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It might seem odd, but there are more than a few people out there that think that the Colts having two losses by this point of the season is somewhat of a surprise. On the other hand, those same people may seem it’s a shock that the Jacksonville Jaguars find themselves playing the Colts for first place in the AFC south. The Colts unexpected loss came against the San Diego Chargers one week after giving up a fourth quarter lead against their rivals, the New England Patriots. Maybe losing to the Chargers shouldn’t be such a shock, despite San Diego sliding down this year, but it was the way they lost. It featured a number you will most likely ever seen again: Peyton Manning: 6 interceptions. Because of that stat Manning’s numbers look a little low this year (19 TD’s, 12 Int’s) but he is still on pace to throw for over 4000 yards, generally a benchmark of a good season. However, his 89 passer rating is five points below his career average, and even more below the rating he has had the last few seasons. Because of that, the Colts will actually have important games down the stretch, something they haven’t been used to since they began to dominate the AFC south a few years ago.

When healthy, David Garrard is showing he is a more than formidable NFL quarterback. In his eight starts he has generated a 6-2 record while compiling a quarterback rating of over 103, a stat comparable to other top quarterbacks like Tony Romo and his opponent this week, Peyton Manning. While he has only thrown nine touchdowns this year he has thrown no interceptions in his 209 passing attempts, an amazing stat in the NFL. His goal on the team seems to be to limit mistakes while handing off to one of the best running back duos of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Fred Taylor has ran for over 700 yards with two touchdowns, while Jones-Drew has found the end zone seven times while running for a little under 600 yards. Both running backs are averaging over 4.5 yards per carry, a stat that will win your team a lot of ball games. Neither player is really considered the featured back, but Fred Talyor is enjoying one of his best years in a while because of past injury problems. The undersized Jones-Drew is a very exciting player to watch. He has also gained a reputation for his blocking skills, despite being undersized in every which way.

With Indy being a bit undermanned due to injury, this could be a close ball game. However, it is very hard for me to go against Manning in his home stadium. I believe the Colts will take this one by a slim margin, something like 27-24. That’s if Adam Vinatieri can start knocking down some field goals.

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The University of Southern California is usually known as a football school, but because of an amazing recruiting class, which features prized recruit O,J. Mayo, the basketball team now looks ready for prime time. Coach Tim Floyd has the Trojans playing on a mission, after an unexpected loss against Mercer to open the season. Since then the team is 5-0 and just finished first in the inaugural Anaheim Classic with a very surprising blow out win over 18th ranked Southern Illinois. Mayo is averaging 21.8 points per game, and is one of the most exciting players to watch in the country. As long as he continues to play of USC, a lot more of their games will be on television. Many people believe Mayo may go to the NBA after one season, but the team still has good freshman players on its team, including Davon Jefferson, and Angelo Johnson. To put it in perspective, the Trojans have nine players that are either freshman or sophomores.

Oklahoma is also 5-1. Their one loss was by 10 points to the number three ranked team in the nation, Memphis. Oklahoma is also led by a freshman, Blake Griffin. Griffin is averaging just under a double-double with 15 ppg and 9.2 rpg. With the exception of Memphis, USC has had a tougher start to the season then Oklahoma. Also, USC is on a bit of a roll, which is why I am predicting them to win this early season game between two teams we could hear from in March.

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The Gonzaga Bulldogs wrote the book on successful mid-major teams. After years of upsetting teams in the first couple of rounds of the NCAA tournament Gonzaga finally started earning enough respect to be a staple in the top-25 rankings. This year they are off to another good start, with a record of 5-1. Their one loss came against the Bobby Knight led Texas Tech team. Gonzaga is a squad that is very young, but fans are still expecting big things from them. Freshman Austin Dave leads the team with 13.8 points a game with sophomore Matt Bouldin right behind him at 13.3.

St. Joseph has had a few good teams the last few years, and this team may rank among them. They’ve started 2-1, with their loss being a 72-69 heartbreaker to Syracuse. Senior Guard/Forward Pat Calathes leads the team in points scored, with 16.3 a game. Four out of the five starters are averaging double digits.

They get to host Gonzaga, which should be a nice advantage. As mentioned, Gonzaga is very young, and it is unsure how they will do against a booing crowd so early in the season. Being that the game is on national television the crowd will be even more pumped up. In somewhat of a semi-upset I am picking St. Joe’s to win this one in a nail biter.

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The 9-5 Denver Nuggets will take on the 7-6 Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, a game between two teams struggling to stay atop the loaded western conference. The Nuggets have just received bad news that their star power forward Kenyon Martin will receive an MRI on his knee to determine the extent of his latest injury. The knee he will have examined will be the same knee he had microfracture surgery on last year, one of the toughest injuries to completely recover from, doctors say. In his absence they will need even more production from Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. Anthony is leading the team with 25.2 points a game, with Iverson sitting just under him at 23.6 a game. Marcus Camby continues to be on a tear, averaging 15 rebounds a game.

