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During my lifetime, it has been a Thanksgiving Day tradition that the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always host a game for this particular holiday. In more recent years, a third game is added for the evening, although there are no set teams for this third game. At least not as of yet, in any case.
This year, then, featured the Lions hosting the Bills in the early game, the Cowboys hosting their division rivals, the New York Giants in the middle game, and the Vikings hosting the Patriots in the evening game.
Let’s take a look at how each game played out:
Buffalo at Detroit – Both teams needed this one. The Bills had beaten Cleveland last weekend, but that followed a two-game skid, with the Bills hoping to avoid going on a serious drought just as the playoff race begins to get very serious. Meanwhile, the Lions entered this game riding the momentum of a relatively rare three streak of wins. But having fallen to a dismal 1-6 record to being the season, there is not all that much wiggle room for them, if they are to make a serious push for the playoffs. So a loss here would hurt both teams. Indeed, both teams showed just how important this game was to them. They both played well and showed strong resolve and play, in what proved to be a back-and-forth affair. But in the end, the Bills generally are considered one of he best overall teams for a reason, and they showed why here. With the game tied up at 25-25, the Bills put themselves in a position to kick a field goal with just seconds left, and the attempt split the uprights. This lifted Buffalo to a huge win on Turkey Day, and improved their overall record to 8-3 to this point, as they at least temporarily take sole possession of first place in the AFC East again. As for the Lions, this snapped their three-game winning streak, as they now fall to 4-7 on the year. My pick: Accurate
Dallas 28, NY Giants 20 – Both of these teams entered this game with identical 7-3 records, and were tied for second in the NFC East, which has been, surprisingly, the best division in the league to this point this year. Obviously, the winner of this one would take sole possession of second place, and not fall even further behind the division leading Philadelphia Eagles, who currently sport the best record in the league at 9-1. So this game was a huge divisional showdown, with serious division and playoff ramifications. And it came down to this being a tale of two very different halves. The Giants looked solid and outplayed Dallas in the first half, showing patience and controlling the tempo of the game, and taking a decent 13-7 lead into the locker rooms for halftime. But Dallas took over in the second half with three straight scoring drives ending in touchdowns, capitalizing on Giants mistakes, including turnovers, in the process. It was a 21-0 run that completely shifted the momentum in favor of the ‘Boys. The G-Men tried for a comeback, but it was far too little and too late, as Dallas preserved the victory and improved to 8-3. As for the Giants, they dropped a second game in a row and now fall to 7-4 on the year, and in third place in the NFC East, with red hot Washington suddenly hot on their tail for that third place spot, even. My pick: Accurate
Minnesota 33, New England 26 – In the third and final game on this holiday, the Vikings were looking to bounce back at home following a crushing, demoralizing 40-3 loss to Dallas. That humiliating and sobering loss came after the Vikings had just earned their biggest win of the year, on the road up in Buffalo, where they improve to 8-1 on the season, their best start in over a decade. So in order to prevent that loss turning into a slump, they needed to win this one. The Patriots, meanwhile, have been kind of up and down throughout the season. But they have been winning recently, and had improved to 6-4, tied with the Jets for third place in the highly competitive AFC East, and with a chance to try and keep pressure on the Bills and the Dolphins for the division title. In other words, this was a very important game for both teams. And sure enough, both teams showed just how important this one was for each team. They both played well and seemed to own the momentum at different points. There were times when I felt that New England controlled the tempo, and that they should go on to win, and at other times, it felt like the Vikings had the momentum, and should win. But it was Minnesota that came up with the game late enough to bury New England’s chances late, and ice the win. They bounce back from that humiliating loss to Dallas, and now improve to 9-2 on the year. As for New England, they fall to 6-5, and despite the winning record, they remain in the cellar of the AFC East. My pick: Accurate
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