Bettors Treated to Three Key NFL Divisional Games on Thanksgiving

By: Monte Scates | Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Thanksgiving

The Lions, Cowboys & 49ers Are All Home Favorites on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has three NFL games for bettors to feast on, starting in Detroit with the Lions (7-4) hosting the Chicago Bears (5-6). The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened with the Lions -6 and the total at 47.5. Detroit has since moved up to -7 with the total 48 (click here to check latest NFL odds).

Detroit comes in on a two-game losing streak, dropping both on the road to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. The Lions offense really struggled in those two games, scoring a total of 15 points on five field goals. But a home game against the Bears terrible defense should help get them going again. Chicago is currently tied with the Jets for 30th in the NFL in points allowed at 27.5 per game, with the only team worse being the Jaguars at 27.7.

The Bears are hoping to get back to .500 with a win this week. They have won their last two games over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Minnesota Vikings, with the exact same score of 21-13.  Chicago backers need to be careful here, as the team has really struggled to cover games against divisional opponents with a 2-10 mark against the spread in its last 12 games.

The second game has the Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) traveling to Dallas to face the Cowboys (8-3). The SuperBook opened the game with Dallas -3 and a total of 55.

The Eagles are winners of three of their last four games both straight-up and ATS, with the loss coming on the road to the Green Bay Packers, 53-20. This will be the first game between these NFC East rivals this season, and the winner will be in sole possession of first place in the division.

Philly's 26th-ranked defense will have its hands full trying to stop the league's leading rusher DeMarco Murray of the Cowboys. Expect the Eagles to stack the box trying to slow him down, but doing so would also leave them in man-to-man coverage on the outside. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo will certainly look to set up play-action pass plays and take some shots downfield if he sees any favorable matchups.

This game will have a playoff level of intensity, with both teams likely putting lots of points on the board. Keep in mind Dallas is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings between these two teams.

The third and final game will take place Thanksgiving night in San Francisco with the 49ers (7-4) hosting the Seattle Seahawks (7-4). The SuperBook opened the game with the 49ers Pick'em and the total at 39.5. This will definitely be another playoff-style game between two bitter NFC West rivals. The winner will close the gap on division leader Arizona, so this is very close to a must-win situation for both teams.

This should be a pretty low-scoring affair, with Seattle currently ranking No. 1 in the NFL in total defense, allowing 296.8 yards per game, and San Francisco ranking No. 2 (300.1). The difference might be the Seahawks running game. They are first in the league in rushing yards with 169.6 per game. If the 49ers cannot slow down Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch and keep QB Russell Wilson from scrambling and making big plays will his legs, they could be in serious trouble.

Seattle has covered the spread in the last five meetings with the 49ers, with four of those games finishing "under" the total. However, San Francisco is 15-1-1 SU in its last 17 divisional home games.

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