Thanksgiving Football, Detroit Vs Green Bay, Dallas Vs Oakland, Denver Vs New York Giants

Thanksgiving and football go together as well as, turkey and stuffing. It's a tradition which began in 1920,with games being played in Detroit and Dallas. In 2006, a third game was added to the Thanksgiving day menu. This year, Detroit will host Green Bay, with Oakland going to Dallas, and in the first Thanksgiving Day game in Denver, since 1963, the Broncos face the Giants.

In game one, the Lions will face their divisional rivals, Green Bay Packers. The Packers are looking for a season sweep of the Lions, after winning the first match-up in Green Bay, 26-0. In recent years, the Lions haven't had much to be thankful for. The last time the Lions won a game on Thanksgiving, was in 2003, when they defeated Green Bay.

This years Lions team will have a difficult time keeping up with the Packers. The defense will have their hands full trying to stop, Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant, and Donald Driver. Offensively, the Lions have struggled. After missing some time due to an injury, Matthew Stafford has looked like a lost rookie quarterback at times this year, but has also shown glimpses of what hopefully the future will hold. If Stafford, Johnson, and Jones can stay healthy, they should eventually give the anemic Lions offense a boost. While the Lions team has made improvements over their winless effort last year, they still have a long way to go to be competitive in the NFC North. After facing a tough 49ers defense, the Pack will be facing the Lions in Detroit, on four days rest, while the Lions will be coming off a home game against Cleveland, a seemingly easier task. If Green Bay isn't banged up from their game against, San Francisco, and not looking ahead to their tough match-up against the Ravens the following week, they should leave Detroit with a victory.

The Dallas Cowboys will have a lot to be thankful for this year. First, they're playing in their new deluxe stadium on national television, and secondly, they're facing the Oakland Raiders on Thanksgiving Day. The Raiders have been horrible this season, and going into Texas, where everything is bigger, including mistakes, may make Oakland look even worse.

With Dallas having rediscovered their passing game thanks in part to, Miles Austin, and having a balanced running game featuring backs, Barber, Jones and Choice, the Raiders will have a difficult time containing the Cowboys offense. Offensively, Oakland will need quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, to protect the ball and use the teams best weapons, Murphy, Miller and Justin Fargas. Oakland's best scoring weapon is, Sebastian Janikowski, but it will take more then field goals to beat the Cowboys at home on Thanksgiving.

The Denver Broncos have been one of the biggest surprises of the season. After a turbulent off-season that saw starting quarterback, Jay Cutler jettisoned to Chicago, the Broncos and Kyle Orton have impressed everyone. The New York Giants started the season strong, then suffered three losses in a row. Recently, the G men have looked bad on both sides of the ball.

For the Giants to win, Eli Manning must play well and get the ball to his young receivers, Smith, Nicks, and Manningham. New York running back, Brandon Jacobs has struggled at times this year, and he needs to get going to keep the Broncos defense honest. On the defensive side of the ball, New York will need to cover Brandon Marshall and keep pressure on Kyle Orton. Playing in Denver is always a difficult task. With the Eagles and Cowboys up after Denver, the Giants need a victory to keep pace in the difficult NFC East.

Denver's defense has played well and is currently ranked 2nd in the NFL. The Broncos will need another good performance from the defensive unit. Offensively, Kyle Orton must continue to protect the football, something he's done a good job of this year. The running backs will have a difficult time running against the Giants defense, but must run well enough to help the Broncos passing game. The team with the fewest turnovers should win this close contest.

Thanksgiving with family and friends, followed by a day of football, that's a day to be thankful for.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_Classic
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/teams/denver-broncos/index.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/schedules/2009/detroit-lions/index.html
http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-football.htm

http://www.mahalo.com/thanksgiving-football-schedule