Bettors Treated to Three Key NFL Divisional Games on Thanksgiving
By:
Monte Scates |
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
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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