Calvin Johnson and the Lions offence have struggled recently to put up points. (Photo credit: Mike Morbeck / Foter / CC BY-SA)
We love being Canadian, but there are times that it’s nice to pretend we live south of the border.
Like this week, when Americans celebrate U.S. Thanksgiving with turkey, a four-day weekend and plenty of Thanksgiving NFL betting action on Thursday.
There’s even more to be thankful for this year, with three important games on tap.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each (odds as of Tuesday morning).
Bears at Lions
Lions are slumping bigtime, managing just 15 points the last two weeks in losses at Arizona and New England. Detroit’s previous two wins came by one point each, so it might be asking a lot for the Lions to cover a touchdown, even at home on Thanksgiving. Detroit has gone under the total in 9 of its last 10 games.
Bears hope they’ve figured things out, posting back-to-back 21-13 victories over the Vikings and Buccaneers. But now they’ve got to go on the road, where they’ve given up 106 points in their last two games. We’re not convinced Chicago is back on track just yet.
Our lean: Under
Eagles at Cowboys
Finally, a great Thanksgiving Day matchup in Dallas. The winner of this game will be in the driver’s seat for the NFC East division title, though the teams will meet again two weeks later in Philadelphia.
The Eagles rebounded from an embarrassing loss in Green Bay to whip the Titans 43-24 Sunday. The offence continues to click with Mark Sanchez in place of Nick Foles at QB, and Philly has gone over the total in each of its past four games.
Cowboys have the luxury of being at home for this one, but they’ll have less time to prepare after rallying for a 31-28 win in New York on Sunday Night Football. Tony Romo’s injury seems to be a distant memory after he threw for four TDs in the win over the Giants. Cowboys also continue to run the ball well, ranking second in the league in rushing.
Our lean: Over
Seahawks at 49ers
Both teams will be desperate for the Thanksgiving edition of Thursday Night Football, as the loser of this game will be 7-5 and likely have to win out to even have a chance at making the playoffs.
Seattle’s defence was very impressive Sunday, holding the Cardinals to 3 points in a must-win game at home. Seahawks have won four of last five, though three of those victories came against the Panthers, Raiders and Giants. Seattle’s passing game ranks at the bottom of the league, but its rushing game is first.
San Fran excels at shutting down both the pass (2nd in the league) and run (7th). What’s giving the 49ers troubles these days is their offence. San Francisco has been held to 17 points or less in four of its last five games, including a 17-13 squeaker last week at home against the Redskins. The 49ers seem to get up for the big games (they’ve beaten the Cowboys, Eagles, Chiefs and Saints) but struggle against weaker squads (losing at home to the Bears and Rams).
Our lean: Seattle