Why is Football such a Big Part of Thanksgiving?

Houston Texans’ Running back Arian Foster hurdles Dallas Cowboys’ defender Mike Jenkins. Reliant Stadium. Houston, Tx. Sept. 26 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Happy Thanksgiving to all my favorite Gals and Pals. Today is a great one for football fans because we get Thanksgiving games!

Since the league began in 1920 there have been Thanksgiving games. Currently three NFL games are played- there are always games in Dallas and Detroit and an additional game with a rotating roster of opponents was added in 2006.

As if you needed another reason to love Thanksgiving!

The Thanksgiving football tradition started for the NFL as a promotion gimmick by the first owner of the Detroit Lions and the idea grew to include many teams during the 1920s and 1930s. When World War II broke out the NFL didn’t schedule any Thanksgiving games between 1941-1945. After the war was over the tradition was renewed with just the Green Bay Packers vs. the Lions until 1963.

The Dallas Cowboys joined the tradition in 1966 and since the Lions and Cowboys have been the traditional home teams for the Thanksgiving NFL games. It is also considered the official kick off of the red kettle campaign for the Salvation Army as it is featured during half time in Cowboys stadium.

In 2006 the NFL added a third game for Thanksgiving played at night and airing on the NFL network. This year the game will be played on NBC.

Now let’s looks at the three games.

Houston vs Detroit

Kickoff is at 12:30est on CBS

The Lions are in an eight Thanksgiving game losing streak. I have a feeling meeting up with the awesome Texans isn’t going to help the cause.

Looking at the numbers offensively the Lions look slightly better. Averaging 402 yards per game the Lions have almost 60 more yards passing per game than the Texans. This is largely due to WR Calvin Johnson who has over 1,000 yards this season.

But the running game which eats up time and makes defenses tired goes to the Texans. Arian Foster has had 249 carries and 962 yards and 10 touchdowns. Since he is averaging 96 yards per game I fully expect him to get to over 1,000 yards this season against the Lions.

Don’t expect the Lions to run the ball- which they barely do anyway- against a Texans D that only allows on average 86 rushing yards per game. Both teams are equally matched in the secondary so I expect the QBs to throw the ball- a lot. But the Texans have Foster and since the Lions allow 114 rushing yards per game I expect the Texans to put up some points.

Texans win this one.

Redskins vs Cowboys- RIVARLY ALERT

Kickoff is at 4:25pm on FOX

Talking about these two teams is painful because I’m an Eagles fan and well the Eagles are a hot mess.

But the NFL powers that be have decided to put the Redskins down in Dallas.

Offensively these two teams are polar opposites.

	Redskins	Cowboys
Total Yards per Game	380	367
Passing Yards per Game	215	284
Rush Yards per Game	165	83
Points Per Game	26	21
Third Down Conversion %	30	40
Time of Possession	1844	1926

The Redskins with the combination of RG3 and Alfred Morris have over 1,400 yards rushing between the two. The Cowboys have no running game and must rely on throwing the ball- a lot. Probably too much- but this could work to the Cowboys advantage this game because the Redskins average 289 yards of passing per game.

But the Cowboys average 107 rushing yards per game.

See what I mean about both teams really being equally matched?

Whichever squad capitalizes on its strengths- RGIII and Morris get into a good groove for running or Tony Romo and crew get the ball down field will determine the win.

And since I personally do not like either team I’m going to give the win to the home team- Cowboys by 3.

Patriots vs. Jets- RIVARLY GAME ALERT

Kickoff 8:20est on NBC

On paper this is an easy game to discuss. The Jets are terrible- terrible, terrible, terrible.

Since the Jets allow 142 rushing yards per game and the Patriots average 143 rushing yards per game Tom Brady and crew should have this game in the bag on the ground. When you add in the Patriots 289 passing yards compared to anemic Jets of less than 200 passing yards per game there really shouldn’t be a concern.

But why do I have a bad feeling about this?

Perhaps it is because Rob Gronkowski who has 748 yards this season is out with a broken forearm that he never should have gotten because there was no reason for him to be on the field for the 59^th point. The Patriots were up 59 points against the Colts measly 24. No sense at all.

