NFL Thanksgiving Games Preview

Minnesota Vikings 

vs.

Detroit Lions 

Minnesota at Detroit - All of those years that you hear people complaining that the Lions are not relevant, and should not be awarded a Thanksgiving Day game every year, right?  But seeing the Lions is a Thanksgiving Day tradition and, plus, this year, they are very relevant. In fact, you can hardly ask for a much more intriguing game than this one! The Vikings are 8-2, and tied with the Patriots, Steelers, and Saints for the second best record in the NFL (the Eagles stand alone with the best record in the league at 9-1). The Vikings have won six straight games, and seemed on the verge of grabbing the rest of the division by the throat, but Detroit got over a losing streak and have now gotten hot themselves, with three straight wins. Also, the Lions managed to beat the Vikings in Minnesota already earlier this season, so that makes this game particularly huge for both teams. Should the Vikings return the favor, they will surely win the NFC North. But if the Lions win, they pull within a game of Minnesota, and have the definitive tiebreaker advantage. So, the stakes could hardly be bigger for this game. The Vikings defense has looked good, and they are coming off a huge win against the Rams, who were also hot before losing up in Minnesota last weekend. But Detroit's offense looks damn good as well, with Matthew Stafford still enjoying what is likely his finest season so far. My suspicion is that this will be a tight game through the first half and at least well into the third quarter, but that the Lions will prove that they are for real this season, as they pull the victory off late in the game, with some late minute heroics by their explosive offense, and make the NFC North race a whole lot tighter! My pick: Detroit



Los Angeles Chargers    

vs.

Dallas Cowboys

L.A. Chargers at Dallas - The Cowboys actually were playing well through the first half against the Eagles on Sunday night, but the collapse late in the game had to be demoralizing. Dallas has not won a game yet since the Eliot suspension was instituted, and since Jerry Jones suddenly found his future as the owner of this franchise in jeopardy.  The Chargers, meanwhile, are coming off one of the most impressive performances in that franchise's recent history, over the last few seasons. They scored a whopping 54 points against a playoff hopeful in the Bills, and they really are not so far behind in the AFC playoff race, or even in the AFC West, that mounting a comeback would be impossible. If the Chiefs do not get their act together soon, in fact, the Chargers could conceivably manage the feat that only this franchise managed in NFL history back in 1992, and that would be overcoming an 0-4 start to qualify for the playoffs. The Chargers had a decent defense, and obviously, their offense can produce some points, and might be particularly hot in this one, if they can carry a bit of that momentum that they had against Buffalo and do the same to Dallas. Frankly, Los Angeles has to be looking at this as a very winnable game, and they would have an extra period of time to rest before their next game against the Cleveland Browns, so you better believe that they will be fired up and aiming to win this game! With all of that going on for the Chargers, and with the problems continuing in Big D, I would be remiss not to pick the Chargers to come out on top in this one! My pick: L.A. Chargers

New York Giants 

vs.

Washington

N.Y. Giants at Washington - As a Giants fan, I am at least thankful that the G-Men won one more game, so that they will not suffer a one win season. But they still have yet to beat an NFC team, and Washington is not the easiest NFC team to hope to beat, especially if you have to travel to the nation's capital. Frankly, I am just hoping that they do not get embarrassed, like they did against both the Rams and the 49ers. Indeed, the G-Men's defense played stingy and tough against Kansas City last weekend, and should be fired up in this game. However, the Giants offense is still just awful. How much can that be improved after a rare win? Well, it likely will not hurt, but Giants have the lowest scoring offense in the NFC! Washington's defense is hardly the most dominant unit, but does it even have to be to contain the Giants offense? Probably not, admittedly. Washington obviously has a lot more to fight for, as they still hope to make some kind of a run towards the playoffs, even if that seems unlikely at the moment. They have produced some big wins and surprised some teams this season, particularly against the Rams and at Seattle - and one of those teams will be NFC West champs at season's end. Plus, the Giants are hardly an unbeatable opponent, as they sport a horrible 2-8 mark for this season thus far. With home field advantage, and with a weak opponent - particularly on offense - facing them, Washington should be able to dictate the tempo and earn a necessary win for themselves to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive. My pick: Washington