Football is as much a part of the Thanksgiving tradition as cranberries and pumpkin pie. If your favorite team isn't playing, it can be hard for captive, casual fans to stay interested.

Here are some thumbnail previews of today's games.

Tennessee Titans (10-1) vs. Detroit Lions (0-11)
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Site: Ford Field, Detroit.
Broadcast: CBS (Jim Nantz and Phil Simms).
Betting line: Titans by 11.
What to watch: The only real drama remaining in the Lions' season is whether or not the team can run the table and lose every one of its games. It sure looks possible. After facing the Titans, who just dropped their first game of the year against Brett Favre and the Jets, Detroit plays the Vikings (6-5), Colts (7-4), Saints (6-5), and Packers (5-6).

If the Lions lose today, they'll sixth team in league history to start a season 0-12 or worse. You'll see plenty of paper bags over fans' heads, but the Lions have been a bit more competitive in recent weeks. They actually led Tampa Bay last week, 17-0, before giving up 35 unanswered points en route to a 38-20 loss.

Detroit has now lost 18 of its last 19 games, with the only victory coming Dec. 23 against Kansas City, which also stinks.

Tennessee, which is 6-3 all-time against Detroit, can clinch the AFC South with a victory and a Colts loss on Sunday.

This game shouldn't be close.

Seattle Seahawks (2-9) vs. Dallas Cowboys (7-4)
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Site: Texas Stadium, Irving, TX.
Broadcast: Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman).
Betting line: Cowboys by 11.
What to watch: The Cowboys always draw a lot of local interest because quarterback Tony Romo is from Burlington. Wisconsin fans also watch the Seahawks because their coach is Mike Holmgren, who led the Packers to their most recent Super Bowl victory.

The last time the teams met was hardly a career highlight for Romo, who fumbled the snap on a potential game-winning field goal and cost his team the NFC Wild-Card matchup.

Romo still hasn't won a playoff game as a starter and will need to play well over the last five games to get a chance. The Cowboys are 2-0 since Romo returned from a finger injury. Dallas ends its season with tough road games at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia alongside home games against the Giants and Baltimore.

Holmgren's club has been a major disappointment in what is reported to be his final season in charge in Seattle. Holmgren was 1-7 against the Cowboys during his time in Green Bay, including some brutal playoff losses. Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, bothered by a sore back for much of the season, has been shaky for much of the season. The fact that Koren Robinson and Bobby Engram are his main targets doesn't help.

Look for the Cowboys to win this one, though they may have trouble covering the point spread.

Arizona Cardinals (7-4) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (5-5-1)
Time: 7:15 p.m.
Site: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Broadcast: NFL Network (Bob Papa, Cris Collinsworth)
Betting line: Eagles by 3.
What to watch: Unless you have the NFL Network (which isn't available on Time Warner Cable), you won't be able to see this game.

With a victory tonight, the Cardinals will clinch their first division title since 1975 - when the team played in St. Louis. The tenure in Arizona, which began in 1988, has been mostly miserable. The club has made the playoffs just once in that span.

The Eagles, who entered the year with high hopes, are a team in turmoil. Andy Reid's club is 0-2-1 in its last three games, playoff hopes are on life support and quarterback Donovan McNabb is on the hot seat after being benched following a poor first half last week in Baltimore (and his failure to grasp the NFL's overtime rules in a previous game).

McNabb, a five-time Pro Bowler, has thrown 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. The fact that multi-dimensional running back Brian Westbrook has been hampered by a slew of injuries hasn't helped his cause.

The Cardinals, led by resurgent quarterback / MVP candidate Kurt Warner, have been scoring points like a junior-high Nintendo whiz. Look for that to continue tonight.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Texas A&M (4-7) vs. No. 4 Texas (10-1)
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Broadcast: ESPN (Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews).
Betting line: Longhorns by 35.
What to watch: This game isn't going to pretty, so your best bet may be watching something else. The Aggies, coached by former Packers coach Mike Sherman, are wrapping up a disappointing season. Texas needs to win in order to avenge two previous losses to A&M, but also to keep alive slim homes of a trip to the Big 12 championship game against Missouri. The Longhorns, whose only loss came on a last-second touchdown pass at Texas Tech, need to win and hope that Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State on Saturday or Tech loses to Baylor.

This game will be a blowout. Enjoy Erin Andrews' work and a turkey sandwich.