NFL Thanksgiving Day Preview

 

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Okay, so it is Thanksgiving Day. And for most Americans, that means traveling fairly long distances, family gatherings, huge meals with turkey and gravy and sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, and plenty of other things. And, of course, football.

Yes, all of these things have come to define Thanksgiving. And while I have gone away a bit from previewing and reviewing NFL games as of late, this is my attempt to get back into it.

So here goes. My preview of today's NFL Thanksgiving Day games:

Buffalo at Detroit - Okay, so at the beginning of the season, and up until quite recently, this looked like a typical mismatch involving the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The Bill raced off to a very impressive 6-1 start, and many people, including yours truly, believed that they were the very best team in the league. Meanwhile, the Lions kept finding ways to lose en route to an awful 1-6 start, and they had the worst record in the league. And so it looked like the Lions would once again be the sacrificial turkeys, so to speak, on our television sets for Thanksgiving. However, the Bills dropped two games in a row, and then won in somewhat shaky faahion last week against Cleveland, and circumstances forced that game to be played in Detroit, of all places. Meanwhile, the Lions have come alive and are roaring, with three straight wins, the longest such streak for that franchise in years. And so the two teams now appear to be heading in opposite directions. Don't get me wrong, I still believe the Bills to be the better team overall. But they sure seem to be slumping a bit, while the Lions now seem to be peaking, which makes them dangerous. I would not be surprised if they find a way to upset the Bills in this one. However, since the Bills still are likely the better team, it is up to them to find a way to win this one. Somehow, I expect that they will, although it should be a very tough game, and fun to watch, as well. My pick: Buffalo

NY Giants at Dallas - As a fan of the G-Men, I want to say right off the bat that this season has been enjoyable to this point. How long has it been since the Giants have actually been very competitive by Thanksgiving weekend? Yes, Big Blue has been rather awful in recent seasons, so the 7-3 record that they are sporting at this point - one of the best records in the league - has been satisfying. That said, however, they looked dismal last week at home against Detroit. Also, they always struggle against the Cowboys, who themselves sport an identical 7-3 mark, and are coming off a stunning 40-3 win against the Vikings. It is now shocking that the 'Boys won that game, but it is how they did it that is scary for the rest of the league. Let us remember that the Cowboys have basically owned the Giants in recent seasons, and always seem to bring their best whenever they play Big Blue, and conversely have brought out the worst in the G-Men. The Giants played arguably their worst game against the Cowboys in their first meeting this season, at least until their loss last week. But with this game on Thanksgiving, and being played in Big D? Well, let's just say that I'm not liking their chances here. My pick; Dallas 

New England at Minnesota - Speaking of that beatdown by the Cowboys over the Vikings, Minnesota got a taste of humility this week. Just days after their celebrations following the obviously impressive and exhilarating road win up in Buffalo, the Vikings got a rude awakening.  I have seen teams that got off to very impressive starts completely unravel after suffering such sobering and humiliating losses, such as the 1986 Jets and the 2009 Giants. But the Vikings will be looking more seriously at this game. They play the New England Patriots. And while the Pat's dynasty days may be over,  Belichick still has that team winning. Frankly, I would not be surprised if they pull off a win here today. However, I suspect that the crushing,  demoralizing loss to Dallas woke up the Vikings,  and that overconfidence and overlooking their opponents will not be an issue in this game. Look for the home team to be serious and look for a statement win to recover from their recent embarrassment.  My pick: Minnesota