A Turkey Feather on Pig Skin: Part II

    

     Welcome to my second installment in the turkey feather on pig skin series.  After going 2-1 with my picks in 2012, I decided it was deserving of me to take a year off and pursue other holiday endeavors.  Here we are in week 13 of 2014 and boy has it been a weird year.  One AFC division is in a four team race where all teams are tied, 7 wins a piece.  Meanwhile over in the NFC, a division leader sits at 4-7 and one of their rivals is trailing just two games behind with a 2-9 record.  It's almost a little funny when you think about it, and not too surprising considering the league is full of parity.

     The NFL on Turkey Day has been a tradition for nearly a century, but at this point we should just get straight to the point and call it the NFC on Thanksgiving. All six teams on the field Thursday play in that conference, and all six teams are in the heat of a late-season playoff race. 

     The first of the three division games will be the Chicago Bears coming to Detroit.  We can finally forget about a Detroit Lions team that was ridiculed for still being allowed to play on this holiday.  It's safe to say they have come around, and are now considered one of the best teams in the NFC.  Despite a lopsided loss in New England last week, this team still has one of the best defensive fronts in football.  But looking at this specific match-up, the 5-6 Bears have better chance of winning than what the game on paper indicates.  That young Lions secondary will have quite the challenge working against the receiving duo of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.  We've seen it before, Cutler can suddenly look like a pro bowler again if he starts getting in a rhythm with either of these guys.  With most of the attention on those two, an unexpected player to look out for is tight end Martellus Bennett.  Overall, I still think the true impact of this game comes down to Matt Stafford & Calvin Johnson vs. the inconsistent Bears defense that is also without their best player, Lance Briggs.  Reggie Bush will be out so that's one less weapon Chicago has to worry about.  As if the best wide receiver in football wasn't already enough...

 I see this being a close, relatively high-scoring affair, but the Lions will strike first and never get behind.

Prediction:

Chicago Bears 27

Detroit Lions 31




     Even after a 6-1 start, the Dallas Cowboys had me questioning if they were a true powerhouse in the conference.  They proceeded to lose two games, and their quarterback for one, but have since bounced back with a couple unimpressive wins against the Jaguars and Giants.  This is an offense with a top-flight receiver, league leading rusher and just about the best line in the entire NFL and they still can't seem to blow teams out of the water.  Well when your record is 8-3, I guess you really don't need to worry about those sort of things.  Philadelphia comes in at the same standing, but without their starting quarterback that lead them to a division crown last season.  This one is simple to me, LeSean McCoy needs to get touches, lots of them.  Mark Sanchez will not be slicing through this Dallas defense, as it's more likely he'll be seeing pressure.  Dumping off to McCoy could be his savior.

The new blueprint has worked well for the Cowboys so unless they go back to the old blueprint of beating themselves, there shouldn't be much of a problem beating the Eagles at home.

Philadelphia Eagles 17

Dallas Cowboys 28

Galloping Gobbler Award:  Tony Romo


And the encore of all this Turkey Day action concludes with one of the best division rivalries in football right now.  The 49ers are graced with the home game, and history tells us this will be a defensive battle. San Francisco and Seattle both enter this week with a 7-4 record, and it will be the first time the two teams meet this season.  Neither is looking like the Super Bowl contenders they've been in recent years, but a game like this can propel some momentum pretty quickly. As obvious as it may seem, look for each team to try and work off their rushing attack.  It's hard to give one side an advantage when both have stellar defenses and quarterbacks that can hurt you on the ground when the pass plays break down.

       San Francisco has more offensive weapons in their arsenal, but when it comes down to the final possessions in a tight contest, I'd rather have the ball in Russell Wilson's hands.  And that's only if Marshawn "Skittles" Lynch can't get the job done first.

Seattle Seahawks 23

San Francisco 49ers 13




       Well there you have it.  I hope to continue this turkey football saga for years to come, but make sure to check back frequently before then because there are more articles to come.  Have a safe and happy holiday and remember, football comes first.