Thanksgiving Day

Packers @ Lions

The Lions are absolutely rolling at 8-2, and clock into Week 12 as the most exciting team to watch in the NFL. With that said, they don’t really blow teams out, and if they did, the Chicago Bears would have been a prime candidate. Detroit needed some 4th quarter magic from Goff and Co. to storm back and pull out the W, and now strap up just 4 days later for the always emotional early Thanksgiving matchup. The Pack had a thrilling comeback win of their own on Sunday, and carry a lot of positive momentum into the first of 3 Thanksgiving games.

For most of my lifetime, the Lions are heavy underdogs looking to spoil someone's season by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, but it is undoubtedly good for America to have such an exciting team in action on the day we give thanks for football. Goff to St. Brown has been one of the best connections of the year, and a two headed monster in the backfield of Montgomery and Gibbs has been hard to slow down.

I love Detroit to win the game, but I can’t get behind them blowing anybody out. This is a game the Packers will show up for, in the division, and with a punchers chance to keep their season alive. I think 7.5 is slightly too many points, and I’ll take the road dogs to keep it within the number. If you need some more action, it makes for a great teaser spot, getting the Lions down to 1.5 and then  possibly the Giants up to +9, against a Patriots team that couldn’t blow out a team of actual Turkeys. 

Packers +7.5

Commanders @ Cowboys

This situation feels like it plays out as commonly as the one Uncle getting drunk and out of line at the Thanksgiving DInner table. The sinking Washington Commanders travel to Dallas, where the Cowboys are back on track and looking to keep pace in the NFC East. With Washington coming off a loss to Tommy Devito, it seems like an easy time to sit back and take Dallas with a side of stuffing and a couch nap at halftime. Not so fast. I have personally seen this play out too many times. A couple Dak INT’s, some trickery, and the Commies are either in position to win the game, or at the very least, cover this massive spread. While it’s more of a bet on fading Dallas, Washington has the ability to keep things interesting late into the afternoon. Howell has some ability, and serviceable weapons around him. Divisional game, on a short week evens the playing field a bit. I’ll take Washington to cover.

Commanders +10.5

49ers @ Seahawks

One of the best moves in NFL History was adding a third game to the Thanksgiving slate. For too long, we had to rely on conversation with family and board games, to keep us occupied following the Lions and Cowboys games. More recently, we get an electric matchup to tie us over Thursday night and this seems like a great matchup for the primetime spot. The 49ers went through a rough patch after their hot start, which had people questioning the ability of Brock Purdy to lead a Super Bowl contender. But with improved health to their plethora of All-Pros, the Niners are back on track.

While Seattle is no easy place to play, they are dealing with some injuries of their own, particularly on the offensive side. I think they are going to have a hard time keeping pace with the Niners, who have found their groove once again.

I think a TD spread is right, and I think the Niners might run this up. I can see Geno getting the Hawks off to a good start, but too much from the Niners for it to last. I’ll take SF by 10 to cap off the best holiday of the year.