Thanksgiving: Friends, family, food, fire. Football.
And Fantasy Football.
If you're anything like a certain Patch editor, a portion of Thursday will be spent monitoring the progress of a one C. Johnson and a one A. Morris, all the while wondering why R. Gronkowski had to be on the field as the Patriots scored their 59th point against the Colts on Sunday.
But in addition to what has now become three NFL games on Thanksgiving Day, this time of year also brings with it football rivalries between schools at both the high school and collegiate levels.
In Fairfield County, the Darien Blue Wave plays host to the New Canaan Rams in the 19th annual Turkey Bowl. The Rams lead the all-time series, 13-4-1, and haven't lost to the Blue Wave since 2001.
Inner-city rivals Stamford High and Westhill High will face off on Thanksgiving morning just days after Westhill was forced to forfeit this season's wins after it was discovered that an ineligble player was on the team.
But without further ado, here's a preview and listings for the three professional games on Thanksgiving Day:
NFL:
—HOUSTON TEXANS (9-1) at DETROIT LIONS (4-6)
- CBS—12:30 p.m.
- Will Texans quarterback Matt Schaub follow up on his 527 passing yards (good for a tie for second most in NFL history)? Or will running back Arian Foster lead their offensive charge from the ground like he's done pretty much all season?
- Will Calvin Johnson prove to America he's still the best receiver in the game? Will the Lions, who've lost their last two games, end their losing ways?
—WASHINGTON REDSKINS (4-6) at DALLAS COWBOYS (5-5)
- FOX—4:15 p.m.
- How about Robert Griffin III? Is there anything he can't do? Coming off a four-touchdown performance last week against an abysmal Philidelphia Eagles team, the writer of this article can only hope A. Morris has more of a role in the Redskins offense during this week's NFC East showdown.
- The Cowboys barely hung on to defeat the woeful Cleveland Browns on their home turf last week. Will Tony Romo & Co. be able to stop their division foes' explosive offense?
—NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-3) at NEW YORK JETS (4-6)
- NBC—8:20 p.m.
- The Patriots (and many fantasy football owners) were dealt a crushing blow after hearing the news tight end Ron Gronkowski broke his forearm in the fourth quarter of a blowout at Gillette Stadium. Will Tom Brady be able to lead the Patriots over the Jets? This writer imagines it won't be a problem. But will the loss of Gronkowski hurt the Patriots come playoff time?
- The Jets, well, are the Jets.
This writer won't pretend to know anything about college football—after all, recent alumuni from the University of Vermont weren't granted the opportunity to cheer for a football team which remains undefeated since 1974—so here's a list of some of the more prominent collegiate games analysts say are worth watching:
COLLEGE:
—TCU (6-4) at TEXAS (8-2)
- ESPN—7:30 p.m.—Thursday
—NEBRASKA (9-2) at IOWA (4-7)
- ABC—12 p.m.—Friday
—LSU (9-2) at ARKANSAS (4-7)
- CBS—2:30 p.m.—Friday
—WASHINGTON (7-4) at WASHINGTON STATE (2-9)
- FOX—3:30 p.m.—Friday
—WEST VIRGINIA (5-5) at IOWA STATE (6-5)
- ABC—3:30 p.m.—Friday
—MICHIGAN (8-3) at OHIO STATE (11-0)
- ABC—12 p.m.—Saturday
—AUBURN (3-8) at ALABAMA (10-1)
- CBS—3:30 p.m.—Saturday
—FLORIDA (10-1) at FLORIDA STATE (10-1)
- ABC—3:30 p.m.—Saturday
—SOUTH CAROLINA (9-2) at CLEMSON (10-1)
- ESPN—7 p.m.—Saturday
—NOTRE DAME (11-0) at USC (7-4)
- ABC—8 p.m.—Saturday
Happy Thanksgiving!