As Kobe Bryant goes, so does the Lakers. Bryant leads him team in Points (27.3) assists (4.8) and steals (2.1). While the Nuggets are expected to finish somewhere near the middle of the pack, many experts will consider it a good season for the Lakers if they can just find a way to sneak into the playoffs at all. While sharing a division with the Phoenix Suns, you can all but say they won’t get into the playoffs be leading that division. This is a fairly even match-up, but even with Martin gone I think the Nuggets have more match up advantages. I pick Denver in a close one.

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The AFC had it’s version of “the game of the year,” a few weeks ago when the then undefeated Colts faced the still undefeated New England Patriots.  This week the NFC has their version when the Packers and the Cowboys, both with identical 10-1 records, face each other in a game that has huge playoff implications.  While both teams are almost a lock in for the playoffs, the winner of this game will most likely enjoy home field advantage through the postseason.  This game also kicks off the first week (not including Thanksgiving) that the NFL network will begin showcasing games on Thursday night.  It’s hard to imagine a better start, as this game features a young gun slinger in Tony Romo vs. an oldie, but a goodie, gun slinger in Brett Favre.

At 27, and just finishing up his first actual complete season as a pro, Romo has the Cowboys looking like the team of old.  He has helped lead this team to 358 points, more than 100 more then anyone else in the NFC east.  Romo has thrown for 29 TD’s with 13 interceptions while compiling a passer rating of 105.3.  His interception numbers might be a bit skewed, as he threw five of them in the game against Buffalo.  But, as he has been showing in his young career, he can find away to win even in the bleakest of circumstances, as they came back to defeat the Bills that game 25-24, leaving the Buffalo crowd silent.  While you can not really consider Romo a running quarterback, he does have enough speed to avoid sacks in order to make a play out of nothing.  A few times this year he has made defensives shake their head as they chase him all over the field only to find Romo completing a pass.  Catches the majority of those passes has been the quieter than usually, Terrell Owens.  64 catches, and 13 touchdowns later shows that he is still a force to be reckoned with, and that maybe last year was an off year because of his broken finger.

One player that you couldn’t get off the field for a broken arm, let alone a broken finger is Brett Favre.  The all-time leader in consecutive games played is enjoying a season reminiscent of his MVP years.  While a quarterback in New England may take those reigns this year, Favre has done more than enough to silence critics who have said Favre has been passed it for at least the last couple of years.  Favre, who was beginning to be more known for his interceptions then anything else has only thrown eight this year, including zero in the last three games and two in the last five.  His 22 touchdowns and a passer rating over 100 have fans yelling for another year, or two, instead of looking for a backup.  With this talented core of wide receivers Favre may just take them up on that offer.  Donald Driver leads the team with 63 catches, but it is second year man Greg Jennings that has the most touchdowns with nine. 

This is a tough game to pick.  Because they are playing in Dallas I am going to favor them.  Both of these teams loses have come at home, meaning they perform very well on the road, so I shouldn’t be too shocked if Favre finds a way to pull this out behind Green Bay’s better than average defense.  However, I feel Dallas is the one who finds a way to win this by a score of 31-27. 

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This match-up features two teams heading in the opposite direction. The New York Knicks are 3-9, and as of this writing have yet to win a game on the road. The Boston Celtics are 11-1, including a perfect 7-0 record at home. Things are not looking up for the Knicks in this one. Rumors are swirling all around the city of New York as to who will go first, coach Isaiah Thomas, or point guard Stephon Marbury. A bit of good did come out of New York recently, stating Thomas and Marbury are past their difference, and in return they got a much needed win. However, they might need Thomas, and the rest of the coaching staff to suit up in order to have a chance of winning in Boston on Thursday.

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce are all averaging over 20 points per game. With the exception of a close loss to the Orlando Magic, the Celtics have looked nearly flawless this year, reminiscent of their NFL sister team, the New England Patriots. The Boston Celtics are currently on top of the odds board as the team being given the best chance to win the NBA championship. It’s amazing what a difference just one year can make. I expect the Celtics to win this one in a fairly one sided way, equal to the way they handled the Kobe Bryant and the Lakers a day after Thanksgiving.

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There aren’t really any exceptional games this coming Sunday, but there is one featuring two teams that are enjoying some success after years of usually toiling near the bottom of the division. For the Houston Texans it could be a bit expected because they are still coming into their own after being named an expansion team a few years ago. They are at .500 but unfortunately they play in the stacked AFC South division that is ruled by the defending Super Bowl champs, the Indianapolis Colts. But, despite being in last place of their division, they are only two games out of a wildcard playoffs position. Leading the team in their recent success is long time Atlanta Falcon backup, Matt Schaub. After starting the season hot he cooled down a bit during a bit of a losing streak. But after missing a game due to injury and a bye week he returned with a bang against the New Orleans Saints this past Sunday. He completed 21 of 33 passes for two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 112.3. If this is a return to form with the way he played early in the season then their playoff push begins now.

