PFT: Jets' hosting of Thanksgiving night game means Pats will play Lions

[WoodysGirl]

Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2010 7:57 AM ET

Maybe Woody Johnson's coin-flip gasket-blowing worked.

The Jets, not the Giants, will be hosting a Thanksgiving night game at the stadium the two teams will share, according to Gary Myers of the New York Daily News.

The announcement of the Thanksgiving games and the Week One prime-time games will be made Monday, in conjunction with the league meetings in Orlando.

For Kickoff Weekend, the Saints will host the opening game on Thursday, September 9. (If it's the Vikings, I'll be in New Orleans, infiltrating the Minnesota broadcast booth with Paul Allen and Pete Bercich. Apparently, my compensation will be a PlayStation 3, so that P.A. and I can thereafter play Madden online and he can taunt me whenever I throw an interception by shouting, "This isn't Detroit!")

It's unknown who'll host the Sunday night game or the second half of the ESPN doubleheader on Monday night. Typically, the late Monday game goes to a West Coast team, who hosts another team from a time zone other than Eastern.

In recent years, the Monday night twin-bill exclusively has featured division rivals. In 2009, the Patriots hosted the Bills and the Raiders hosted the Chargers. The prior year, the Packers hosted the Vikings and the Raiders hosted the Broncos. Before that, the Bengals hosted the Ravens and the 49ers hosted the Cardinals.

Our guess? It'll be Dolphins-Jets in Week One, ten years after the two teams got together on a Monday night for one of the all-time classic prime-time games.

The fact that the Jets will be hosting a Thanksgiving night game means that the Patriots will be traveling to Detroit earlier in the day. Because CBS will be televising the game hosted by the Lions, the road team must be from the AFC, and the only AFC teams playing in Ford Field this season will be the Pats and the Jets.

For the late-afternoon game, the Cowboys will be hosting one of the NFC teams on their schedule -- the Eagles, Commanders, Giants, Bears, or the Saints. (The Lions are the sixth NFC team who'll play in Cowboys Stadium.) Though Saints-Cowboys is the obvious choice, history tells us that the NFL rarely wastes a great game on the captive audience that comes with Thanksgiving Day.

So we're bracing for the Bears.

As to the Jets, the Thanksgiving night game could very well entail a return visit from the Bengals, who helped close out Giants Stadium. Other possibilities are the Packers, Vikings, Ravens, Texans, and one of the three AFC East rivals.

 

[cowboyjoe]

i would like for us to play one of the toughest teams on the schedule, so they dont have too much time to prepare for us, and that way would knock off one of the tough opponents.

Since the saints are real close to us, they wouldnt lose too much time in air travel etc... so im thinking one of the long away teams, so they lose that extra day on wednesday just traveling, so in essence they only have 2 days to prepare while we have 3,

what do you zoners think?

its always hard for us to beat the giants so how about the giants or Commanders on that day?

 

[CowboyDan]

Here's my bold prediction for the season...........

The Lions will play the Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving.

Goodell is all about change, and this would be a good one. No one wants to watch the Lions at noon, but the ratings will be through the roof for the Cowboys game. So by moving the Lions out of the noon slot, the make room for another pair of teams to play, thus increasing their ratings for the day. Thoughts?

 

[Boyzmamacita]

Here's my bold prediction for the season...........

The Lions will play the Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving.

Goodell is all about change, and this would be a good one. No one wants to watch the Lions at noon, but the ratings will be through the roof for the Cowboys game. So by moving the Lions out of the noon slot, the make room for another pair of teams to play, thus increasing their ratings for the day. Thoughts?

Leave the Cowboys in the late afternoon slot. It's perfect. The Lions would probably rather not play at all if they can't play at home like they're used to. I wouldn't mind if the game was taken from Detroit as long as the Cowboys stay right where they are EVERY Thanksgiving. I don't care how the rest of the league feels about it.

 

[Fatty_VM]

its always hard for us to beat the giants so how about the giants or Commanders on that day?

Wouldn't happen for the sole reason the divisional games are usually big draws no matter what week it is. It's much more of a financial benefit to the broadcasters and the nfl if they give us a team that usually would be a poor rating draw, so that the "only game in town" scenario would maximize the OTHER games on the schedule with no perceivable impact on the turkey day one.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

These old cranky Jets fans hate the late games, they probably hate this more

 

[Fatty_VM]

These old cranky Jets fans hate the late games, they probably hate this more

They are split around 1/4 liking it, 3/4'rs paranoia thinking the league hates them and is out to spit in their faces.

