Thanks for Football

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for all the things we have. We should be thankful for the food on the table, our health, our family and friends, and the internet access you have on the computer (after all, without that you wouldn’t be visiting my site). Every Thanksgiving us football fans are blessed with two recurring things, and no I’m not talking about Grandma’s runny stuffing. I am talking about NFL Football!

Every Thanksgiving we are blessed with the Detroit Lions (which is not so much of a blessing this year and really hasn’t been since Barry Sanders left) and the Dallas Cowboys. The Detroit Lions will take on the Atlanta Falcons in this year’s early game at 12:30 PM EST. The Dallas Cowboys will host the Denver Broncos in the later game at 4:15 PM EST. It’s clearly the later game that will draw the most interest. My family generally starts eating around 3:00 PM, so I should be good to watch most of the Cowboys game. Real quickly, I’m going to share my picks and thoughts with you about our two games tomorrow.

Having never lived in Dallas or Detroit, I can’t really express to you how big this game is to fans of those two teams. My most clear description is an episode of Home Improvement when the Taylor family was invited to the Thanksgiving Lions game. It was a big deal to them, and they had turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, at the stadium. Not sure if that is TV or reality. Detroit always plays tough on Thanksgiving and should put up a good match against the Falcons. Do we know who is starting at quarterback for the Lions yet? I love the guessing games. The Lions offense is a mess, especially their running game. Kevin Jones has been a huge disappoint especially as of late because of the Lions weak schedule. Atlanta lost a tough one to Tampa Bay last week (who always seems to have their numbers) and should be pumped to get back on track. Atlanta is on the outside looking in at this point and need to put some wins on the board. Game 1 pick – Atlanta 31-21

The Denver Broncos have been steaming rolling as of late and are clearly the number 2 team in the league. Dallas is no slouch either having won 3 in a row. I’m thinking this will be a low scoring game. Denver has a tough defensive line that should be able to put pressure on Bledsoe all day. Bledsoe is a pocket passer and is less effective when pressured. Both teams have great running games, with the edge slightly going to Denver. The combo of Julius Jones and Marion Barber seems to be working (yah I know it sucks for us fantasy players when teams use a rbbc). Denver is not as effective when playing on the road, and might have trouble playing Astroturf. One of our two Thanksgiving teams has to win on Thanksgiving. Game 2 pick – Dallas 17-10