Thanksgiving day can be summed up in 3 words. The 3 F’s: family, food and football. The one day of the year where we load up on all the turkey we can possibly eat and hope the games are interesting enough to not pass out in the recliner when the feast is finally over. The league decided to add a 3rd game in prime time to the Thanksgiving Day slate of games, to give 2 new teams each year the chance to be a part of the tradition. I think it’s definitely for the best, considering Detroit has lost their last 6 games on this holiday by an average of 23 points. I personally think the only game that has a chance of being close is the Saints vs. Cowboys. I’m so confident in the other 2 being blowouts, that I’m using my No-Brainer pick very early in Week 12. So I hate to say it, but if the turkey doesn’t put you to sleep tomorrow, the games almost surely will.
12:30
New England @ Detroit
Tom Brady is listed as questionable with a sprained foot, but he’s no stranger to the injury report. The only thing questionable about Brady is how many touchdowns he’ll throw for. We’ll start the bidding at 3. Detroit has been more competitive this year but it definitely doesn’t show in their 2-8 record. The Patriots are on the opposite end of the spectrum at 8-2 and will cruise to an easy win here.
New England 38
Detroit 17
4:15
Nawlins @ Dallas
As I said earlier, this one has the potential to be a close game, if not an upset altogether. Dallas has been playing inspired football since the firing of Wade Phillips, winning their past 2. The Saints are also looking more alive as of late and we’ll find out if Kitna’s performance last week was a product of experience or a bad opposing defense in Detroit. I look for lots of points and yards through the air. Not exactly going out on a limb when Drew Brees is in the game. Keep an eye on this one.
Nawlins 34
Dallas 24
8:30
Cincinnati @ NY Jets
As T.O. would say, if you have any room left, get your popcorn ready. When the schedule was released, this looked like a great choice. Defending AFC North Champs facing the loser of the AFC Championship game. Cincinnati fell to 2-8 after secondary injuries contributed to them blowing a huge lead over Buffalo. Meanwhile, the Cardiac Jets won their third heartstopper in a row over Houston. Sanchez to Holmes with just 10 seconds left for the win and a league-best 8-2 record (tied with New England and Atlanta). So what are the chances the Jets need a last minute drive to beat the lowly Bengals? Child, please.
Cincinnati 16
NY Jets 30 NO-BRAINER
Happy Thanksgiving, TSJ.