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NFL Predictions for Thanksgiving Day Games
Published by JM Van Horn on November 24, 2009
Just like turkey and cranberry sauce, the NFL has become part of the Thanksgiving Day tradition over the years. Here are the three games that will entertain us while the food digests.
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
The last time these teams met during week 6 of the NFL season, the Packers dominated the Lions and coasted to a 26-0 victory. Is there any chance the Lions will put up a better fight at Ford Field or will this be another Thanksgiving Day massacre?
Lions’ Pro Bowl wide receiver Calvin Johnson was sorely missed during the earlier meeting. He’s back and finally had a break out game last week against the Browns. In the winning effort, Johnson had 7 receptions for 161 yards and 1 touchdown. In two games last year against Green Bay, Johnson hauled in 15 receptions for 231 yards and 4 touchdowns.
If the Lions are going to have a chance, Johnson will need to continue this level of production against an aggressive Packers defense. The Packers will use two men on Johnson in the game, which means the other Johnson, Bryant, should see some favorable match ups.
The key for the Packers defense on Thanksgiving Day will be to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers. During the first meeting of the season between these two, Rodgers was sacked 5 times. Despite the pressure, Rodgers was able to complete 29 of 37 passes for 358 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Rodgers will have a hard time throwing if he’s lying on his back. Through 10 games this season, Rodgers has been sacked 43 times, which is nine more sacks than he took during the entire 2008 season.
Look for the Lions to put up some points and put on a good show for the home crowd, even though they will come up short in the end.
Prediction – Green Bay 31 Detroit 21
Oakland Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys
When you’re discussing the NFL teams with the most devoted fan bases, the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders are right near the top. With this devotion comes a desire to win a Super Bowl championship, something these two teams have not done in some time.
If the Raiders are going to come away with a major win in front of a national audience, their defense is going to need to step up.
During their upset win over the Bengals last week, the Raiders held Cincinnati to under 200 yards passing and allowed the Bengals to convert only six of their third down attempts.
The real key to the Raiders success was their quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who completed 50% of his passes for 183 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Gradkowski helped the Raiders score 10 points in less than a minute during a bizarre fourth quarter to help them win the game.
The Dallas Cowboys have seemed to turn a corner this season and enter Week 12 in first place in the NFC East division. The reason for their success had been the play of quarterback Tony Romo and a relatively unknown wide receiver, Miles Austin. Through the first half of the season, Austin has hauled in 26 receptions for 563 yards and 6 touchdowns.
A major concern for the Dallas offense is the availability of tight end Jason Witten who is suffering from a sprained foot. The last time Witten missed a game was during his rookie season.
In the end, the Dallas defense will have a lot to do with the Cowboys earning a victory in their new stadium. The Raiders offense should provide some spark but will not have enough as the Cowboys will keep their distance over the Eagles for the NFC East title.
Prediction – Dallas 27 Oakland 20
New York Giants at Denver Broncos
The last NFL game of Thanksgiving Day has the potential to be best, at least on paper. Fans with access to the NFL Network will get to see the New York Giants travel to the Mile High stadium and take on the surprising Denver Broncos.
Though the New York Giants won last week they still need to get back to the basics for success; running the ball and using a dominant defense to control the tempo of the game. Over the past few weeks, they have been trying to be something they are not, a passing team.
The Giants will need to rely upon bruising running back Brandon Jacobs along with Ahmad Bradshaw to hit the holes every time they touch the ball.
The Denver Broncos success at the start of the 2009 has started to fade in recent weeks as they’ve lost their last four games and have fallen into second place in the AFC West.
While the offense has become stagnant, the biggest problem with the Broncos has been their inability to stop the run. Last week, the defense allowed the Chargers to rack up over 200 yards and two touchdowns.
On top of the defensive collapse, the Broncos head coach, Josh McDaniels, decided to mouth off to the Chargers defensive players prior to the start of the game. Then there were the antics that took place on the sideline between wide receiver Brandon Marshall and rookie running back Knowshon Moreno.
While Eli Manning’s lack of big play receivers will still come into play there is too much disarray in Denver for them to come away with a win on Thanksgiving Day.
Prediction – New York Giants 28 Denver 24
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CCC on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 06:02
nice pix
hope Culpepper can help the Lions put up that many points
JM Van Horn on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 09:51
Game time decision as to whether Stafford will start or not. I like Culpepper, but if he gets the nod I do not see them being able to score enough points to make it competitive.