ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 28: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys before a game against the Buffalo Bills at AT&T Stadium on November 28, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Former Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith turned in another productive outing on Thanksgiving Day.

One of the great things about playing football for the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys is the national stage you are given annually by playing on Thanksgiving Day. Yesterday, a couple of former Notre Dame players were able to take part in that tradition.

Headlining all of those performances was the continued high-level linebacker play of Jaylon Smith. His Cowboys have been dealing with plenty of drama as of late, and that surely contributed to the end result of Thursday’s contest. The Cowboys lost to the Buffalo Bills by a score of 26-15, but Smith was still able to stand out.

He logged 14 total tackles on the day — the most by any player on either team. Suffice to say, you can’t pin the loss on his shoulders.

Heading into Sunday’s NFL games, Jaylon Smith has 112 total tackles, which leads the entire NFL. He’s been an absolute monster this season, staying consistent throughout the entire rollercoaster of a 2019 Cowboys campaign.

Despite the recent struggles of the Dallas Cowboys, they remain atop the NFC East division and are very much alive in the playoff hunt. If they can get into the postseason tournament, all bets are off for Smith and the Cowboys, as they may be the most talented team in the NFL to a man.

The only other former Notre Dame football player to log any significant stats on Thursday was Detroit Lions defensive end Romeo Okwara. He was able log four total tackles in the 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Be sure to pay attention to the rest of the NFL games this weekend, as several former Notre Dame football players are key pieces to a handful of teams who are serious Super Bowl contenders heading into the final weeks of the season.