Thanksgiving Review

Packers 34 Lions 12
The Packers came in with a very professional attitude, and got the job done. On the opening kickoff of the game, the Lions kicked to the Packers, but the kick was fumbled and recovered by the Lions. The Lions scored quickly as Matt Stafford through a quick strike to Calvin Johnson, and Ford field was rocking. From this moment on thought the Packers dominated the game. Aaron Rodgers threw for 348 yards and 3 TD’s. Donald Driver had 7 catches for 142 yards and 1 TD. The Packers soon quietened the home crowd and they held a 27 – 7 lead going into the 4th quarter. In the 4th the Lions managed to get a safety and a FG, before Woodson picked off Stafford for the 4th time of the day, and returned it for a TD. This was a vital game for the Packers, and they got it done. The Lions have a decent looking offence that will get better with experience, but the defence is awful, look for a lot of early draft picks to be spent on that side of the ball in April.

Raiders 7 Cowboys 24
This game went exactly as expected. The Cowboys looked back to their best on offence. Romo threw for 309 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. His favourite targets in the game were Miles Austin (145 yards and 1 TD) and Jason Witten (107 yards). The Cowboys also had a decent day on the ground with Jones, Choice and Barber running for 68, 67 and 61 yards respectively. This balance saw the Cowboys blow the Raiders away. The Cowboys have now taken control of the NFC East after the Giants result in Denver. The question now is, can they keep up this level of performance against a better defence? This question will be answered over the next few weeks as they play the Giants, the Chargers and the Saints. The Raiders looked better with Gradkowski at QB, but they still have a lot of improving to do.

Giants 6 Broncos 26
This was a hugely dominating performance by the Denver Broncos. The defence held the Giants to just 57 yards rushing, and sacked Eli Manning 3 times. Elvis Dumervil and Brian Dawkins played inspired as the Broncos broke a 4 game losing streak. The Giants on the other hand looked a mess. Eli Manning threw for 230 yards, 0 TD’s and 1 INT. Brandon Jacobs ran for just 27 yards on 11 carries, as the Broncos completely shut him down. Kyle Orton started for the Broncos, and seems to be completely over his injury. This is great news for the Broncos for the run in towards the playoffs. The Broncos, now 7 – 4, are now just 0.5 games behind the Chargers. They also have 3 very winnable games on their schedule, and should at least go 10 – 6. I believe this would see them into the playoffs, either as division winners, or as a wild card. The Giants now have a mountain to climb in the very competitive NFC East. With the Cowboys victory and if the Eagles win on Sunday, they have a lot of work to do.

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