New York Giants: Thanksgiving Day Game

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NFL football on Thanksgiving Day has become an American tradition. Most Americans will find themselves surrounded by family and friends, eating a feast and enjoying each others' company. In a typical American home, you will more than likely find the guys in the living room watching football, while the ladies prepare the meal in the kitchen or dining room.

But for some, specifically in Detroit and Dallas, turkey day is a bit different. Football fans in these two cities will actually attend the games. For them, this holiday just wouldn't be complete without attending the games. They take it very seriously, as the gentleman shown in the photo above with the turkey on his head demonstrates.

For fans like him, Thanksgiving means football.

The New York Giants will travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. With just three days rest in between the Atlanta game and the Thanksgiving day game, the G-Men will need to prepare quickly. Reports have come out about Giants owner John Mara, sending a letter to the NFL voicing his displeasure with the scheduling.

Who could blame him? The fact that the team needs to travel across the country eliminates about a full day of preparation and rest. The Atlanta game on Sunday went into overtime, something that doesn't help the situation one bit.

Still, there is a game to play. The Broncos came out of the gates strong this season. They have already won more games than most expected under a first year head coach, who got rid of his all-pro QB Jay Cutler. They find themselves struggling now and are hungry for a win. This is a dangerous team right now, but so are the Giants.

Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot in competitive divisions. They match up well with each other and I expect a good performance from both teams. Eli Manning had one of his best games of the season last weekend throwing for 384 yards and three TDs. That positive momentum is something the team hopes will carry into this battle with the Broncos.

The two areas I see that will prove to be the keys to victory are the quarterbacks and the defensive units. Both are areas where the Giants are statistically superior. The defensive units match up well, with the G-Men having a slight edge.

Overall, the Giants are ranked second in total defense, while Denver is ranked seventh. But on offense, the numbers fall off a cliff with the Giants being ranked fourth in overall offense and the Broncos ranked 22nd.

I expect Eli Manning to manage the game and dominate the time of possession.

There simply won't be enough time for Denver to do any damage. The Broncos have excellent defensive backs, so Easy Eli will need to be sharp and avoid any mistakes the Broncos could possibly capitalize on. The Giants will need to pick up plenty of first downs and keep the penalties to a minimum.

Both teams have a record of 6-4 and a win by either team, would put them in a good position to take over first place in their respective divisions. The current first place teams in their divisions, Dallas and San Diego, both lost to the Giants and Broncos earlier in the year.

San Diego beat Denver last weekend to split the series and the Giants play Dallas in week 13. There is a lot riding on this Thanksgiving day game for both franchises.

In my opinion, the Giants will win this game. I don't expect a shootout but more of a defensive battle. My guess for the final score would be Giants 20 Denver 14.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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