NFL action on Thanksgiving Day is as much as a holiday tradition as turkey for dinner, as each year offers a slate of games that are easily among the most-watched and most wagered-on games of the regular season, according to TheLines.com, which tracks odds in the US regulated sports betting market.
The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are regulars to Thanksgiving Day games, and they’re once again in action on the holiday this season.
According to a consensus of that nation’s largest legal online sportsbooks, including FanDuel, DraftKings, PointsBet, PlaySugarHouse, and BetMGM, the Lions enter the week as 2.5-point underdogs to the Houston Texans. Meanwhile, the Cowboys will host NFC East rival Washington Football Team as 2.5-point favorites. The final Thanksgiving Day game is a heavyweight AFC North clash between the Baltimore Ravens and the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers, who enter the week as 3-point home favorites.
In their long history as Thanksgiving hosts, Detroit is 37-41-2 straight-up on the holiday, including 4-7 since 2009. Dallas has gone 31-20-1 straight-up but is only 5-6 since 2009. Against the spread, the Lions are 6-5 over the last 11 Thanksgiving Day games, while the Cowboys have struggled at 2-9. Whether playing at home or on the road, favorites have gone 19-14 against the spread since 2009.
Brett Collson, lead analyst for TheLines, said: “Thanksgiving games mirror what we see on the weekly Thursday Night games, with quality teams enjoying a particular advantage during the short week of preparation. But like any Thursday Night game, the results of Thanksgiving games can be difficult to predict, which is often what makes them such a fun holiday tradition.”
Looking at the rest of Week 12’s games, the Green Bay Packers are the highest home favorites of the week. They are favored by 7.5 points for their game against NFC North rival Chicago Bears. The Miami Dolphins are the highest favored away team this week at 6.5 points for their contest against AFC East rival New York Jets.
The consensus point spreads for Week 12 games, as of Monday, Nov. 23:
- Houston Texans (-2.5) at Detroit Lions; over/under 50.5
- Washington Football Team at Dallas Cowboys (-2.5); over/under 47
- Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3); over/under 45.5
- Arizona Cardinals (-2.5) at New England Patriots; over/under 48
- Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings (-4.5); over/under N/A
- Cleveland Browns (-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars; over/under 48.5
- Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills (-5.5); over/under 53.5
- Miami Dolphins (-6.5) at New York Jets; over/under 45.5
- Las Vegas Raiders (-2) at Atlanta Falcons; over/under 56
- New York Giants (-4.5) at Cincinnati Bengals; over/under 41.5
- Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts (-3.5); over/under 49.5
- New Orleans Saints (-5.5) at Denver Broncos; over/under 45
- San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5); over/under N/A
- Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers; over/under N/A
- Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-7.5); over/under
- Seattle Seahawks (-4.5) at Philadelphia Eagles; over/under
