Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions
Thursday, November 26, 2020 – 12:30pm EST at Ford Field
The Thanksgiving triple-header starts at 12:30 between the 3-7 Houston Texans and the 4-6 Detroit Lions. Neither team will be making the playoffs this season, but it’ll still be an enjoyable game. One thing to keep an eye out for is the many injuries. David Johnson has a concussion for the Texans. D’Andre Swift and Kenny Golladay could be out of this game due to injuries as well for the Lions. These players are all game-changers, and their absence could make a difference.
The Texans are averaging 22.2 points per game and allowing 28 points per game. The team finally won their first game (not against the Jaguars) and defeated the Patriots 27-20 after a big defensive stop late in the game. The Texans have been fine on offense. However, the defense has allowed plenty of yards rushing, and the secondary has been really bad in coverage. On offense, Deshaun Watson has thrown for 18 touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. Those stats do not reflect a 3-7 season, but the defense has been literally bad in every defensive category from rushing defense, to coverage, to tackling. They’ve been bad.
Nonetheless, the Lions have been just as bad on defense. Detroit allowed the Carolina Panthers to shut them out last week in a 20-0 win. It wasn’t Teddy Bridgewater who got it done. Instead, it was PJ Walker, who threw two interceptions in the endzone and still helped score 20 points for the Panthers. The Lions' offense was missing D’Andre Swift and Kenny Golladay, and it was apparent. If those two are back in the starting lineup, things could change on offense, but until then, the Lions look in trouble.
The Lions' defensive woes are worse than the Texans’ right now. They’ve been extremely bad in coverage, they have really struggled to tackle, and they have a mediocre pass rush. Therefore, I like the Texans at the best betting sites to ride their momentum into this game and pick up their 4th win of the season.
NFL Pick: Texans -2.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Washington Football Team vs. Dallas Cowboys
Thursday, November 26, 2020 – 4:30pm EST at AT&T Stadium
The Washington Football Team and the Dallas Cowboys are both 3-7, yet, they’re still playing for that top seed in the NFC East. The Eagles are on top due to a tie earlier in the season but the Giants, Football Team, and Cowboys are all 3-7 and have a chance at the division. This is insanity.
Andy Dalton returned for the Cowboys and actually looked good on offense against the Vikings. Dalton threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns along with an interception that was just a really nice play by Lance Kendricks of the Vikings. Dalton was sacked once and had a quarterback rating of 104. The Cowboys have many weapons on offense, but ever since losing Dak Prescott, things haven’t been the same for the offense.
Dalton is absolutely the best choice for this team moving forward, as long as he can stay healthy. Meanwhile, the Washington Football Team just defeated the Cincinnati Bengals after injuring Joe Burrow (by accident of course). Alex Smith threw for 166 yards and one touchdown, along with an interception in the 20-9 win. Antonio Gibson had 94 yards on 16 carries with a TD. The Football Team shouldn’t struggle to score against the Cowboys, but we’ve seen way too much inconsistent play from the Football Team’s offense. They’re just not reliable.
Alex Smith will appreciate getting the start knowing that the Cowboys are terrible in coverage and stopping the run. The only thing the Cowboys do well is their pass rush. But that pass rush should be effective, knowing how bad the Football Team has been protecting their quarterback this season. How many times have we blinked and then saw a Football team quarterback on the ground due to a sack? The answer is plenty of times.
The Football Team has been terrible thanks to their offensive line. While the Cowboys' defense has looked poor, they have good enough talent to get stops against this offensive line. This game is hard to evaluate because we haven’t seen enough of the Cowboys with Dalton under center, but after the win against the Vikings and 31 points, I’m a believer in Dalton and the Cowboys, especially, against Washington. Take Dallas with the best sportsbooks.
NFL Pick: Cowboys -3 (+102) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Thursday, November 26, 2020 – 8:20pm EST at Heinz Field
Make sure to finish your Thanksgiving meal before this AFC North battle between the 6-4 Baltimore Ravens and the undefeated and 10-0 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens were supposed to be in the position the Steelers are in this season. At least that’s what the experts believed. But here we are.
The Steelers have been given a couple of wins with easy games against the Bengals and the Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Ravens took on the Patriots in basically a tornado and had a game against another contending team in the Titans. People are quick to jump off the Ravens bandwagon. They might be right to. Teams seem to have adjusted to Lamar Jackson’s style of play. He can’t run around behind the line of scrimmage like he did last season, and of course, his throws aren’t as crisp.
Jackson spoke to the media after the loss to the Titans and said that the Titans wanted it more than them. Lamar Jackson completed just 17 passes for 186 yards, with a completion percentage of just 58.6 percent. He also struggled to find room to run, gaining just 3.9 yards per carry. The Ravens lost to the Steelers earlier this season in a 28-24 back and forth battle. Jackson didn’t perform well in the game but still almost pulled out the win after completing just 46.4 percent of passes and throwing two interceptions.
On the other hand, the Steelers won two easy games against the Bengals and Jaguars and had the Cowboys before those two games, and actually kept that game kind of close. One thing’s for sure, the Ravens are going to “want it” a lot more than they did against the Titans. But the Steelers have been playing terrific football behind Big Ben. Ben Roethlisberger, who some would say is having an MVP-like season.
The Steelers offensive line has really performed well in pass protection, but their run block hasn’t been nearly as effective. They finally got a good game from James Conner, who ran for just under 100 yards against the Jaguars. However, he’s been quiet all season long. It’s been mostly the passing attack for the Steelers. On the other side of the ball, Pittsburgh has looked incredible on defense. Not only is their rushing defense spectacular, but their pass rush and coverage have been near the top echelon of the league. But this is a rivalry game. Anything can happen.
The Ravens only lost by four points in their first meeting and could easily stay in this game as well. Both teams have allowed under 20 points per game on defense and have done plenty on the offensive end. The Ravens have been way more consistent in the run game while the Steelers have been dominant in the passing game on the offense. But the one thing that the Ravens have struggled with is their defense, in every direction. The Steelers should capitalize, especially at home.
NFL Pick: Steelers -3 (-120) at BetOnline
The post NFL Week 12 Predictions: A Feast of Thanksgiving Picks appeared first on Picks.
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