If the Patriots focus on the running game – especially Stevan Ridley who has 842 yards this season- and they will win the game.

Related articles

• Thanksgiving football schedule 2012: Texans get their own holiday spotlight (houston.sbnation.com)
• Football-predicting turkey picks Detroit over Houston (khou.com)
• The History Behind The Thanksgiving Day Game (slapioneer.wordpress.com)

The Two Great QB battles today

Eli Manning looks to add another win.(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Welcome to another NFL Sunday- and we get a whole extra hour to enjoy some hard hitting action! These are line ups I’m really look out for today!

Carolina at Washington- AKA RG3 vs Cam Newton!

All off season when people spoke about the large amount of rookie QBs starting in the NFL one comparison came- Cam Newton, who last year in his rookie year blew up and Robert Griffin, III who is also having an explosive rookie debut.

Both are Heisman Trophy winners and both brought excitement to the college game- and were team changers- just ask Auburn fans how much they wish Newton was playing right now for them.

Well maybe not this season’s Cam Newton.

Last season Newton had an incredible rookie year where he opened with a 400-yard passing game the first by a rookie QB in is NFL opener and then a week later did it again, won the Rookie of the Year award because of his 4,051 passing yards and an NFL rushing touchdown record.

This season Newton has kind of fizzed- only having 310 rushing yards in seven games. He also has thrown eight interceptions. To make matters worse his sideline attitude is atrocious. A fun game to play if you’re watching a Panther game is to see if you can spot Newton on the sideline- here’s a hint he’s often under a towel. If I led my team to an 1-6 season start I would probably hide under a towel too. Okay no, I would pull up my boot straps and get to work- but I’m not a Heisman winning quarterback so who am I to judge.

Newton’s job is to win football games- and he is paid very well to do that. So Newton suck it up buttercup stop the whining and start driving the ball down the field.

As for RG3 I really like him- he reminds me of that popular guy in high school who is friends with everyone. He makes it really easy to cheer for him and that is painful coming from someone who really dislikes the Redskins- RG3 makes the Redskins likeable.

Plus he is putting up some impressive numbers- already rushing for 476 yards, the most by a Redskins QB. Against Minnesota RG3 became the first rookie QB to rush for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

So today’s match up should be great- I’m taking the Skins at home.

Pittsburgh vs NY Giants– more than just football in this one

Perhaps the biggest game so far this season is due to a lady named Sandy.

After the super storm ravaged the East Coast many were suggesting postponing the game. But the game will happen and it should be a great one to watch.

First I pray that Pittsburgh will leave the bumblebee uniforms back in Pittsburgh- the great citizens of New York have suffered enough this past week.

Next another great quarterback battle Ben Rothesberger and Eli Manning – and these guys know each other pretty well as they were both part of the same draft class in 2003. Both have two superbowl rings and both can be the difference between a win and lost.

The Giants are coming off a great road win in Dallas where they held the Cowboys to only 19 rushing yards. Yet the Giants’ defense isn’t that great- as they have let 387 yards per game and 273 passing yards. Big Ben needs to find his receivers and tight end Heath Miller (please give him the ball lots cause the Sports Gal Pal needs fantasy points!). The Giants secondary is questionable at best and Big Ben knows how to take advantage of that.

But what about Eli- expect him to look for Victor Cruz– and maybe we’ll see some excellent salsa dancing in the end zone.

So what say you Gal Pal Nation? Are you looking forward to these games or one of the many others on the docket?

Related articles

• Michael Jordan Offers Some Advice to Struggling Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton (bleacherreport.com)
• Robert Griffin: Rookie Star Will Outplay Cam Newton in Dual-Threat QB Showdown (bleacherreport.com)

Thursday Night Football: Didn’t the Steelers Just Play?

Gal Pal thinks that the Steelers will be victorious over the Titans- do you agree?

Sorry it’s been quiet in the Gal Pal universe- I have been dealing with a major cold. I think my local area experienced a huge weather change so I’ve been in bed eating spicy Thai curry and watching terrible day time television. I am feeling better thank you so much now onto tonight’s game.

