The Thanksgiving NFL Triple Header:

Before kicking off the weekend’s games, let us pause and give thanks for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Thanksgiving, like July 4th is a quintessential American holiday, hopefully to reconnect with friends, family and loved ones. Let us also thank and pay tribute to our fighting men and women, past and present, for the sacrifices they have made in order that we may freely enjoy this day. My most sincere wish for you, Faithful Reader is that you safely and peacefully enjoy the day along with tens of millions of red-blooded American males, by watching football, what else?

Miami -2.5 At Detroit 39

Joey Harrington, the one-time “face of the franchise” returns to Motown for the annual Thanksgiving tilt. Have to figure that the Lions will be up for this, having lost four out of the last five Thanksgiving Day games. Then again, the Lions have won a whopping 23 games since the beginning of 2001. The Dolphins are finally beginning to play as had been predicted early on. Harrington has acquitted himself well since stepping in for Culpepper early on, and would love nothing better than to stick it to his former team. At this point, both teams have nothing to lose; they’ll both be done by year’s end. However, there is a measure of pride associated with the home team. Yes, they’re only 2-8 and logic suggests that they will lose, but hopefully for the fans of the Honolulu Blue and Silver, the Lions will play with some fire and passion and send the fans home happy.

Projected Final Score: Detroit 20, Miami 17.


At Dallas -11 Tampa Bay 39

Dallas is on the rise against Chucky’s rough and tumble and banged-up bunch. There’s little doubt that the Cowboys ought to handle their guests without much of a problem. Dallas is within reach of the NFC East crown if the continue to play well as the Giants slide. Tampa will have gone through three road games in 11 days. That would be tough enough for a contender, let alone a rebuilding team. Even though the points are high, there’s a certain comfort level with the home team.

Projected Final Score: Dallas 28, Tampa Bay 16.

At Kansas City -1 Denver 38

The Broncs come into KC wounded and stung from blowing a 17-point lead at home against San Diego. Their defense has carried them so far, though one has to wonder whether their beginning to fade. The Chiefs lost last week in Trent Green’s return to the lineup. There’s going to be a lot of clouds of dust between LJ and the Broncos' running backs. Denver is a better team defensively, but it ought to be close.

Projected Final Score: Denver 20, Kansas City 17.