The Browns are playing fabulous, and are no longer the laughing stock of the league. They have won three out of their last four games, including a 33-30 OT victory over Ravens this past Sunday. They owe a lot of their success to one of the biggest surprises of the year, Derek Anderson. He has thrown for 20 touchdowns with just nine interceptions and a respectable rating of 90.7. Also enjoying a career resurgence is Jamal Lewis. After doing time in jail for a college drug offense two seasons ago, many felt he had hit the end of the line. Lewis is averaging four yards per carry, and is also being relied on heavily on the goal line because of his immense size. For the season, Lewis has scored six times.

Like I said, this isn’t an elite game, but it could still be fun. I believe the Browns are on a bit of a roll lately, so I’m going to pick them in a close one, 24-20

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For as long as anyone can remember the Detroit Lions have been playing football on Thanksgiving day. It’s always nice to know that after you are done eating, or waiting for the food to be made, that you can go sit on the couch and watch football. Unfortunately for the Lions people were usually watching them just because it was a football game on a day off, not because of the success of their team. This year they are actually competing for a playoff spot and they are playing the 8-1 Green Bay Packers. Of the three NFL games on Turkey day this year this looks to be the one that will take the cake, or in this cake, the pumpkin pie.

The Detroit Lions are coming off a 31-21 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Lions are still on pace to reach the 10 wins that Jon Kitna has predicted, but the real meat of the season starts now. Kitna has gotten off to a great start, leading the offensive minded Lions as quarterback. He has thrown for over 2200 yards and is on pace to throw over 4000 on the year. He has passed for 12 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His favorite target has been Roy Williams who has caught 49 passes with five touchdowns. Earlier in the season they were worried that they couldn’t run the ball too well, but running back Kevin Jones has came alive as of late, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and has scattered to the end zone five times.

When you think of the Green Bay Packers you think of one name. Brett Favre. Favre detractors had suggested that he was passed it, and he should have retired two years ago. Favre is proving the naysayer’s wrong. 2700 yards into the season, including 16 touchdown passes, has made the same people say he should have retired yelling that he could play for a few more years. Funny how things change. One thing that has changed constantly this season is the running back for the Packers. Injuries, and just trying to find the best fit, has seen more than a handful of players running the ball for the Packers. As of late rookie Ryan Grant has emerged as the top threat. In two out of the last three games he has ran for over 100 yards. This came after seeing the ball sparingly the first few games of the season.

Brett Favre has always had some trouble playing in Detroit, and this year the team is better than the teams he’s used to. The team will be pumped because for the first time in years the Lions and their fans have a team they can be proud of. I know the Packers are 8-1 and enjoying a great season, but I’m taking the Lions in this one in a mini-upset. 34-27 seems about right to me.

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Some of the best basketball in the NBA is played in one state, Texas. You have the defending champs, the San Antonio Spurs, the team with the most wins last year, the Dallas Mavericks, and a team with two superstars in Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets. Two of those teams, Dallas and Houston, who are off to a great start, will face each other in an early season match-up. The Mavericks are 6-2 and coming off a win against the Spurs. An early season surprise for Dallas has been that Josh Howard is leading the team in scoring, usually a spot reserved for Dirk Nowitzki. Howard is scoring at a clip of 22 points per game, while Nowitzki is at just over 19. No matter who is on top, that’s still a great one two combination. Speaking of nice one-two combinations, the Rockets are off to a 6-3 start behind Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. McGrady is averaging 26.8 points to lead the team. Ming is leading the team with ten rebounds a game, and is also scoring 24 points per game. This year the Rockets are trying a new up-tempo offensive style, but they will meet one of the best at it in Dallas. I’m picking Dallas on the road in this one, it’s just too much too soon for the new look Houston Rockets to overcome in this early season game of what could be a preview of a playoff series.

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The most intriguing of all the turkey day basketball games maybe the final game of the evening, this one. George Mason is 2-0 and just a couple of years past their historic run as an unranked team to the Final Four. Kansas State is also undefeated, and they are now ranked in the top 25. Kansas State is trying to solidify themselves as a team to be reckoned with, and a lot of thanks can go to coach Bob Huggins. Huggins has a reputation of taking down and out basketball schools and making them powerhouses, such as he did in Cincinnati. It also help that he has some very good players on his squad. Leading the Wildcats in scoring is future NBA prospect Michael Beasley. Beasley is averaging 31 points per game and a crazy 19 rebounds, the first two games of the season, both victories. Beasley is just a freshman, so it may not be natural to expect these numbers to keep up, but if he can do something remotely close to this the whole way it will be a successful season. The Wildcats squad has six freshman on the team, all of which who have seen considerable playing time this year. George Mason relies on the shoulders of 6’7” senior forward Will Thomas. Thomas is averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds a game, numbers he will probably be able to keep up the whole season. The Kansas State game will be one of the tougher games of the season for George Mason, but if they can pull it out we can probably expect to see them in the NCAA tournament again.

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