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Top 5 Points for Thanksgiving Day NFL Games
by Nadya Vlassoff
Thanksgiving weekend, one of the biggest holidays of the American calendar year. While ripe with many individual family traditions, the gridiron has become a staple in households across the United States with Thanksgiving Day football. Throughout the years football clashes have become synonymous with the giving of thanks and the turkeys that adorn countless tables. This year for Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions meet the Green Bay Packers, the Denver Broncos take on the New York Giants, and the Dallas Cowboys meet the Oakland Raiders.
Over the years, NFL fans have seen many epic games on Thanksgiving Thursday, with some of the finest players from the NFL past clashing on Turkey Day. Barry Sanders for the Detroit Lions, Troy Aikman and Emmet Smith for the Dallas Cowboys have all tasted victory before tasting turkey. One of the three Thanksgiving Day games sees the Denver Broncos take on the New York Giants. Both teams have struggled in the last month and now attempt to stay above 500 for the last stretch of the NFL season. With only six weeks left to play, NFL fans know each game and every point counts. Any mistake can cost the game and with the tentative play from last Sunday, it really could be anyone’s game.
Here are our Top 5 Points for Thanksgiving Day NFL Games :
Green
Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
 Although
the Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving game has been
an annual tradition since the 1930s, with varying
degrees of talent, there are a few bright lights
on the Lion’s roster this season. No one played
with more heart than quarterback Matt Stafford
last Sunday. While injured, and rolling out
of the pocket to try and keep the Lions in the
game, Stafford did what he needed to do. With
over 400+ yards passing and five touchdown passes,
Stafford played the final quarter with a dislocated
shoulder. However, the Lions are set to face
the Green Bay Packers on Thursday in the first
of the three scheduled games without Matt Stafford.
The Packers are vying for position in the NFC playoff race but are without two of their key defensive players as Al Harris and Aaron Kampman were both injured last Sunday and will be out for the rest of the season. At the helm for Thanksgiving, the Lions are leaning on backup quarterback Duante Culpepper. The former Vikings standout, Culpepper, touched the field for about five seconds against Cleveland before Stafford trotted back onto the field to finish the game with a game-tying touchdown with no time left on the clock.
The Detroit Lions will need more than a Thanksgiving miracle after Culpepper’s disastrous game against Green Bay on October 18 where Duante passed for only 48 yards with one interception. The Lions failed to score any points in that game and although they face a depleted Packers’ offense, they still have quite the hill to climb if they have any chance of winning.
NY Giants vs. Denver
Broncos
 There’s
plenty to say about this primetime match-up
as two of the NFL season’s most promising teams
have slowed down and lost momentum. The Giants,
led by an almost flawless Eli Manning, had a
5-0 start and looked unbeatable until the Saints
trampled them in one of their worst losses while
Denver began with a 6-0 record under new coach,
Josh McDaniels. Then both the Giants and Broncos
went on to lose four straight games until the
Giants finally managed an overtime win last
Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Now one
of the Giants top rushers, Ahmad Bradshaw, has
been listed as probable after injuring both
of his ankles. Also challenged, Manning is currently
struggling with a foot injury.
For Thanksgiving day success, Denver, however, will need their offense to convert on third down and run the ball in the second half. Most importantly, the Broncos will need to get into the red zone and put some points on the board. Josh McDaniels can’t take a page out of the playbook of his former head coach, Bill Belichek, with fancy gimmicks on fourth down. On the other side, the Giants could be spread thin on defensive coverage, especially with linebacker Antonio Pierce still out with an injury. But it hardly matters if the Broncos barely hold onto the ball where it counts most. Will fans witness a battered defence against a struggling offense? It may come down to who gives the final push and who can hold their defensive line long enough to secure a win.
Tony Romo
 Thanksgiving
may be too easy for the Dallas Cowboys. But
if ever there was a time for Tony Romo and company
to keep their position atop of the NFC East,
Turkey Day is it. Romo is still banged up from
last Sunday’s game against the Redskins, which
the Cowboys won by the skin of their teeth.
Literally, Dallas barely scraped by and turned
in one of their worst performances in recent
years. Romo went 15 for 27 with a touchdown
and an interception. While it was Romo’s frantic
scramble to continue the game-winning drive
in the fourth quarter, the Redskins were slightly
less than three minutes away from shutting out
the Cowboys.
Now that Jason Whitten may be off the field, Romo will have to think harder and throw better without his favorite go-to receiver on the field. Cowboys fans shouldn’t stress too much since the Oakland Raiders will make their first trip to Cowboy territory in eleven years but the Raiders could be the giant killers of this year’s NFL season after they took out the Cincinnati Bengals and were all over Carson Palmer like gravy on turkey. One bad hit could re-aggravate Romo’s already sore back so his offensive linemen will have to do all they can to protect the pocket.
NFC East Standings
With only six games left in the regular season, Dallas will have more than just their own schedule to contend with since the Cowboys also have to deal with the NY Giants and their win-loss record. The Giants beat the Cowboys in their new billion-dollar stadium, ruining the Cowboys showy debut. If the Giants win and the Cowboys lose then Dallas will no longer have command of the first place position atop the NFC East. The Giants could move into the top spot since they beat Dallas and the next game between the two rivals won’t be until December 6. However, if the Philadelphia Eagles win on Sunday then they will be on top and the Cowboys will fall to third. With so many possible shifts in the division rivalry among the three teams, Dallas and New York will need to put all their cards on the table and win. Oakland could pull off another upset and Denver needs a win to regain footing in their division.
Bruce Gradkowski
 Most
NFL fans may be scratching their heads at the
mention of Oakland Raiders quarterback, Bruce
Gradkowski, who took a formerly disoriented
offense and railed his team against the Cincinnati
Bengals on Sunday. The shock didn’t hit anyone
harder than the Raiders players themselves and
possibly Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson. With less
than a minute to go and a seven-point lead,
it appeared as though the Bengals were on their
way to an 8-2 record. Then Bruce Gradkoswki
stepped up and rained over the Bengals’ parade
as Gradkowski marched the Raiders down the field
for a touchdown with a brilliant catch by rookie
Louis Murphy. Even with the game tied, the Bengals
should have been able to close it out, but Andre
Caldwell got too fancy and fumbled.
What were the Raiders to do? Recover and win the game with a field goal of course. A score, any score, would have clinched the game and that is what they did. Gradkoswki didn’t even have to throw the ball in the final drive of the game. So now the big question for Oakland coach Tom Cable becomes: Which quarterback will get the start on Thursday, the turnover prone JaMarcus Russel or the hero of the hour, Bruce Gradkoswki? As some NFL fans may be ushering in the arrival of the next Tom Brady, Bruce Gradkowski could very well be the headache that Dallas doesn’t need.
Three games, two injured quarterbacks, and a gridiron partridge in a pear tree. Not quite the right holiday but Thanksgiving football could be an exiting topping for turkey dinner. If Oakland wins, the Raiders can redeem their season. If Dallas loses then it will be obvious that the Cowboys didn’t deserve to win. If the Giants can hold off Denver, New York may regain the top spot in the NFC east. As for the Lions and the Packers? Well, we’ll leave it up to fate to see what happens, but it might be the easiest one to call.
Thanksgiving Day NFL Predictions:
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions: Packers win but don’t beat the spread.
NY Giants vs. Denver Broncos: Giants edge Broncos if they can hold in the fourth quarter.
Oakland Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys: Cowboys win if Tony Romo can pass successfully without Jason Whitten.
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