Week 13 - Thanksgiving Special

This crucial week of LFL action starts off with not 1, not 2 but 3 games - a Thanksgiving Triple Header. With so many playoff spots still up for grabs, each week gets more important.



'85 Chicago vs. '91 Detroit

Previously, Detroit was able to beat the Chicago bears off a strong effort from Barry Sanders. Over 73,000 fans showed up the Pontiac Silverdome to see if it could happen again.

After almost 13 minutes of stalemate in the 1st quarter, Detroit found their stride, grabbing 10 points in just 2 minutes of play after a McMahon interception was turned into a 27 yard TD pass by Kramer.

Detroit's defense kept strong and forced another 3 and out on Chicago, using their next possession to quickly put 7 more on the board, after a huge running effort from Sanders and Jackson.

Up 17-0, McMahon switched up his passing game some and was able to hit McKinnon in the flat, who ran the remaining 66 yards for an exciting score. Chicago would only be down 20-7 at the half.

Detroit's efforts were not stifled, as they scored early again in the 2nd half on a Kramer pass to Green. 27-7

The Bears, who continued to have problems moving Payton against the Lions D, finally found some more tricks to get their passing game moving. Chicago would take over the game at this point, with McMahon throwing 2 more TD passes, including a 2nd 60 yarder to McKinnon. before the 2 minute quarter to bring Detroit's lead down to 6.

But 2 minutes was all Detroit needed to waste the clock and even put the final nail in the coffin on a 33 yard FG. Final score Detroit 30, Chicago 21

Barry Sanders had a huge day, averaging over 5 yard per carry for 185 yards on the day. MMahon's 3 TDs and 291 yards with just 12 throws was a similarly impressive feat ,as is McKinnon's 178 yards with just 5 catches.

Detroit pulls off their 2nd win against Chicago, dealing a big blow to the certainty of Chicago's future. In fact, if Detroit wins next week and Chicago loses again, Detroit would move to 2nd place in the division.



'90 Buffalo vs. '92 Dallas

Dallas got off to a lead early after getting into Buffalo territory, and Emmitt Smith  darting 40 yards for a score. He'd get a chance for another TD after Aikman's passing moved the Cowboys into the red zone. Buffalo, having trouble moving the ball, was able to squeeze in a Norrwood FG, but Dallas had a 14-3 start in just the 1st quarter.

The 2nd quarter was paced a bit more slowly, with both teams testing each other for some ways to score. Jim Kelly put together a good scoring drive with just over 5 minutes left, making the Dallas lead only 14-10 by halftime.

The 2nd half would only move at a quicker pace, as the Cowboys shut down the Bills offense, while Aikman himself came alive, throwing 3 TD passes. So Dallas comes up with a huge win over the Bills, 35-10, with a great home field performance.

Aikman's 3 TD tosses came out of 19 completions, which made up 73.1% of his throws. Only being picked off once, Aikman threw for over 240 yards.


'09 New Orleans vs. '98 Atlanta


The Falcons, having shown the past few weeks how powerful they can be on all sides of the ball, hosted the Saints for an important divisional matchup. Having won their previous meeting, it seemed early on that the Saints were still not prepared.

The first half was all about the Falcons, with Chandler hitting Green for a TD throw on their first drive. Later, Jamal Anderson would power through for another score to put Atlanta up 14-0.

New Orleans took their next drive into the red zone, but on a 1st down rush play from the 16, Bell dropped the ball, and the Falcons scooped it up and went all the way for a 3rd score.

After stopping Brees’ passing game, Chandler came up with a big throw down midfield to Martin for 50 yards and a 4th TD. Down 28-3, the Saints continued struggling on offense for the next 13 minutes, settling only for a late quarter FG.

By the 2nd half, the Saints D started holding off the Falcons, and things were looking up after Brees got his first TD throw. But it was a long drive, and 18 points still needed covered to pull ahead. It was too much, as Atlanta held strong. Final score 31-10 Falcons.

Chandler threw for 297 yards and the Falcons ran for 100 on top of that, while New Orleans only had 190 yards total offense. This game really just comes down to some fantastic defense by the Falcons.

Atlanta's huge win over New Orleans also puts the Falcons with a chance to grab top spot in the division. The Saints’ now 4th straight loss ends up being a costly one as we look ahead to post season.

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