic. Chicago won the takeaway battle 4--1 and held the ball for over 40 minutes. This has happened 48 times since 1932, and the Bears are the very first team to accomplish that to end up losing.

• The DETROIT LIONS continue to keep winning games, even when they have no business pulling it off. The Lions never should have been in position to lose against Chicago, but toughed it out and pulled off the W anyway. This is a strong, well-coached team that continues to play above its talent level, and could do so all the way to a Super Bowl berth. 

• The MINNESOTA VIKINGS finally saw their luck run out against a suddenly-hot Broncos team this past weekend. They still are in the running for a possible wild card slot, but the margin for error is slim. THey’re going to have to win the games they should win (like the one against Chicago on this coming Monday night) if they’re going to have a chance. But either way, it feels quite apparent that there are going to be some significant personnel changes in Minnesota this offseason.

THIS or THAT in Mr. Backes’s room: Week 12 Update

As I’ve done the last several weeks, I’m going to give a quick update as to the latest THIS or THAT polls in my classroom.

Without further ado (fewer polls this week due to holiday):

• Turkey defeated ham
• Thanksgiving football defeated Thanksgiving dog show
• Savory brunch defeated sweet brunch

If you have additional THIS or THAT prompts you’d like to poll my high schoolers with, give your ideas in the comments! I’ve pulled a few from the comments so far.

Predictions for Packers vs. Lions and Week 12

Hard to believe it’s been a full 10 years since the last time the Packers met the Lions on Thanksgiving Day! For a game that used to be an annual affair, that’s quite a break.

Unfortunately, the scales are tipped very heavily in favor of the Lions. Not only do the Lions simply have the talent and coaching advantage, but they also have a massive health advantage right now. For the final injury report, the Lions only had one player listed. The Packers… well, it’s basically half the team.

Even in the best of circumstances I wouldn’t be picking the Packers to win this game; the Lions have their number and are a significantly better football team. But this isn’t even remotely the best of circumstances. Simply keeping this one respectable would be considered a win.

Lions 33, Packers 17

LAST WEEK: 10-4

SEASON TO DATE: 103-60

This week… lots of fun matchups, including three divisional battles for today’s Thanksgiving festivities!

LIONS over Packers

COWBOYS over Commanders

49ERS over Seahawks

DOLPHINS over Jets

PATRIOTS over Giants

COLTS over Bucs

BENGALS over STeelers

TITANS over Panthers

JAGUARS over Texans

FALCONS over Saints

RAMS over Cardinals

BRONCOS over Browns

EAGLES over Bills

CHIEFS over Raiders

RAVENS over Chargers

VIKINGS over Bears

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Like I said, it’s an abbreviated article today for Thanksgiving. You’re busy with family, I’m busy enjoying having off the day before Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful holiday, and I’ll be back next week with more in-depth thoughts on everything Packers!