gobble gobble tough ones but i have edges

**OldBill** · 11-23-22, 05:06 PM

previews all 3 games
Heading into November, the Detroit Lions resembled a train wreck. Entering their traditional Thanksgiving Day game, the Lions are suddenly on the fast track to playing meaningful games in December.

Their hopes of entering the playoff picture could quickly be derailed when they host the powerful Buffalo Bills (7-3).

Detroit (4-6) comes into the game with a three-game winning streak,
including a convincing 31-18 road triumph over the New York Giants on Sunday. The Lions will be seeking to string together four consecutive wins for the first time since 2016, when they had five victories in a row.

"It's huge. I think just getting a win against a good team on the road is always a good boost," quarterback Jared Goff said. "We came into that game, all we heard about was how good they were in the red zone, how good they were on third down. And we said, ‘Well, we're pretty good in the red zone too, and we're pretty good on third down.' And being able to prove that against a good team on the road is a lot of fun, and hopefully that carries over."
The Lions have a razor-thin margin for error, but an upset Thursday would put them in the NFC wildcard race.

"None of it matters in my opinion if we don't win this next one," coach

Dan Campbell said. "We're in a good place, the guys understand the things that we're doing that are allowing us to win. And we've got to continue to do that, and I know we can't start thinking other things and get ourselves out of the mold of what we've been the last three weeks. We've got to stay the course
Protecting the ball has been a key component to the turnaround. They've committed just one turnover in the past three games.

In an ironic twist, the Bills have spent more time in Detroit's Ford

Field lately than the home team. A massive snowstorm in the Buffalo area forced a relocation of the Cleveland-Buffalo game to Detroit last week, and the Bills snapped a two-game losing streak with a 31-23 victory.

Quarterback Josh Allen was held to a modest 197 yards passing but
connected with Stefon Diggs for a touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half. Allen led them on five scoring drives in the second half, four of which ended with Tyler Bass field goals.

"Everyone expects him to be Superman every game all the time, every throw," coach Sean McDermott said. "I just love the fact that A, he's human, and B, that he was able to work himself through (a slow start). That says way more about him than probably most people give him credit for in terms of his performance."
Buffalo is familiar with playing in Detroit and no stranger to

Thanksgiving Day games. The Bills defeated the New Orleans Saints 31-6 last Thanksgiving and recorded a 26-15 victory over Dallas in 2019.

"For the players and coaches who have never done it before, I think it's an honor and fun to be a part of a tradition like that, especially playing at Detroit, who has traditionally played on Thanksgiving," McDermott said.
Detroit's top cover corner, Jeff Okudah, is expected to miss the game due to a concussion. also out WR Benson T Nelson

Center Mitch Morse (elbow, ankle) was among the Bills who didn't practice on Tuesday.

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**OldBill** · 11-23-22, 05:08 PM

Winning the NFC East becomes a longshot with a loss on Thanksgiving Day, hiking the stakes for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.

Dallas has won 10 of the past 11 over their rivals, who meet for the second time this season following a 23-16 Cowboys' victory on Sept. 26 at East Rutherford, N.J.

The rematch arrives as the Cowboys host a game on Thanksgiving for the 45th consecutive season. Dallas has lost three straight on Turkey Day and look to end the slide at Arlington, Texas.

The Cowboys (7-3) enter against New York (7-3) on a high note after steamrolling the host Minnesota Vikings 40-3 on Sunday, but both teams are well off the pace set by division-leading Philadelphia (9-1).

Tony Pollard had a career-best 189 yards from scrimmage (80 rushing, 109 receiving) and caught two touchdown passes in the stunningly easy victory.

Star linebacker Micah Parsons and defensive end Dorance Armstrong each had two of Dallas' seven sacks against Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Cowboys lead the NFL in sacks (42) and scoring defense (16.7 points per game) and rank ninth in total defense (310.6 yards per game).

Parsons, who ranks second in the NFL with 10 sacks, injured his left knee and ankle against the Vikings. He maintains he will be ready to play against the Giants but his status is something to watch during a short week.

"I just got rolled up. I felt like everyone on the line just kind of fell on my leg," Parsons said. "It was a quick shot -- I've never had that (pain) before. But my health is great. The knee is cool, definitely in a positive manner."

Dallas sacked New York quarterback Daniel Jones five times during the September victory with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence registering three of them.

But Jones also rushed for 79 yards and recorded first downs on seven of his nine rushing attempts, passing for 196 yards with one interception.

