NFL Recap: Packers, Cowboys, Colts Carve Up Turkeys

Thanksgiving was marked by uncompetitive NFL games, as favorites Green Bay, Dallas, and Indianapolis all won handily.

The Packers and the Cowboys both ran their records to 10-1, setting up what the NFL Network is already calling "the NFC game of the year." 

It's no coincidence that the game will be televised on that same network next Thursday.

The Colts, meanwhile, bounced back from a slow start to manhandle the Falcons and improve their mark to 9-2.

Packers 37, Lions 26

Green Bay sent the reeling Detroit Lions to their third straight loss, winning 37-26 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score.

Brett Favre broke a franchise record with 20 straight completions as he picked apart the Lions' secondary for 381 yards, three touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 128.2.

Often working out of five-wide sets, Favre consistently hit his receivers on short slants, crosses, and outs. He zinged passes into tight spots and floated balls for touchdown catches.

The Packers' receivers simply overwhelmed the Lions' secondary.

Donald Driver caught 10 balls for 147 yards, and showed a knack for turning small completions into big gains. Greg Jennings caught five passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns.

Despite the pass-heavy offense, Green Bay running back Ryan Grant gained 101 yards on just 15 carries, and helped seal the game in the fourth quarter.

Detroit QB Jon Kitna was sacked four times and hurried many more.  Many of his throws were way off target, often due to miscommunication with his receivers.

The Lions jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, but their inability to find the end zone allowed the Packers to take a 17-9 halftime advantage.

They wouldn't relinquish it.

Green Bay set themselves up for a mighty matchup with Dallas next Thursday to determine NFC supremacy.

On the other side, Detroit finds itself struggling to stay in the playoff race after a 6-2 first half of the season. With a tough upcoming schedule, the Lions will be hard-pressed to fulfill Kitna's 10-win prediction.

Cowboys 34, Jets 3

In Dallas, the Cowboys coolly and efficiently dispatched the Jets, shutting down New York's offense en route to a 34-3 victory.

Dallas' offense played a calculated, conservative game. Their defense didn't allow the Jets to move the ball at all.

QB Tony Romo had a quiet but effective day with 195 yards passing and two touchdowns at a 75 percent completion rate.

Romo also tied a franchise record with his 29th touchdown pass of the year.  The record-tying toss went to Terrell Owens in the fourth quarter.

After last week's huge performance, Owens was invisible for large parts of the game and ended up with just six catches for 65 yards. 

That was more than enough for the Cowboys, who also managed without the services of injured receiver Patrick Crayton.

Tight end Jason Witten chipped in four catches for 54 yards and a score. 

Running back Marion Barber picked up 103 yards on only 18 carries, and scored a touchdown on Dallas' first drive of the game. 

Jets QB Kellen Clemens was hurried all day and sacked three times by the Cowboys' defense. He never looked comfortable and only completed 44 percent of his passes.

In the second quarter, Cowboys DB Terence Newman picked off a Clemens pass and ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown. Newman laid back before breaking hard on a short route.

The New York running game also had little success, with only 60 total yards on the ground.

The Jets' offense didn't even cross midfield until the end of the second quarter, when they kicked a field goal for their only points of the day.

In the second half, New York couldn't get a first down until their final drive.

The Jets' defense played relatively well before tiring late. Romo was picked off once, and could have been intercepted two other times. 

New York occasionally employed a stand-up defense—with no player set before the play—to try to confuse the Cowboys' offense.

The win pulled the Cowboys even with the Packers at 10-1, setting up the NFC game of the year next Thursday.

Whether that game will measure up to the New England vs. Indianapolis tilt earlier this season remains to be seen.

Colts 31, Falcons 13

In the last game on the day, Indianapolis bounced back from an early 10-0 deficit to top Atlanta 31-13.

Peyton Manning tossed three touchdowns and surpassed 40,000 yards passing for his career despite protection problems on the offensive line. 

Manning was sacked four times.

Wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez had his best game yet in place of the injured Marvin Harrison, reeling in six catches for 105 yards. Reggie Wayne added five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, but dropped two passes that could have gone for big gains.

Manning picked on Atlanta rookie cornerback Chris Houston all night, consistently completing passes in his direction. A third-down pass interference call on Houston allowed the Colts to continue a drive and score a touchdown.

Just one time did Manning throw in DeAngelo Hall's direction—and he was intercepted.

The Falcons came out strong with an eight-minute, 19-play opening drive—the most plays on any NFL drive this season. However, QB Joey Harrington misfired on two passes in the red zone, and Atlanta had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.

After the Atlanta D forced the Colts to go three and out, the Falcons' next drive was kept alive by an Indy offsides penalty on third down. Harrington took advantage on the next play, hitting Roddy White on a 48-yard touchdown strike for a 10-0 advantage.

Harrington played decently, but had a number of first-down passes dropped by White and Alge Crumpler.

The Colts bounced back two drives later. After a Dallas Clark touchdown was nullified by a 15-yard facemask penalty, Manning threw a 23-yard laser to Wayne to pull Indy within three points.

Later in the second quarter, a questionable roughing the kicker call on an Indianapolis punt gave the Colts new life. The offense marched down the field and eventually took a 14-13 lead on a Clark touchdown catch.

After a Kelvin Hayden interception, Indianapolis went 48 yards in four plays for a 21-13 lead. Manning's scoring toss to Ben Utecht was his third of the quarter and seized the momentum for the Colts heading into halftime.

The Colts scored 10 more points in the third quarter—on a Joseph Addai run and an Adam Vinatieri field goal—while shutting out the Falcons. 

After the first quarter, Indianapolis outscored Atlanta 31-3. 

The bright spot for the Falcons was running back Warrick Dunn's cracking the 10,000-yard mark for his career.

The Colts improved their record to 9-2 and have 10 days to recuperate before a divisional showdown against Jacksonville.