Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/20311
Thanksgiving NFL — Patriots at Lions, 9:30 a.m., CBS NFL —Saints at Cowboys, 1:15 p.m., FOX NFL— Bengals at Jets, 5:20 p.m., NFLN NCAAF —Texas A&M at Texas, 5 p.m., ESPN NBA— Wizards at Hawks, 5:15 p.m., TNT NBA — Kings at Clippers, 7:30 p.m., TNT Sports 1B Thursday November 25, 2010 Thanksgiving football tripleheader MCT file photo The New England Patriots visit the Detroit Lions, the Dallas Cowboys host the New Orleans Saints and the Cincinnati Bengals face the New York Jets. NEW ENGLAND (8-2) at DETROIT (2-8) 9:30 a.m., CBS OPENING LINE — Patriots by 6 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD — New England 6-4- 0; Detroit 7-2-1 SERIES RECORD — Patriots lead 5-4 LAST MEETING — Patriots beat Lions 28-21, Dec. 3, 2006 LAST WEEK — Patriots beat Colts 31-28; Lions lost to Cowboys 35-19 PATRIOTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (17), RUSH (16), PASS (16) PATRIOTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (30), RUSH (17), PASS (31) LIONS OFFENSE — OVERALL (19) RUSH (31), PASS (6) LIONS DEFENSE — OVERALL (19), RUSH (26), PASS (13T) STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Lions have hosted New England twice before on Thanks- giving, winning 34-9 in 2000 and losing 20-12 in 2002. ... Lions coach Jim Schwartz was scout for Patriots coach Bill Belichick when Belichick was coach in Cleveland in mid-1990s. ... Patriots have won 19 of last 20 regular season games vs. NFC. Only loss was at New Orleans last year. ... Detroit DT Ndamukong Suh leads NFL rookies with seven sacks. Needs one more to break team rookie record of 7 1/2 set by Tracy Scroggins in 1992. ... Lions have gone three and out 39 of 128 drives this sea- son for worst percentage (30.5) in NFL. ... Patriots lead NFL with 289 points ... Lions RB Jahvid Best leads NFL rookies with 757 yards rushing. ... Lions have lost last six Thanksgiving games since beat- ing Green Bay 22-14 in 2003. ... Lions QB Matthew Stafford, last year’s No. 1 pick in draft, has played only one full game this season because of shoulder problems. Shaun Hill expected to start against Patriots. ... Starting with 2008 season, Patriots are 29-13 and Lions are 4-38. ... Detroit’s Stefan Logan ranks in top six in NFL in kick return average and punt return average. started at Univ. of Michigan DETROIT (AP) — Tom Brady has become one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, leading New England to three Super Bowl titles and winning two MVP awards. Brady said his ‘‘incredible’’ experience in college at Michigan prepared him to play for Patriots coach Bill Belichick. ‘‘It’s a very tough football program,’’ he said. ‘‘I think our head coach, Lloyd Carr, real- ly demanded the best out of us every day in practice — very much along the lines of what coach Belichick does. That taught me about competition and what it means to be a leader.’’ He learned well: Brady’s career record is 119-36, including the playoffs. Brady Since he became a starter in 2001, the Detroit Lions are 35-119. The league has matched up the lowly Lions with a marquee QB for their annual showcase game on Thanksgiving, as usual in the hopes of holding view- ers for a game that is often lopsided. Detroit has lost a franchise-high six straight games on the holiday by an average of 23.2 points, and eight of nine in its show- case game. ‘‘It presents a platform and opportunity to show people who don’t watch us on a weekly basis that we are better than a 2-8 team,’’ said Lions quarterback Shaun Hill, who will start in place of injured Matthew Stafford for a third straight week and eighth time this season. New England (8-2) is tied for the NFL’s best record See BRADY, page 2B NEW ORLEANS (7-3) at DALLAS (3-7) 1:15 p.m., FOX OPENING LINE — Saints by 3 RECORD VS. SPREAD — New Orleans 3-5-1; Dallas 2-7 SERIES RECORD — Cowboys lead 15-8 LAST MEETING — Cowboys beat Saints 24- 17, Dec. 19, 2009 LAST WEEK — Saints beat Seahawks 34-19; Cowboys beat Lions 35-19 SAINTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (5), RUSH (26), PASS (3) SAINTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (4), RUSH (13T), PASS (2) COWBOYS OFFENSE — OVERALL (11) RUSH (29), PASS (5) COWBOYS DEFENSE — OVERALL (22), RUSH (22), PASS (21) STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — New Orleans has won five of last six in series since 1998. Only Saints’ loss in span was last December at Louisiana Superdome when 13-0 record was spoiled by Dallas. ... First time New Orleans has played Thanksgiving Day. ... Dallas 27-14-1 record on holiday, winning last four Turkey Day games. ... Before becoming Saints coach, Sean Payton spent three seasons as assistant head coach in Dallas for Bill Parcells. ... Dallas 50-22 vs. NFC South teams, including six wins in row. ... Saints QB Drew Brees is 468 yards from breaking Archie Manning’s team career record of 21,734 yards passing. ... This sea- son, Brees leads NFL in completion percentage, his 69.53 mark (290 of 417) just ahead of injured Cowboys QB Tony Romo (69.48 percent, 148 of 213), who hasn’t played since Oct. 25. ... New Orleans 22-14 on road since 2006; includes 42-17 win at old Texas Stadium four years ago. This is Saints’ first game at Cowboys Stadium. ... Last time Cowboys won consecutive games over New Orleans was in 1991 and 1994. ... Jon Kitna’s 29- yard TD run last weekend matched longest ever by Cowboys quarterback (Roger Staubach). Tom Brady’s rise to stardom Cowboys turning around season with