Turkey Day Preview!

Your Guide to the NFL Games this Thanksgiving

(fangsbites.com)

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time to be thankful of many things: family, food, football, and the fact that forced family gatherings only happen a few times a year. Table conversation can get awkward, especially if you are answering questions about your goals in life for your distant relatives-- by the time you see them next, you might have already reached them! Don't get caught sounding unsure. This Thanksgiving, prove that you know what you are talking about by familiarizing yourself with the top story lines heading into Thursday's three games.

First Course: 

Green Bay at Detroit - 9:30 AM (PST)

(Packers.com)

Since losing QB Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone, the Green Bay Packers have had little to be thankful for. They lost three games in a row before tying the lowly Vikings last week, and therefore have yet to record a win without the former MVP at the helm. Early in the season they enjoyed a sure grip on first place, but with a rotating QB cast that has included Seneca Wallace, Scott Tolzein, and Matt Flynn, the Packers have seen their course shift dramatically. Incredibly, they remain just one game back in the win column (and are burdened with an awkward 5-5-1 record), but can increase their odds greatly with a win in Detroit on Thursday.

Three teams are currently vying for the NFC North crown, and the record within the division is the second-highest tiebreaker in the event of a draw, behind head-to-head record. The Lions have swept their series against the Bears, and own the tiebreaker there, but need a win against Green Bay to earn the series split. They have seen two winnable games slip through their fingers in the past two weeks, and have done little to take advantage of Aaron Rodgers' absence from their division rivals. They wasted a record-setting first-half performance from their QB and WR against Pittsburgh, then followed that debacle by losing to a team that started the season 0-8, at home against the Buccaneers.

I might also remind you that this is the team that lost eight straight games to close last year's season and miss the playoffs. The Lions desperately need a win to get back on track and prevent a nauseating sense of deja vu from permeating their fan base.

QB Matt Flynn will be starting the game for Green Bay, the same Matt Flynn who has already been cut by two teams this season alone. He will need help from the ground game to relieve some of the pressure, but will be going up against the 4th ranked rush defense in the league. However, the matchup through the air does favor him, as the Lions defense is 28th of 32 against the pass.

One can only assume that, because these stats are publicly broadcasted by ESPN, the Lions surely will take measures to force Green Bay to try to run on them. But then, Jim Schwartz is hardly conventional, as he has proven time and again-- most recently in the loss against Pittsburgh when he attempted an ill-advised fake FG, that ended in a fumble and a turnover instead of three points and inked a glaring ZERO under the category of "second half points".

(Rebecca Cook / Reuters)

Also, it could not be Thanksgiving without recalling the matchup of these same teams two years ago, in which Ndamukong Suh blatantly stomped on a Green Bay offensive lineman. This of course launched Suh into the discussion for the NFL's dirtiest player, hardly a desirable award to be nominated for.

He won, by the way.


To spice things up in advance of their Thanksgiving rematch, Green Bay OL Josh Sitton took to the media to announce his opinion of the Detroit Lions:


"I don't think there's any question about that... Their entire defense takes cheap shots all the time. That's what they do. That's who they are. They're a bunch of dirtbags or scumbags. That's how they play, and that's how they're coached... It starts with the head coach, Schwartz. He's a d---, too. I wouldn't want to play for him... They're all just scumbags, and so are the D-line."

His remarks certainly add a little spice to the match-up, and I am looking forward to their response as much as the Turkey itself. I'm not sure Matt Flynn is of the same mind, though.


Second Course:

Oakland at Dallas - 1:30 PM (PST)

(sfxoak.com)

After the beat-down that Drew Brees and the Saints put on the Cowboys three weeks ago, many have expected the inevitable collapse to come early this season for Dallas. Their victory over the surging Giants last week proved many doubters wrong, but still the pervading feeling is that it is only a matter of time. 

