NFL Passion Post Thanksgiving Edition: Wild Turkey Day

It was a solid Thanksgiving of football, probably the best Thanksgiving in recent memory. The Green Bay Packers stayed undefeated with a convincing win over the Detroit Lions with assistance from a bonehead move by Lions defensive end Ndamukong Suh. The showdown between the Cowboys and the Dolphins surprisingly turned out to be the best game on the schedule Sunday, with Tony Romo overcoming a subpar first half by having a stellar fourth quarter, leading two scoring drives to close out Dallas' 20-19 win. After dinner, the Harbaugh brother's and their football teams squared off in what was the defensive struggle everyone expected. The difference proved to be that the Ravens found a way into the endzone, and the 49ers could not. When they did have big plays, they were often negated by penalties. Big brother wins. Here's a recap of all of the action on Turkey Day. I hope your's was blessed.

Packers 27, Lions 15

In the first of three games played Thursday, the Detroit lions gave a great effort against the defending champions, in the first half. They held Green Bay scoreless until Matthew Stafford had a pass tipped then intercepted by Clay Matthews late in the half. Aaron Rodgers quickly capitalized on the turnover with a 3 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings and the score was 7-0 Packers heading into the locker room. things got no easier for the Lions from there..

Early in the second half, the Green Bay Packers failed a third down conversion in the redzone. With fourth down coming it seemed the packers would have to send out Mason Crosby and the field goal unit. Fortunately for Green Bay, the Lions have a complete bonehead on their team. Ndamukong Suh made up for his past mishaps and sketchy behavior by driving a Packer player's head through the ground a few times before getting up and stomping on his chest one good time. Then had the nerve to cry on the sideline for sympathy from Jim Schwartz. you're Suh, I don't know why you wee ejected either, since when are WWE at the end of a play illegal. Then at the post game conference he claimed he was "getting up" and gaining his balance when his foot "landed" on the guys chest. Rodger Goodell, please suspend this man for at least two games and if you then Jim Schawrtz, PLEASE suspend this man for at least two games. He makes both the Detroit Lions and the National Football League look bad. Either way he is ejected from the game, fourth down becomes first and goal, and the Packers are ahead 14-0 shortly thereafter. From there, Green bay hardly skipped a beat on either side of the ball, picking off Matthew Stafford 3 times, and Aaron Rodgers throwing for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns in a "quiet" performance. That guy is a freak. It was Detroit's 8th straight loss on Thanksgiving day, and probably the one that stings the most. The Lions are now 7-4, the Packers are a perfect 11-0.

Aaron Rodgers 22/32 307 yards 2 touchdowns 120.2 quarterback rating

You know you're the man when you can have your numbers in a game be down and still throw for over 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, and have a quarterback rating over 110. Aaron Rodgers rating has been higher than that in every single game he's played this season, and that MVP trophy is calling his name. All that separates is the calendar.

Dolphins 19, Cowboys 20

The Dallas Cowboys barely pulled it out at home against the Dolphins, but what they are most thankful for is that on this day instead of being a quarterback with huge first half numbers and mistakes in the fourth quarter Tony Romo was a slow starting quarterback that comes up huge in the fourth quarter. It wasn't as pretty as it had been in past weeks for Romo and the Boys, but they pulled it out, continuing to hush critics about their ability to close out games, as well as moving into a half game lead in the NFC East. Dallas is safe for this week, and with a little help from the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night can take full control of the division.

Neither team had much going in the 1st half, with punts seeming to come on nearly every possession. The difference in this game was the way the Cowboys ended each half strong by putting points on the board. After two interceptions and not much going on offensively, Romo found Laurent Robinson for on a yard touchdown pass. What a season Robinson has had, especially considering who his fellow receivers are. He wasn't done either. After the Dallas touchdown broke the 3-3 tie the Dolphins put 3 more on the board as time expired, and the score was 10-6 Dallas heading into the locker room.

The third quarter was absolutely all Miami, outscoring the Cowboys 10-0 and playing the best offense they would play all game. Reggie Bush was running hard on every carry and doing what he could in the pass game. i'm not saying he's an every down back but he has heart. After Matt Moore's 35 yard connection to Brandon Marshall put the Dolphins up 16-10 heading into the fourth quarter, it seemed Miami may be on their way to a four game winning streak, and the Cowboys onto another week of questions and Tony Romo bashings.

