Thanksgiving Dinner Plate, Week 12

I feel like I keep undermining the integrity of the fledgling Seder Slate franchise, but this concept is just too timely to pass up.  Given the whole Thanksgiving thing, it seems appropriate to give a Turkey-Day-themed post, much like I did last year at this time.

Therefore, without further ado…

Five Things I'm Thankful for in the upcoming NFL Week 12

1. The Eagles’ defense dominating against the Giants (as I described earlier this week), which makes this week’s game against the Patriots at least marginally important.

2. The Giants (6-4) and Saints (7-3) playing on Monday night, ending a stint of terrible primetime ESPN matchups (New England – Kansas City, Packers – Vikings).

3. The Colts (0-10) getting a prime opportunity to get their first win of the season against the 2-8 Panthers who have lost 3 in a row and are coming off a 49-35 loss against the Lions in which they were winning 24-7.

4. Adrian Peterson, Darren McFadden, and Ahmad Bradshaw still being injured.  Pouring on the sarcasm here.

5. What else?  Tim Tebow!  He’s getting a second shot at the Chargers, who he almost came back to beat in his first real action of the season.

I tried this part last year and really enjoyed it, so let’s go for it again.  What’s Thanksgiving without a whole mess of food?  Let’s see what we have on our plate…

White meat: The classic crowd favorite.  This year, it’s gotta be those undefeated Green Bay Packers.  A team with a lot of tradition to fall back on, this iteration of the Packers is coming off a Super Bowl victory and has kept on rolling, winning their last 17 games (including the playoffs).  Not to mention, they don’t have the “dirty” stigma that the division-rival Lions do.

Dark meat: Harder to find, but when you do, it packs a punch of flavor.  I like to think of this as an under-the-radar team that could pop a team in the mouth.  And, while this may come as a surprise, I think that the Steelers qualify this year.  Although they’re 7-3, the Ravens, Texans, and Patriots have gotten more attention in the AFC, mostly because Pittsburgh’s defense hasn’t been its usual dominant self.  However, their passing offense is explosive enough that they can score with almost anyone, and if you have to win one game, the Steel Curtain could show up and dominate.

Cranberry Sauce: Not the prettiest, but a sweet accompaniment to your feast.  It’s gotta be the Denver Broncos.  They’ve won games against the Jets, Chiefs, and Dolphins in the fourth quarter or overtime, all the while with a quarterback in Tim Tebow whose ESPN Total QBR ranks 30^th among qualifying quarterbacks this season – and QBR rewards quarterbacks for rushing contributions!

Stuffing: A mish-mash of foods that can be hit-or-miss, and is definitely best served warm.  Just like the Buffalo Bills, whose scoring offense declined from 38 ppg in September to 25 ppg in October and now 9 ppg in November.  Seems as if a team based in Snow City, USA should probably be better prepared for the weather to turn.  Unfortunately for Buffalo, Fred Jackson (second in yards-from-scrimmage this season) is out for the rest of the year, so I’m not seeing their conundrum getting much better.