Week of Nov. 19-Nov. 25 Thanksgiving Edition of “From the Bleachers”

Happy Thanksgiving! With food, family, friends, and football, there is no day like turkey day. Due to all of this, you may be wondering how to balance them all together, which may involve having to pick one of the three games in the NFL over the others. In this week’s column, I’ll go over which game you should prioritize, the team that’s taking the NBA by storm, and the latest buzz in the MLB.

NFL

One of the more popular Thanksgiving traditions in most houses is watching football. With three games slated every year on the holiday, there is no shortage of games to choose from. But if you had to choose just one of the games to put aside your Thanksgiving meal for, which one would it be? In order to help you come to this decision, here’s a look at all three of Thursday’s match-ups.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions at 11:30 AM CT on FOX

The first of the three games is the strongest on paper, with the 6-4 Lions hosting the 8-2 Vikings. Detroit comes into the game winners of three of their last four games, outscoring their opponents 110-85 in that period. Scoring won’t be nearly as easy to come by against their NFC North rivals. The Vikings have allowed the fourth fewest points per game (17.2) and gave up just 14 points to the Lions in their previous meeting. In that game, however, a Case Keenum-led Vikings offense could only muster up 7 points vs. the stout Lions defense. Being both a rivalry match-up and one of their two losses, Minnesota could play with a bit of an edge on Thursday, which makes the game all that more intriguing.

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys at 3:30 PM CT on CBS

While the day’s first game appears to be the better match-up, no game will get more attention than the Chargers and Cowboys game. Last year’s mid-afternoon game(which also featured the Cowboys) was one of the NFL’s most watched Thanksgiving games ever with over 35 million viewers. With two top markets in Los Angeles and Dallas, you can expect similar ratings on Thursday. To the game itself, you have two of the more disappointing teams this season meeting up. The Chargers are sitting two games below .500 at 4-6 despite having talent on both sides of the ball and are finally staying healthy. The Cowboys on the other-hand are without multiple key players, with All-Pro linebacker Sean Lee and left tackle Tyron Smith both missing time due to injuries to go along with star running back Ezekiel Elliott finally serving his six game suspension. As a result, Dallas is a mere 5-5 on the season. Both teams will be looking to keep their small hopes of making the playoffs alive, which could lead to an exciting affair on Thursday.

New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins at 7:20 PM CT on NBC

The final game on the Thanksgiving slate is a dozy. On one side there’s the 2-8 Giants who are without nearly their entire offense, including big name receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall. Then there are the Washington Redskins, who had a huge upset win in New Orleans…until they didn’t. After suffering season-ending injuries to key playmakers in Chris Thompson and Terrelle Pryor, the Redskins blew a 15 point lead against the Saints and later lost in overtime dropping their record to 4-6. With injuries galore and neither team looking likely to make the playoffs, there’s not that much excitement revolving around the holiday’s prime time match-up. However, in-division games can often produce some of the week’s closest games, so don’t rule this one out yet.

The verdict: Get up early for the Vikings and Lions game. There’s two of the league’s top defenses going head-to-head, with star cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and Darius Slay headlining the match-up. Then there’s the playoff implications for both teams. Minnesota is hoping to extend their lead at the top of the NFC North and get closer to home-field advantage in the playoffs. Detroit is clinging on to a wild card spot, where one loss could potentially knock the Lions out of a playoff spot. Between a star-studded defensive match-up and the game’s importance for both teams, Thanksgiving’s best game could be it’s earliest one.

NBA

When they traded for Kyrie Irving back in August, the Boston Celtics went from being one of the biggest threats to the Cavaliers in the East to one of the biggest threats to the NBA as a whole. The Celtics already had a strong roster going into the offseason, but with the acquisitions of Irving and top free agent Gordon Hayward, things were looking up for one of the richest franchises in basketball.

