🏈🏈🏈🏈
Well, Thanksgiving is just about here. It is a strange Thanksgiving, to be sure, as many people – perhaps most – will not experience a normal gathering with their family and friends, due to the coronavirus pandemic. My own Thanksgiving plans were cancelled not long ago, and I have been scrambling to try and find some turkey and side dishes, to have some semblance of the normal Thanksgiving dinner.
It will be strange Thanksgiving indeed.
That said, one thing will remain normal, and provide at least a little bit of continuity for us, and that is the NFL games. As always, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys will both be hosting football games, and these days, there is always a third game later in the evening, this one featuring the sole remaining undefeated team at home.
Some interesting games. So let’s take a look:
Houston at Detroit – These are two mostly lowly teams. Both rank near the bottom on both offense and on defense. Neither team has shown much consistency, so the fact that the Texans won last week, and the Lions lost, does not necessarily mean much. And you might think that home field advantage would help the Lions, but they have won only one home game to date this season. Then again, the Texans have won only one road game all season, so it just reinforces how difficult this game is to predict. Yet, since I have made a habit now of making predictions every week, it feels like there is no choice but to make a pick about who will win in this game. I actually have a feeling that this might prove to be an entertaining game, difficult as it is to make a prediction. Yes, this could be a fun game to watch. And in the end, regardless of how poorly these two teams have been for those who pick in their favor, my own guess is that the Lions should emerge with the win. Their playoff hopes may have taken a near fatal blow last week with that shutout loss in Carolina, but they still have some hopes for the postseason, slim and flickering as they may be. Also, they likely are the better team at this point, if ever so slightly. Plus, home field advantage should not hurt them. My pick: Detroit
Washington at Dallas – Who could have foreseen that two 3-7 teams would be playing a game on Thanksgiving Day, and that it would have quite a bit of possible playoff relevance? Yet, that is exactly the scenario that we find ourselves in this game between two NFC East rivals. Fortunately, the Washington Football Team changed their names just in time for this season when they play Thanksgiving, a holiday that many Native Americans are less than thrilled with. But their play has not been particularly good, and neither has that of the always flashy Dallas Cowboys, who were expected by many to do some great things, but have suffered through a tumultuous and largely disappointing (at least so far) season to this point. One thing that should make this game interesting is that both teams have very serious, even glaring weaknesses, and those weaknesses will face off. Yes, Washington’s offense is ranked very near the bottom of the league, as they average 20 points per game. But the Dallas defense is literally ranked dead last, and has been extremely leaky. Meanwhile, Washington’s defense is one of the better defenses, ranked in the top third in the league, while Dallas has shown flashes of brilliance on their offensive side, although not so much since the injury to Dak Prescott. So, the question is how effective the Cowboys offense will be against Washington. In their earlier meeting, they were held to just one field goal, while Washington scored 25 points, which is a virtual explosion for that team. In fact, Washington has been playing better on the offensive end since that game, scoring at least 20 in each of their last four games. That, coupled with their tough defense, should be enough to lift them past the Cowboys, even if this game will be played in Big D. My pick: Washington
Baltimore at Pittsburgh – The Steelers have looked incredible thus far this season. Their defense is ranked number one, and their offense is explosive and ranked fourth, one of the most dangerous units in the league. One average, they score nearly 30 points at least in terms of points scored against, and the defense only allows between 17 and 18 points per game, on average. That is what makes them so tough to beat. It also makes it understandable how they have managed to race off to an impressive 10-0 start this season. The Ravens, up until just a few weeks ago, looked very impressive themselves, and even seemed to be legitimate division title contenders. But they now have lost two games in a row, and three of four, which has kind of thrown their once very promising season into a tailspin. Statistically, they still have one of the elite defenses in the league, and their offense can be explosive, even if they seem to have sputtered a bit in the past four games, as they have not exceeded 24 points in any of those games. That said, Lamar Jackson is not to be underestimated, and I feel the Ravens actually have a better than average chance of pulling off an upset in this game. They are, after all, very familiar with Pittsburgh, and know that they can beat them. For whatever the reason, I do feel that the Ravens might come alive and shock people by pulling off the upset. However, going against the unbeaten Steelers at this point is just a little too far, and so I am will not quite go that far. They are likely the better overall team, and they surely are the hotter team. Plus, they have home field advantage. So there are just too many things going in their favor to actually pick against them. My pick: Pittsburgh
No comments:
Post a Comment