Statistics tell us that Tony Romo and the Cowboys usually do not collapse until AFTER Thanksgiving. His career record in November is 25-6, while he sinks to a paltry 13-17 in the month that follows (and a glaring 1-2 in January). Since the holiday comes late this year, Raiders fans are hoping the tradition arrives a bit ahead of schedule. 

Problems in the passing game have lead to heated exchanges between star WR Dez Bryant and his teammates and coaches. The return of (former?) star Miles Austin should help to lighten the load. So too should a matchup against the 25th ranked Oakland secondary. However, the Raiders have ridden rollercoasters with Romo all season long, and it is really anyone's guess as to which team will show up ready to play. (Point and case, I personally have missed each and every Raiders prediction I have attempted this year.) 

Meanwhile, the Raiders look to get back on track after suffering yet another loss at home. Their road record has been abysmal for two consecutive seasons, and they lost their last matchup against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving in 2009 (Justin Fargas, Bruce Gradkowski, anyone?). 

QB Matt McGloin has performed well in his first two career starts, splitting one win and one loss, but dissenters are already calling for Terrelle Pryor to reclaim the starting job once healthy. The ailing QB is getting closer each week, and may even be featured in select packages on Thursday. In any case, McGloin's margin for error is growing thin, and he needs a strong performance in Dallas to solidify his hold on the starting job. 

(jason farmer / times-shamrock)

Speaking of former-starters desperately hoping for a chance to prove their worth to the franchise, RB Darren McFadden is healthy (lol) enough to play this week. The delicate former Heisman contender has really only contributed a handful of respectable outings in his injury-plagued professional career. In his stead, RB Rashad Jennings has played very well, despite being hampered by the same battered offensive line that DMC struggled behind. Dennis Allen has said he will feature both backs in the game on Thursday, and with McFadden as healthy as he may ever be, fans and coaches alike may be able to see the competition for the next season's starting job unfolding before their very eyes. 

Dessert: 

Pittsburgh at Baltimore - 5:30 PM (PST)

Another chapter in the hardest-hitting rivalry in football will be written as many Americans slip into food comas across the nation. The teams have split their last 10 match-ups, and 8 of those games have been decided by 3 points or less.

This year, the stakes are at an all-time low, as both teams are mired by disappointing 5-6 records, two games behind the division-leading Bengals. However, a hope for a wildcard berth is still alive, and neither team can afford to lose many more games. Despite the lackluster circumstances, this heated rivalry should shape up to be as entertaining as always.

After winning the Super Bowl last season, the Ravens have been emphatically average, and have dropped 4 of their last 6 games. The vaunted defense, once ranked the best in the league, is not in the top ten in either passing- or rush-defense, but their offense is the cause of even more concern.

(Don Wright/AP)

"Elite" QB Joe Flacco is currently ranked 29th in passer rating and has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns-- 14. Lately, he has even voiced his disgust with his offensive coordinator, publicly announcing his disdain for the "wildcat" system and comparing his team to a "high-school offense". As Tony Kornheiser pointed out, if Flacco would actually make plays with his arm, they likely would not be running it. But the team is not running the ball effectively either, and is averaging a meager 81.7 rushing yards per game.

On the other side, Ben Roethlisberger has been enjoying a renaissance over the past few weeks. The Steelers have won three straight games, and over that span Big Ben has passed for 7 touchdowns, compared to 1 interception. Antonio Brown has been on the receiving end of many of them, and the Ravens will need to stifle the WR if they hope to contain the Pittsburgh attack. The Steelers are the third-worst rushing team in the league, so Baltimore will most likely take away the pass and force Le'Veon Bell to make plays on the ground, increasing the already likely odds that you will see some hard-hitting plays made on both sides of the ball.

Good Food and Good Football... What a holiday!

Lastly, the Faded Raider would like to wish all his readers a Happy Thanksgiving. May your food be blessed and your bellies full, and remember to be thankful for what you have in life, especially those little things that are so often overlooked.