Fansided

NFL: What We Learned From The Thanksgiving Games

By Eric Saar

November 27, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3, left) and cornerback Richard Sherman (25) carry the turkey to the locker room after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi
November 27, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3, left) and cornerback Richard Sherman (25) carry the turkey to the locker room after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi /
facebooktwitterreddit

Looking at the NFL games on Thanksgiving day and seeing what we can glean about these teams from those games.

We all visited with loved ones and ate some turkey and watched some football on Thanksgiving, but what did we learn? I don’t know what you learned about your family, but we remembered that food is good and makes you tired. We also learned about football.

Let’s get to the NFL  games.

Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears

We learned that the Bears are done, if we didn’t know that already.

In a dominating performance, the Lions defeated the Bears 34-17 in the first Thursday game, while you were probably cooking that turkey.

It seemed like it would be the Bears’ day as they ran out to a 14-3 lead on a pair of Alshon Jeffery touchdowns. But it was not to be. Calvin Johnson returned to his “best wide receiver in the NFL form” in this game on his 11 receptions, 146 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Joique Bell also got in the mix with 23 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bears lost another game, dropping to 5-7 and causing their playoff chances to drop to nearly zero. With four games to go, their outlook doesn’t look good. They still have the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and the Detroit Lions with a finish against the Minnesota Vikings. They’re at least going to lose to Dallas and Detroit, meaning they can’t finish at .500 or higher. That won’t be good enough for a wild card spot.

Nov 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs with the ball prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs with the ball prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys

The Eagles are continuing their dominance and have the potential to be in the Superbowl, even with Mark Sánchez at the helm.

With their masterful 33-10 victory over the Cowboys, the Eagles went to 9-3 and conceivably could finish the week in a tie for the NFL’s best record.

The most important aspect is Mark Sánchez is keeping the offense at the level it was at with Nick Foles. The proof is in the numbers. Wideout Jeremy Maclin, had eight receptions for 108 yards and Sánchez even ran in a touchdown. Sánchez isn’t Peyton Manning or anything, but he gets the job done. Along with the rushing touchdown, he threw a touchdown and completed 20 of his 29 passes (68.9%). That’s pretty good. That completion percentage would place him second in the league if replicated over the whole season.

Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers

The Seahawks are on a mission. They look as ready as any team in recent history to repeat as Superbowl champions.

The Seahawks just beat their two divisional rivals by the same score, 19-3. Those are the Arizona Cardinals (9-2) and the San Francisco 49ers (7-5). Seattle is 8-4 with lots of momentum. They still get to play their whole division (Arizona, St. Louis and San Francisco) before the season ends and as these last two games show, they could win all those games and could finish with the best record, ready to win a few games in the playoffs and potentially another Superbowl.

There is a reason the Seahawks are winning so convincingly. Their defense has been playing well, their running game is masterful and Russell Wilson is playing like the Superbowl quarterback he is.

The last two weeks they’ve played two over-.500 teams and only given up a combined two field goals for six points. That’s a lockdown defense. Marshawn Lynch is fifth in the league in rushing yards and the Seahawks are first in rushing yards as a team, averaging 169.6 per game.

An unusual amount is coming from quarterback Russell Wilson. He only had, and needed, 35 yards on the ground against San Francisco, but has unbelievably had three 100-yard rushing games and an additional two 70+ rushing games in the Seahawks’ last two games against Kansas City and Arizona. Since Seattle is primarily a running team, his passing stats aren’t amazing, but he is still 13th in completion percentage and 20th in yards.

More from FanSided

Home/NFL