Is it just me or didn’t the Steelers and Titans just play- oh wait they did just play. Because of the popularity of the NFL there will be games on NFL Network every Thursday. The bad news is first that is usually a good night to watch college football– grr NFL for making me choose between my two loves of Autumn, plus Vampire Diaries starts tonight. The second is that every team at some point is going to have to go straight from a Sunday game to preparing for a Thursday night head to head. This means that players are not recovered from Sunday’s beat down and this could potentially lead to injury. Of course the NFL has claimed that its truly cares about player safety but the decision to have all 16 teams suffer this kind of schedule at least once in the season leads me to a different conclusion.

And with the addition of Thursday night game it does mean a national audience at least once for every NFL team- that is good for people who live in areas where their team doesn’t get air time.

The Steelers actually ran the ball last week to pull out a win over the Eagles. But they are still one of the worse teams for rushing yards in the league. Good news Steelers fans, the Titans are worse.

Looking at the numbers, and yes numbers matter Gals and Pal especially when we are mid season like, the Titans are a mess. They only average 65 yards of rushing per game and only have a 36% third down conversion for the year. On defense the Titans allow opponents 144 yards of rushing and over 279 yards of passing for the year.

So this is a no brainer for the Gal Pal- and it should be to you as well. The Steelers should win easily over the Titans this evening.

Related articles

• Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans: Preview and Predictions (bleacherreport.com)
• Steelers vs. Titans NFL Game Capsule (musiccitymiracles.com)
• Polamalu ruled out for Titans game (triblive.com)

NFL Week Five Preview

Will Mendhall’s return be the spark to light the Steeler’s season?

NFL games begin in a few hours and the Gal Pal household is excited to be going out to catch the action as the game they are most looking forward to is not playing on local tv thanks to the Redskins.

Here are the games I’m on the lookout for.

Eagles vs Steelers

This is the game Gals and Pals because I’m an Eagles fan and my lovely sister Shannon is a Pittsburgh fan (my other sister Rachael is a Cowboys fan FYI).

Despite my personal involvement with this game this is a great match up because every week we have to ask what sort of team will come out of Philly? While they are 3-1 at some point the turnovers and wasted opportunities are going to come back to haunt them.

The Steelers are coming off a bye week and are getting returning players Rashard Mendenhall and James Harrison could be the boost this team needs.

Key for victory for the Steelers- figure out a running game- right now they are averaging only 65 yards rushing per game- that is not enough for a solid offense and creates too much pressure on your receivers.

Since there are too many people I love involved in this game I’m not picking a winner but Fly Eagles Fly

Broncos vs Patriots aka Manning vs Brady

The Patriots are coming off a monster of a win against the Bills last week. Averaging 438 yards of offense per game they should be a favorite to win this home game.

But with the addition of Peyton Manning to the Broncos this season is the only reason people care.

This quarterback rivalry has been a favorite for years in the NFL. And given that Manning is still being questioned about his arm strength we have to wonder how many match ups between these two future hall of famers will we see?

I have a feeling that Brady is going to pull this out- the Pats have a great running game- averaging 144 yards per game. But like in recent years we have to question their defense- they allow over 367 yards per game this season. Give Manning those options and he’ll light up the red zone.

Get to either quarterback and you win the game- it really is that simple and yet so hard to do.

I’m taking the Patriots.

Falcons vs Redskins

The Falcons take their undefeated show on the road to DC.

Offensively these teams are well matched. Both average about 30 points per game, both average about 250 yards passing- though the Redskins are miles ahead of the running game.

The difference is the defense and the Falcons win that battle on paper at least.

So what about in the trenches?

Falcons normally play in a climate controlled dome. Today’s game is being played outdoors and the weather could be a factor. If Redskin QB RGIII were a little more season I might give the edge to the Skins.

But Matt Ryan and the Falcons are having a banner year- and I think experience is the one stat that really matters mid season.

I think the Falcons are going to remain undefeated.

Related articles

• Falcons vs. Redskins Preview (bloggingdirty.com)
• Fantasy Football Week 5: Last-Minute Top 15 Quarterback Rankings (bleacherreport.com)
• Steelers know limiting Vick will be tough task (triblive.com)
• Storylines: QB showdowns highlight Week 5 (nfl.si.com)