I've always believed Thanksgiving is when a team begins their march to the playoffs. The first part of the season is played to get into position to make a run and then from Thanksgiving on you play for position. Teams making a run around this time are poised to peak at the start of the playoffs. Traditionally those teams go deeper into the playoffs and in some cases are able to make a Super Bowl run. I think that's probably still true, but with the parity that exists in the NFL there is a very fine line between the good teams, average teams and the bad teams.

	Brad Johnson passed for 269 yards and one TD.

Monday night's game was a pretty good example of the fine lines between those types of teams. Both the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into the game with a 4-6 record and needing a win to make a run at the playoffs. Coming into the game, it was obvious the loser of this game was going to lose any chance at the playoffs. Both teams have been plagued by the same mistakes: too many penalties, too many turnovers, and too many failed conversions.

After watching them play it's obvious why these two talented teams were stuck with a 4-6 record. The Bucs have really slipped from last year's lofty perch when they won the Super Bowl. Heck, they aren't the same team that was on MNF in Week 1 at Philadelphia. Their defense isn't nearly as dominant as it once was and their offense doesn't have much speed.

In this game the Giants weren't able to take advantage of turnovers or opportunities to score. One example is when QB Kerry Collins had WR Amani Toomer in the back of the end zone and Bucs' CB Dwight Smith knocked the ball out of Toomer's hands. That was a missed opportunity for points and momentum for the Giants.

But their biggest missed opportunity might have come at the end of the first half. They had less than a minute remaining and only had time for one play before bringing the field goal team out for an easy field goal. So they run all their receivers to the end zone and don't give Collins any extra protection and he gets sacked by Simeon Rice and fumbles the ball to the Bucs. So instead of having a chance for a TD or at least 3 points they go into the locker room with nothing but the disappointment of yet another missed opportunity.

The Giants' defense played well for 80 percent of the game, but their problem was the other 20 percent. They allowed simple plays like WR Charles Lee's simple slant route to turn into a big touchdown because of missed tackles and poor defensive execution. Those types of plays have hurt this team all season and it looks like they'll have all offseason to stew on them.

It would be quite a feat for the Bucs to make the playoffs at this point in the season. But this win does keep their hopes alive for another week. If they can run the table and get 10 wins, they'll probably make the playoffs. The last teams to finish with 10 wins and not make the playoffs were the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1991.