The turning point happened on a drive that began in the third and ended in the fourth with a Tony Romo 18 yard touchdown completion to none other than Laurent Robinson, his second of the day. The Cowboys were up by one and the momentum had shifted. Miami responded with a field goal and a stop of Romo and the Boys, but with five minutes left and a chance to step on Dallas, the Dolphins failed to convert, punting the ball away on a 3 and out with 3 minutes to play. Bad move. Tony Romo led the Boys on a 10 play 54 yard drive from their own 36 yard line, setting up a chip shot 28 yard field goal as time expired, giving the Cowboys the 20-19 victory, their fourth straight, and improving Tony Romo's Thanksgiving record to 5-0. If you want to criticize Tony and his team fr choking, it looks like you'll have to wait another week.

Laurent Robinson 7 catches 79 yards 2 touchdowns

Robinson had another great game for the Cowboys, scoring both of the teams touchdowns. He has been as productive as any other receiver on this stacked team. Tony Romo had a nice second half, but he did throw 2 interceptions early and finished with a 77 rating. Robinson now has 7 touchdowns on the season.

49ers 6, Ravens 16

The final game of Thanksgiving was the most anticipated of the day, with viewers so stuffed all the could manage to do was sit in front of the TV and watch. It was the Harbaugh Bowl, big brother Jim and his hard hitting Ravens hosting little brother Jim and his much hyped San Francisco 49ers. This game was the defensive struggle we all anticipated, with most of the game being full of either punts or field goals. I sill can't decide what had the bigger impact, the one touchdown the Ravens managed, or the one touchdown the 49ers had taken away from them.

Early in the second quarter with the score tied 3-3, Alex Smith threw a 75 yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. that was negated by a penalty for a chop block. They ended up punting on that drive. The Ravens tacked on a field goal to end the first half after a pass interference call on what was a Tarell Brown interception placed the Ravens nicely on the 4 yard line. In the third the 49ers tied the game with a field goal before it turned in Baltimore's direction in the fourth. The 49ers never scored again. Joe Flacco connected on an 8 yard touchdown strike to Dennis Pita, Billy Cundiff would tack on another field goal, and the San Francisco offense continued to be shut down by the Baltimore defense. On Thanksgiving day the 49ers need to produce more through the air was exposed. I think Alex Smith and his receivers are more than capable, they simply have to get the job done, simple as that. They still have plenty of time to improve before January rolls around, and I'm sure Jim Harbaugh will definitely be addressing all issues in practice next week, including the fact that quarterback Alex smith was sacked 9 times Thursday evening.. After getting schooled by his big brother, I wouldn't be surprised if John gets a call for some suggestions the next couple weeks. The Ravens offense didn't light up the scoreboard, but Joe Flacco managed the game well, finished with a rating over 100, and once again the Baltimore offense rose to the occasion in a big game, at least enough to support the defense. Now with just a little more consistency they will be on their way. Impressive win. These days, victories over the San Francisco 49ers are hard to come by. San Francisco is now 9-2 and faces te Rams at home in Week 13, the Ravens 8-3 with a game on the road in Cleveland.

Joe Flacco 15-23 161 yards 1 touchdown 100.1 quarterback rating

The offensive stats were not pretty in this one, but Joe Flacco gets the nod simply basd on the way he handled the game. I personally felt the 49ers would win because Flacco is more likely to commit a turnover than Alex Smith, but it turns out Smith threw the lone interception of the game. Flacco didn't throw for a ton of yards, but he had an excellent rating and made enough plays to support the defense, something the 49ers failed to do.

another Thanksgiving is in the books and as always we hate to see it go. But all is not lost, for we are just two days away from more football! Week 12 resumes Sunday, and there are still many things to be settled in the playoff picture. It was great to have a slate of games more entertaining then they have been in quite some time, and hopefully it helps the NFL continue to raise the Thanksgiving bar next year. Now it's a day of the past and win or lose, all parties involved now focus on a much bigger task, finishing this season and finishing it strong. Lombardi strong.