 

[Doomsday101]

Here's my bold prediction for the season...........

The Lions will play the Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving.

Goodell is all about change, and this would be a good one. No one wants to watch the Lions at noon, but the ratings will be through the roof for the Cowboys game. So by moving the Lions out of the noon slot, the make room for another pair of teams to play, thus increasing their ratings for the day. Thoughts?

I like it the way it is now. Over the years Det has had good and bad teams their record on Thanksgiving is 33-35-2. If Detriot owner wants to let this tradition his franchise has had stop then it should be his choice. Remember Dallas and Detriot took this game when no one else wanted them.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

They are split around 1/4 liking it, 3/4'rs paranoia thinking the league hates them and is out to spit in their faces.

What a bunch of buzz killingtons.

 

[L-O-Jete]

Da Bears... Book it!

 

[Doomsday101]

Da Bears... Book it!

With some of the early moves by the Bears this off season that could be a good game.

 

[playmakers]

I don't know if anyone can memo the league and tell them that up until week 17 the Jets had no chance at the playoffs and putting them as the marquee team next season is a bit early. The Jets could very well go 6-10 next year. They are a boring team, they run the ball 75 percent of the time it seems. They have a good defense but they got lucky last year. The Bengals were tailored made for them to beat. The Chargers just so happen to be the best matchup for them because if they couldnt throw the ball they couldnt do nothing. The Jets have the best secondary in league probably.

I think NO hosts Atl opening night. I dont think they want to waste the rematch with the Vikings on opening night. They would want to see that build over the season and turn it into a mega game.

I think we will probably host Tennessee on Thanksgiving. Vince Young coming back to Texas etc etc. It works.

 

[Starsandstripes]

I think we will probably host Tennessee on Thanksgiving. Vince Young coming back to Texas etc etc. It works.

Not likely. The Titans are an AFC team. We hosted an AFC team last year, the Raiders. This year it has to be a team from the NFC.

 

[dbair1967]

Not likely. The Titans are an AFC team. We hosted an AFC team last year, the Raiders. This year it has to be a team from the NFC.

Actually its not possible at all. It's the Cowboys turn to be on FOX, so it has to be an NFC team since we're at home.

 

[SDogo]

With some of the early moves by the Bears this off season that could be a good game.

Flashbacks of Julius Jones vs Thomas Jones

 

[Doomsday101]

Flashbacks of Julius Jones vs Thomas Jones

I was at game. Henson started and Vinny finished in a close game. Not a well played game but a win.

 

[Hostile]

Here's my bold prediction for the season...........

The Lions will play the Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving.

Goodell is all about change, and this would be a good one. No one wants to watch the Lions at noon, but the ratings will be through the roof for the Cowboys game. So by moving the Lions out of the noon slot, the make room for another pair of teams to play, thus increasing their ratings for the day. Thoughts?

There is not a snowball's chance in hell of this because the Lions are even more entrenched as a Thanksgiving day tradition, than the Cowboys.

Bears or Commanders. My money is also on the Bears.

 

[dbair1967]

There is not a snowball's chance in hell of this because the Lions are even more entrenched as a Thanksgiving day tradition, than the Cowboys.

Bears or Commanders. My money is also on the Bears.

I'm gonna be different and say Commanders.

 

[Hostile]

I'm gonna be different and say Commanders.

I would prefer it be them. It just seems like the NFL doesn't make that game a division rival any more. I think the last time was 2002 and the Commanders. Of course we did play the Bears there in 2004. So maybe that will factor in.

Edit:

Cowboys Thanksgiving games record against each possible opponent.

Commanders...6-0
Bears...2-0
Eagles...0-1
Giants...1-0
Saints...0-0

 

[CowboyDan]

There is not a snowball's chance in hell of this because the Lions are even more entrenched as a Thanksgiving day tradition, than the Cowboys.

Bears or Commanders. My money is also on the Bears.

Some said the same thing about playing an NFL game in Europe, playing the Pro Bowl in Miami before the Super Bowl, the Wildcat working in the NFL, and the Saints winning the Super Bowl. I'm just sayin.........