"Daniel Jones is a phenomenal quarterback when it comes down to things breaking down and him using his legs," Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse said. "He's a pretty mobile quarterback when it comes to that. Everything coming from me boils down to guys just doing their jobs."

The Giants had a disappointing 31-18 home loss to the Detroit Lions last week. Jones passed for 341 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and ran for a score.

Star running back Saquon Barkley was limited to 22 yards on 15 carries. Barkley is second in the NFL in rushing yardage (953) and fourth in scrimmage yards (1,163). The setback was the second in three games following New York's surprising 6-1 start.

"We're not going to panic. We're not going to worry. We're not going to waver at all," Barkley said.

Giants coach Brian Daboll is expecting a turnaround against the Cowboys.

"They'll respond," Daboll said. "... We're in an outcome, results-oriented business. We all understand that. But the things that we do during the week, the work we put in, how we study, that's what's important to me. Obviously, we want to win every game. But I think you stay consistent. We're going to go through our preparation. And then we're going to go out and try to play the best we can play Thursday."

Prescott did not play in the first meeting this season due to a thumb injury. He has thrown 21 touchdown passes against five interceptions in 11 career games against the Giants.

New York lost wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson to a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee against the Lions and cornerback Adoree' Jackson (knee) is expected to miss at least four weeks with a sprained MCL.

Cowboys linebacker Anthony Barr (hamstring) will miss his third straight game. Running back Ezekiel Elliott (knee) will be watched closely during the short week. He rushed for two touchdowns against the Vikings after missing the previous two games.

**OldBill** · 11-23-22, 05:13 PM

If Marcus Jones hadn't returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with five seconds remaining in regulation last week, the New England Patriots may have found themselves in the same salty mood the Minnesota Vikings bring into their holiday meeting.

The Vikings (8-2) followed an overtime win over AFC heavyweight Buffalo with a 40-3 basting at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, leading them to eagerly shuffle into Week 12 preparation and a primetime date with the Patriots (6-4).
Despite recording just 10 points, New England still managed to pull off a 10-3 win over the Jets. The Patriots' defense was suffocating, holding New York to just 2 yards total offense in the second half and 103 for the game.

New England has stirred up a winning recipe on defense. The Patriots allowed six points and 224 yards in the past two games, but Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows the Vikings pose a serious threat to that success.

"They're really good," Belichick said. "It starts with (Kirk) Cousins, outstanding quarterback, has had tremendous production throughout his career. Again, this year (Dalvin) Cook's one of the top running backs in the league. They've got a wealth of talent at the skill positions and a lot of guys to stop. So yeah, they're as explosive as anybody we've seen."

Belichick credits a man he once interrogated in a job interview, Minnesota first-year coach Kevin O'Connell. The former quarterback first met Belichick as a pro prospect and passed that interview -- he was drafted by New England in 2008.

"He's done a heck of a job and climbed through the coaching ranks quickly," Belichick said of O'Connell. "Based on the way the Vikings are playing this year, you could see why he's done it. He's done a great job."

Minnesota converted just 1 of 11 third-down attempts and gained 183 total yards against the Cowboys. Cousins threw for 105 yards, wide receiver Justin Jefferson managed three receptions for 33 yards and Cook added 72 on the ground.

The Vikings' offensive line, shuffled with left tackle Christian Darrisaw (concussion) exiting in the second quarter, couldn't stop the Dallas pash rush and surrendered seven sacks. Darrisaw had a documented concussion in Week 10 before being cleared to play Dallas. He was already ruled out for Week 12.

"We've got to learn from this," O'Connell said. "We've got to use this as an opportunity to grow as a football team and handle adversity the right way."

Although it's a short week, the Vikings are embracing it, and are looking forward to getting back out on the field to avenge the ugly loss against the Cowboys.

"We don't like what happened (Sunday), but we have a chance to move on faster than normal," Jefferson said. "We don't have time to really think about the loss (or) have time to figure out what was going on. It's a quick turnaround.

"We're so glad that we can play Thursday, get this loss out of our minds and get back to where we would like to be."

Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. missed Monday's practice with a knee injury and linebacker Za'Darius Smith (knee) was limited.

Center David Andrews (thigh) missed the Patriots' practice on Monday. Linebacker Josh Uche (hamstring), receiver DeVante Parker (knee), offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn (foot) and Jones (ankle) were limited participants. prime time capt kirk vikes like 85% fails patriots only gave up 6 points past two games it's bad failure rate 95%

consenus is 71 % Vikings only 29% Pats

**stevenash** · 12-14-22, 01:10 PM

Walls...of...text...