Bob Costas gave his usual halftime essay during Sunday Night Football. Tonight focused on the annual Thanksgiving game in Detroit. Bob talked about this year’s Green Bay-Detroit game having meaning and then comparing it to a Packers-Lions Turkey Day game some 49 years ago. I zoned out quickly afterwards. Here’s the transcript.
BOB COSTAS’ HALFTIME ESSAY ON PACKERS-LIONS THANKSGIVING DAY GAME
NEW YORK – November 20, 2011 – Among the array of Thanksgiving Day and night games, the traditional one takes place in Detroit, played annually since 1934. In recent years, however, it has seldom been a game of much import, since the Lions haven’t seen the playoffs in more than a decade.
But this year’s Lions are 7-3 after Matthew Stafford righted himself today with five touchdown passes against Carolina. And, for the third time this season, the Lions roared back from a deficit of 17 or more to win. And who comes to Detroit on Turkey Day? The Packers, 10-0, after today’s win over the Bucs.
To this point, Aaron Rodgers’ numbers are actually comparable to those of Tom Brady in his record-setting 2007 season; a season in which the Patriots carried perfection all the way to the final minute of the Super Bowl against the Giants. At 10-0, Rodgers’ Packers are still only a little more than halfway there and with some significant challenges remaining on the schedule.
And this next one is especially interesting, at least to those of us of a certain age, old enough to remember when the Packers, the defending NFL champions at the time, just as they are now, and 10-0, just as they are now, rolled into Tiger Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, 1962. On that day, the notion of their invincibility was dashed, as Alex Karras, Roger Brown, and company sacked Bart Starr 11 times; once for a safety, once for a fumble that resulted in a touchdown. And the Lions beat the stuffing out of the Packers, 26-14. The season was only 14 games then, and after that, the Packers never lost, finishing 13-1 and going right to the NFL title game, where they beat the Giants.
Whether this Thursday’s game, 49 years later, will be nearly as entertaining, or as resonant, remains to be seen. But still, it’s good to actually be able to anticipate the Lions game on Thanksgiving Day again, rather than having it serve as a bland appetizer for the football feast to come.
And we’re done for the night.
