Thanksgiving is usually spent connecting with family, eating delicious food and watching football, whether we are fans of the teams playing or not.
Four of the six NFL teams that will play Thursday have a record of .500 or worse,including the Packers, which don’t have Aaron Rodgers and obviously are not the same team without him. The Ravens (5-6) still can’t find that groove without spiritual leader Ray Lewis, and the Raiders (4-7) are the Raiders.
The overall record of the teams playing on turkey day is 31-34, which is mediocre. Green Bay versus Detroit and Pittsburgh versus Baltimore should prove to be interesting matchups, but the 4:30 p.m. contest between Dallas and Oakland has the potential to be a snore fest.
The Packers aren’t as exciting to watch anymore without Rodgers, as they are 0-3-1 since the injury. With him on the sidelines, the lacking of leadership and skill he brings has proven to be significant. The Lions will look to bounce back from a pair of losses and this could be the week that Detroit gets back on track.
The last time Green Bay and Detroit played on Thanksgiving, the Packers won 37-26, but Calvin Johnson should be able to have a big game this time around and pick up a win. It is interesting to see how the loss of one offensive player can have such a trickle down effect on a team.
The evening game with the Steelers and Ravens could have been a great showdown a few years back, but now it won’t be as exciting, because both are older teams and Joe Flacco might not be the poster boy Baltimore wanted.
Thanksgiving Day is deep in history and it is great to see teams such as the Cowboys and Lions always playing, but the games this year seem to be “meh.” None possess the wow factor that other games such as Broncos-Chiefs and Saints-Seahawks earlier this year did and it is hard to watch teams play average football.
Some good teams are playing this turkey day, but none of the contests stand out as games I want to watch instead of taking my post-dinner nap. However, it will be interesting to see how the playoff picture will shape out and if the Packers can find something to help them hold off until Rodgers is up to speed.
And regardless of the teams playing, nothing beats football on Thanksgiving.
ph553412@ohiou.edu