coaching change ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jason Garrett is constantly encouraging the Dallas Cowboys to stack good days together and offering the tools to help. The work day starts ear- lier than it did under prede- cessor Wade Phillips. Everyone must hustle from drill to drill on the practice field. Rules are clearly defined, as are the punish- ments. They’re enforced, too. All sorts of sayings are used repeatedly to build a certain mindset, including a line about adversity com- ing in every game, so be ready to do something about it. Garrett admits the concepts aren’t new. But they are new to this team this season, and so are the results. The same guys who went 1-7 under Phillips are 2-0 for Garrett and finally playing like the Super Bowl contenders they were billed to be, just in time to face the reigning Super Bowl champion Saints on Thursday. ‘‘I’m sure in their mind, they’re preaching that they’re 2- 0 right now,’’ New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said. ‘‘They’re not talking about the 1-7. ’We’re undefeated.’ That gives you a lot of confidence as you move forward.’’ The confidence comes from Garrett. He’s upbeat, in control and has won everyone over with immediate results. The turnaround seems to trace more to the new approach and attitude than to tweaks in schemes, play-calling and substitution patterns. ‘‘It starts with him, he lays it out — how we’re going to practice, how we’re going to do walkthroughs, how we’re going to play the game,’’ tight end Jason Witten said. ‘‘He’s given us a winning way, so to speak, of what we’re going to try to do. Guys have really taken that to the field. It hasn’t always been perfect. I mean, there’s been adversity that’s hit. Garrett See CHANGE, page 2B CINCINNATI (2-8) at NEW YORK JETS (8-2) 5:20 p.m., NFL Net- work OPENING LINE — Jets by 8 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Bengals 3-6-1; Jets 6-4 SERIES RECORD — Jets lead 16-7 LAST MEETING — Jets beat Bengals 24-14, Jan. 9, 2010 Texans 30-27. (23), PASS (8) (23), PASS (18) (17) (16) LAST WEEK — Bengals lost to Bills 49-31; Jets beat BENGALS OFFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH BENGALS DEFENSE — OVERALL (18), RUSH JETS OFFENSE— OVERALL (8), RUSH (4), PASS JETS DEFENSE— OVERALL (7), RUSH (5), PASS STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES— Jets won consec- utive meetings last season, in regular-season finale to make playoffs and then again in opening round of postseason six days later. ... Bengals making Thanksgiving debut, while Jets are 3-3 but have lost three straight. ... Jets have won seven of last 10 overall meetings with Bengals, including last three. ... Bengals mired in seven-game skid, including loss to Bills on Sunday in game they led 31-14 but were outscored 35-0 in second half. ... QB Carson Palmer was in protective boot on left foot Tuesday, and was held out of practice in what he termed a precaution. Still expected to play. ... WR Terrell Owens needs 152 yards receiving to become second player in NFL history to reach 16,000 for career. Hall of Famer Jerry Rice has 22,895. Owens also enters with 155 total TDs, three behind Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson for third on career list. ... RB Cedric Benson had second 100-yard game of season vs. Bills, but lost fourth fumble this year. ... WR Chad Ochocinco has 66 career TDs, four short of FB Pete Johnson’s team mark. ... Bengals lost four DBs to injuries in game vs. Bills, including starting CB Johnathan Joseph and safeties Chris Crocker and Roy Williams. ... Jets’ 8-2 start is team’s best after 10 games since 1986 squad was 9-1. ... QB Mark Sanchez has led team to three consecutive victories, including two straight in OT on road and last week at home with 10 seconds left vs. Houston. Bengals, Jets heading in opposite directions FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Chad Ochocinco toned it down a bit for a change. The chatty Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver is never at a loss for words, but he couldn’t bring him- self to stir things up the way he usually does. ‘‘It’s hard to give you the good stuff when we’re 2-8, so I have to be sort of in the humbling spirit right now,’’ Ochocinco said Tuesday on a conference call with New York reporters. ‘‘I apologize.’’ That’s a far cry from last season when Ochocinco play- fully popped off before the regular-season finale between the Bengals and Jets, declaring that New York cornerback Dar- relle Revis couldn’t cover him ‘‘in a brown paper bag on a corner of a Manhattan street inside a phone booth.’’ Well, Revis did shut him down. And, he did it again the Ochocinco following week in the playoffs as the Jets beat the Bengals in consecutive games. The teams, facing each other again Thursday night, have gone in opposite directions since. The Jets are tied for the best record in the NFL at 8-2, while the Bengals are mired in a seven-game skid. So, Chad, what happened? ‘‘Oh, my God, man. I mean, where do I start?’’ he said. ‘‘It’s been nothing like we expected. One minute, we’re doing well one quarter, the next quarter, we’re flat. ... It’s always something different each week, and we’ve yet to play a complete game.’’ The same might be said of the Jets, who are winning despite some flaws. ‘‘They are kind of doing what we did last year,’’ Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said, ‘‘pulling games out at the end and making plays to win games at the end.’’ See JETS, page 2B