Not only were we able to stuff our faces with tryptophan all day yesterday, but we also got our fill of NFL football from lunchtime through the late evening. Three games to watch, one after the other, with two of them having direct implications on the Baltimore Ravens standings as they head towards what hopes to be a playoff berth that will be determined by the seeding of the teams in the AFC.
The New England Patriots gave hope to the Detroit Lions as well as Ravens fans for the first half, then went to work right out of the gate in the second half and put the game away with three touchdowns after being tied at 24 in the third quarter. Detroit was over-matched from the beginning, but gave it all and at least made the first half exciting.
In the second game, the New Orleans Saints jumped out to a 17-0 lead early in the game and most of us, including me (who had picked the Cowboys to rise up and upset New Orleans), thought the game was pretty much over at that point. However, Dallas mounted a valiant comeback, took the lead and only a mistake by WR Roy Williams, which was really more of a great defensive plays by Saints CB Malcolm Jenkins, turned the tide in New Orleans' favor. Drew Brees did what he does best and his receiving corps are as deep as any in football and he proved it on that last game-winning TD drive.
In the nightcap, most Ravens fans grudgingly rooted for the woeful Cincinnati Bengals to upset the New York Jets in New Jersey and for the first half, it looked like this could happen. Then the Jets began to move the ball and the Bengals coaching staff inexplicably decided not to challenge a muffed punt that seemed to be in their favor and stood by idly as New York put the game out of reach. Losers of eight straight games, the Bengals might be the NFL's most disappointing team in the NFL this season.
Late Sunday afternoon the Baltimore Ravens take matters into their own hands as they plan to "Protect This House" at home when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. More on that when we run out of Thanksgiving leftovers, which should be around gametime!