NEW YORK, NY – Thanksgiving went just as expected. I ate too much and watched too much football. In the early game Detroit eked out a big division win against the Vikings. Then the Cowboys made quick work of the Redskins. It’s a shame that the the Cowboys are this good. Dak Prescott has played Tony Romo out of a job. Looks like Romo will be looking for a new home. Maybe the Jets will pick him up to add to their headaches. Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn’t seem to be the answer for the Jets. Neither does Romo but he might be a little better than Pickspatrick.. The Giants are having a great season so far and they will be hard pressed to catch the Cowboys. The G-men will hope for a Wild Card berth and then anything can happen in the playoffs.
In the late game Thursday night it was the Antonio Brown show with the Steelers dismantling the Colts in Indianapolis. By that point I had eaten myself into a catatonic state and didn’t see much of the game. But I’m sure Brown’s fantasy owners were pleased by his performance.
Friday, I was still feeling a bit of a turkey and stuffing hangover. There was plenty of sports action to get me through. There were a host of college football games in the afternoon. And some tasty NHL action. Plus, the Rangers played their now traditional post-Thanksgiving day game against the Flyers. As is typically the case between the two teams, it was a feisty encounter. Plenty of penalties and a couple of rare fight for the Rangers. Brandon Pirri and Chris Kreider both dropped the gloves in the first period. Those may be the only two fights of the season for the Rangers who under Alain Vigneault aren’t particularly known for their toughness. Maybe the Flyers just bring that out in teams. But it was fun to watch. Good ol’ fashioned hockey.
The Blueshirts stormed out to a three-goal lead and held on for dear life as the Flyers mounted a third period comeback. They held on to win 3-2 and now have 31 points, good for second place in the Eastern Conference behind the Montreal Canadiens. Les Habs got off to a great start but have come back down to earth recently.
The Rangers are getting goals from all four lines. Especially the fourth line. Michael Grabner has been a revelation. he’s got 12 goals through 22 games. The Blueshirts are scoring goals at a great clip. They’re averaging almost 4 goals per game on the season so far and they’re +30 as a team. Les Habitants after their hot start are only +18. The injury bug is starting to hit the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad is out for two months or so with a broken leg. But aside from Wednesday night’s horror show against the Penguins at the Garden, the team hasn’t skipped a beat. Let’s hope they can keep it up for a long time to come.
That’s it for me today. Enjoy a full slate of meaningful college football games today. And a full slate of NFL action tomorrow.
