by JM Van Horn

Created on: November 23, 2010

This Thanksgiving Day, NFL fans are going to spend their time filling up on turkey and all of the sides while we watch the following three games play themselves out for our viewing pleasure.

New England Patriots at Detroit Lions

The Patriots are fresh off an emotional win over the Indianapolis Colts and will be ready to take on a Lions team that has been unable to earn a much needed win. 

The Patriots, led by Tom Brady, are going to use their balanced attack that leads the league in scoring with 28.9 yards per game. You can expect the Patriots to utilize the run to keep the front seven of the Lions’ honest and slow down their pass rush.

Even though the Lions have shown they are a much different team without their leader, Matt Stafford behind center, there are other concerns. Like their running game that has been atrocious as of late, averaging only 76 yards per game.

If this game was not in primetime the Lions might have a chance to catch the Patriots off-guard like the Cleveland Browns did. Expect another dominant win by the Patriots on Thanksgiving Day.

Prediction – New England 31     Detroit 14

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys

The Saints and Cowboys are both coming off successful offensive showing with each unit putting up at least 34 points on their last opponents. NFL fans can expect to see the Saints Drew Brees and Cowboys Jon Kitna in an aerial battle to earn a much needed win. In their last two games, the two have combined for 1,109 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions.

When it comes to their defensive units, the Saints defense enters this contest giving up only 17.0 points per game while the Cowboys sit at a robust 27.1 points per game. Both units have been struggling with applying pressure to the opposing quarterbacks and will need to find a way to improve upon their mediocre pass rush.

Even though the Cowboys have been a different team under interim head coach Jason Garrett, it will not be enough to earn a win against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Prediction – Saints 28     Cowboys 21

Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets

The Bengals will need to find a way to bounce back during this short week after a disgusting loss to the Buffalo Bills. Their Thanksgiving Day opponent will be the Jets, who continue to find a way to win even if it is not pretty though their offense did rack up 30 points.

The Jets offense finally showed some life last week when the Texans were unable to stop them in the waning minutes of the third quarter. Quarterback Mark Sanchez did look decent, completing 57.9% of his passes for 315 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.

 The Bengals defense will need to find a way to shut down the big play, especially against the Jets, who are in the top five for pass attempts over 30 yards. Do not expect to see the Bengals to put up much of a defensive showing and will be on the losing end again.

Prediction – Jets 27     Bengals 13

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