Thursday, November 22, 2007

Turkey Day Football

Face it, you're going to watch a lot of football before, during and after you eat a lot of food today!

Some things to look for:

Green Bay (9-1) can all but clinch the NFC North with a victory at Detroit (6-4). Key matchups - the Packers' pass rush (fifth-most sacks) vs. the Lions' woeful pass blocking (32nd); Detroit's passing game (7th in yards) vs. the Packers' pass defense (19th in yards); and the Packers' passing game (2nd) vs. the Lions' pass defense (30th). Anything can happen, particularly in Detroit on Thanksgiving, but it's tough to see an upset here unless the Packers are careless with the football.

N.Y. Jets (2-8) at Dallas (9-1) appears to be the most clear-cut of Thursday's games. The Jets have the fourth-worst defense in the league, and the Cowboys feature a balanced offense that is rated second in the NFL. The Jets will have to score a lot of points to win, and I don't see that happening without injured WR Lavernues Coles.

The trap game is the night game - Indianapolis (8-2) at Atlanta (3-7). Both teams are banged up, but the Falcons are really struggling with their line play. It won't be pretty, but I expect the Colts to run the ball up the middle a lot given that the Falcons' starting DTs are out for the season. Still, the Colts should have more margin for error (if you can believe this) against the Falcons than they had vs. the Chargers a few weeks back.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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