Two former Buffs will be playing for their respective NFL teams on Thursday during the league's Thanksgiving games. Nate Solder's Patriots will play the New York Jets while Lawrence Vickers' Cowboys face the Redskins.
Last Sunday, Solder helped the Patriots roll over the Indianapolis
Colts in a 59-24 victory in a game that tied the Pats' franchise single-game scoring
record.
The Patriots ended the Colts' four-game winning streak and have
now won four consecutive games, extending their lead in the AFC East to three
games.
The offensive line set the stage for the Patriots, allowing
them to accumulate 446 yards on the day. They did a fantastic job of protecting
quarterback Tom Brady, allowing zero sacks while having him only hit twice en
route to a 331-yard passing day.
New England's offense continues to be ranked as one of the
best in the NFL, and the offensive line can't go unrecognized. In his second
season in the league, Solder continues to be a critical part of the Patriots'
offensive line. Protecting Tom Brady's blind-side is no easy job, but Solder is
proving he has what it takes as he has started in every game this season and saw
action in every game as a rookie.
Solder and the 7-4 Patriots are now preparing for their
Thanksgiving night match up against the New York Jets (6:20 p.m. MT, NBC), who
improved to 4-6 with their win over the St. Louis Rams last week.
In Dallas, it was a different kind of win for Vickers and the Cowboys. Despite
suffering a 13-0 deficit at halftime, the Cowboys were able to rally back and
prevail in overtime against the two-win Cleveland Browns, edging them 23-20.
It was an especially meaningful game for Vickers, who spent
his first five years in the league with Cleveland. Vickers was a key to the
Cowboys' victory, catching a 3-yard pass on a fourth-and-1 to extend the drive
that gave Dallas their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter.
"I had to have that one. That was personal," Vickers told
the Fort Worth Star Telegram after the game. "That was a gut punch, right
there. This was a personal game. It was special."
Dallas is also preparing for their annual Thanksgiving Day
showdown, this year against the Washington Redskins (2:15 p.m. MT, FOX). The
two teams are fighting for second place in the NFC East.
