NFL Thanksgiving Day Recap

While many were waiting for the turkey to come out of the oven yesterday, many more were awaiting Thanksgiving football. There was a lot to be seen as the Packers maintained their undefeated season, and the Ravens game brought an NFL-first, giving fans lots to talk about around the dinner table.

Green Bay Packers 27, Detroit Lions 15
It was the most highly anticipated game of Thanksgiving, but the competition between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions got off to a slow start yesterday. Neither team wanted to make the first move, as both played it safe and waited for their opponent to make a mistake. It didn’t take long though before Aaron Rodgers, QB for the Packers found his groove (despite being continually pummeled by the Lions’ defense) and led his team to yet another win for the season. Rodgers ended the game with two touchdown passes, 307 yards, and completing 22 of 33 attempts. It was his stellar performance that helped Green Bay take the win on this one, but a third-quarter ejection of Ndamukong Suh also helped, after he threw down and stomped on Evan Dietrich-Smith. It was a move the Packers capitalized on, taking a 24-0 lead in the third quarter, and not even a touchdown later in the third by Keiland Williams could help the Lions. The victory has Green Bay hoping for a perfect season, while it leaves the Lions wondering what they’re going to do with Suh.

Dallas Cowboys 20, Miami Dolphins 19
It’s been far from a perfect season for Tony Romo and the gang, but the Dallas Cowboys can say that they’ve had a perfect November, as the win on Thanksgiving Day has them at 4-0 for the month. Despite the win, it wasn’t a perfect night for the Cowboys though. Romo threw two interceptions on the Cowboys’ first three possessions, and Dallas received 11 penalties, two of which ended up in field goals for Miami. But with more mistakes made on Miami’s end –  four useless trips into the end zone, converting 3 of 12 third-down attempts, and QB Matt Moore getting sacked relentlessly (four times to be exact.) It was the mistakes on both sides of the field that kept this game so closely-matched, and a great one for fans to watch. But you can’t win a game on mistakes alone and it was Laurent Robinson who played nearly flawlessly for the Cowboys, scoring both of their two touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens 16, San Francisco 49ers 6
This was a game that made NFL history, as it was the first time ever in the league that the head coaches on the opposing teams were brothers. Jim Harbaugh, coach of the 49ers, and John Harbaugh, coach of the Ravens, tried to turn the attention back onto football all week, and take it off themselves; and while they may have been unsuccessful throughout, all eyes were on the field during this Thanksgiving matchup. The game was pretty evenly played, with the scoreboard showing as much at 6-6 in the fourth quarter. But when Joe Flacco threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta, it was all the Ravens needed, and it was all over. Flacco ended the game with 4 for 4 for 34 yards and a touchdown; while 49ers quarterback, Alex Smith, was sacked a total of 9 times and RB Frank Gore was allowed only 39 rushing yards. The win gives the Ravens the top spot in the AFC North, something they hope to hold onto after the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday evening.

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