Thursday, November 22nd, 2007 by Adam Wagner
Thanksgiving NFL primer
Today is a day for turkey and football. That is all. And, while you are enjoying your bird and various side dishes, the last thing on your mind should be whether the Steelers are going to lose to the Patriots by 20 or 30 points, or even whether they will beat the Miami Dolphins and the supposedly clean Ricky Williams. Instead, worry about whether your family arguments are the ones that every other family is having and watch football teams that you do not care about play in some pretty meaningless NFL games.
And, if you are a Pittsburgh fan, do not forget about the Coin Toss of ‘98 and how the Steelers got screwed in Detroit on a nice Thanksgiving day.
12:30 - Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions, Ford Field:
This is the one meaningful contest this Thanksgiving as both the Packers and the Lions have legitimate playoff hopes, with the Packers hoping to cement themselves as the best team in the NFC and the Lions hoping to improve their playoff standing. According to Fox, Detroit is viewing this as a statement game. They definitely need to win it if they want to contend for a playoff spot.
The key to the game is probably the play of Brett Favre. If he decides that John Madden is saving him some turduckin and is patient in the pocket, the Packers could and probably should have a huge win. If he is impatient and tries to force throws, the game will be much closer with born-again Christian Jon Kitna and his impressive band of receivers putting up a good fight.
The Packers’ defense is undoubtedly the better of the two, with cornerbacks like Charles Woodson and Al Harris and linebackers like Nick Barnett and AJ Hawk. The Green Bay unit has been one of the most underrated in football for a few years now and the state of Wisconsin is finally able to reap the benefits this season, with the Packers giving up 15.9 points per game to this point in the season, good for a rating of fifth in the NFL.
Final prediction: Green Bay 24 - Detroit 13 (but don’t bet your wishbone on it)
New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys, Texas Stadium:
Yes, the Jets are coming off of a win versus the Steelers, their second of the season; and, yes, the Cowboys are a painfully overrated team despite being the second-best in the NFC (good for fourth best in the AFC). “America’s Team” should, however, dominate today with Tony Romo teaming with Terrell Owens picking on Pitt alumni Darrelle Revis and Hank Poteat.
The Jets may have finally found a quarterback in Kellen Clemens, but the team around him is just not good enough to knock off one of the better teams (and defenses) in football. Clemens played a Steeler defense at its worst Sunday. A Dallas defense at its worst will be much more difficult to deal with, in no small part because of the four day time period that Clemens had to prepare for this game.
Final Prediction: Dallas 31 - NY Jets 10
Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons, Georgia Dome:
This is maybe the worst game that the NFL network could carry as its first game of the season. Originally chosen due to the status of Peyton Manning and Michael Vick as two of the “marquee” quarterbacks in the league, Vick proved that even the best laid plans are spoiled. Now those lucky enough to have the NFL Network will be able to watch Bob Sanders terrorize Warrick Dunn and Joey Harrington (or Byron Leftwich) and Peyton Manning pick on DeAngelo Hall.
One of the more interesting subplots in this game will be whether Indianapolis deliberately puts the ball in the red zone only to not score, letting Adam Vinatieri have what are essentially practice kicks against a terrible Falcons team in an apathetic Georgia Dome. After the game, Tony Dungy could further solidify himself as the anti-Belichick and say, “We just didn’t want the guys in the other locker room to think we were running up the score or anything.” Imagine how that one would go over.
Final Prediction: Indianapolis 41 - Atlanta 10
And there you have it. Have a fun, safe holiday!
And just be glad that you aren’t forced to watch the Packers game with John Madden.
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