That was until their season opener vs. the Cavs. Just a few minutes into their season, Hayward suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out for what looks like the rest of the season. It was a devastating injury for both him and the Celtics, one that many thought would put them back below Cleveland in the East. Boston needed both their stars and some of their lesser-known names to step up in order to prevent this from happening.

Not only have the players stepped up, but have also completely turned the team around. Since their opening night loss, the Celtics are an NBA best 16-1 and are currently riding a sixteen game winning streak. Sixteen wins in a row. That’s almost as many wins as the Brooklyn  Nets had all of last year. Leading the way for the hottest team in the league has been Kyrie Irving, who is top 20 in the NBA in PPG (22.5) and is shooting an efficient 46.8% through eighteen games.

It hasn’t just been Irving who’s contributed to the team’s remarkable start. Jayson Tatum has emerged as one of the league’s top rookies, averaging 13.9 PPG on 49% shooting. The player that’s arguably made the largest impact for the Celtics has been the guy who was charged with replacing Hayward: Jaylen Brown. Brown is second on the team in both points (16.2) and rebounds (6.7) in a season where he wasn’t expected to be much more than a role player off the bench. Add in the production Boston has seen out of Al Horford, Marcus Smart, and Marcus Morris and the C’s haven’t just overcome the Hayward injury, but are now looking like one of the best teams in the entirety of the NBA.

MLB

Shohei Otani is a name not too many baseball fans are all that familiar with…for now. After an agreement on a new posting system was reached on Tuesday, Otani is now eligible to be signed by a major league club once he posts, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Why is this significant? For starters, he’s already being called the “Japanese Babe Ruth” at the age of 23. Across five seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan, Otani had a batting average of .286 and hit 48 home runs. What truly makes the 23 year old special isn’t just what he does with the bat, but also what he’s capable of doing on the mound. Otani had a 2.52 ERA in those five years, including a 1.86 ERA in 2016. It is beyond rare to find a player who can be both a dominant hitter and a shut-down pitcher, especially at such a young age. Because of this, Otani is set to be one of the more sought-after free agents in recent years.

While most teams in the MLB will be interested in pursuing the two-way player, there appears to be clear front-runners in the race for Otani, and they’re your usual suspects. The Yankees and Rangers, who have the most hard cap space available at about $3 million, have more to offer in terms of cash than any of the other potential suitors. But will it come down to money? The Dodgers and Cubs have both had more recent success and are currently stronger contenders than either of the AL teams, even though New York made the playoffs in 2017.

The Otani saga could end in a number of ways due to these factors, but the one that could play the biggest role in his decision is which team gives him the best opportunity to continue as both an everyday player in the lineup and a regular starter in the rotation. The team that gives him the best chance of doing this is the Yankees. As mentioned earlier, they have the money to make the deal happen and while they may not be as strong of contenders as Los Angeles or Chicago, the Yankees are still playoff contenders in the deep AL. What truly gives New York the edge in the race is the designated hitter spot that comes with playing in the American League. This will allow for Otani to get into the everyday lineup without having to play an outfield position and still pitch on every fifth day.

 NHL

The Edmonton Oilers, after drafting Connor McDavid first overall in the 2015 NHL draft, seemed to have completely turned the franchise around behind the star center. The Oilers had their best season since in over ten years in 2016/17, making it to the second round of the NHL playoffs and McDavid winning the Hart Trophy(hockey’s equivalent to MVP). With this, expectations were high for the team going into the new season.

Nearly two months through the season, Edmonton has fell well short of these expectations. The Oilers are sitting second to last in the Western Conference at 7-12-2 and are coming off a game in which they gave up eight goals to the Blues, raising their season total of goals allowed to 71, fifth most in the league. As compared to last season where they gave up the eighth fewest goals in the NHL at 207, the drop off has been staggering for a team that was seemingly a lock-in for the playoffs at the beginning of the season. While the team has the talent for a turnaround and it is still November, it’s looking unlikely that the Oilers can overcome their brutal play on both the offensive and defensive ends, which could make for yet another long year in Edmonton.