Digesting Turkey Day Football
Seattle earned its Turkey Day spoils Thursday.
The National Football League served up a feast of Thanksgiving football Thursday, complementing food and festivities with a healthy portion of NFC heavyweight action.
Read on for a brief roundup of Thanksgiving’s Betting Sports-approved triple slice of divisional action.
Megatron passed the 10,000-yard mark in Thursday’s win over the Bears.
Detroit Lions 34, Chicago Bears 17
The Detroit Lions bounced back from back-to-back road losses with a dominant defensive display against divisional rivals the Chicago Bears in the first of Thursday’s Thanksgiving triple bill.
The Lions limited the Bears to an astounding 13 rushing yards and harried Jay Cutler for much of the game. The Lions hit Cutler eight times, sacked him three times, deflected 10 passes and tallied a pair of interceptions.
On offense, Calvin Johnson became the fastest player to 10,000 yards receiving as he went fantasy football crazy, catching 11 balls for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Matthew Stafford finished the game 34-of-45 for 390 yards and two scores, while Joique Bell – filling in for the injured Reggie Bush – ran for 91 yards and a brace of touchdowns.
Detroit (8-4, 5-1 home) moved to within one-half game of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North and moved to 3-0 in division play. Week 17’s Lions-Packers showdown continues to look like it’ll decide the division.
After two wins on the bounce, Chicago (5-7, 3-4 road) returned to its losing ways, and looked miserable in the process. The good news for Mark Trestman’s side? The Bears host the Cowboys –undefeated on the road –next Thursday.
Betting results: Detroit (6-6-0 ATS) covered the spread (-5.5). The total (46.5) went over.
LeSean McCoy and the Eagles proved they were no Turkeys with a decisive win over Dallas.
Philadelphia Eagles 33, Dallas Cowboys 10
The Dallas Cowboys have been perfect on the road this season but have proven inconsistent at A&T Stadium. Even wearing navy at Jerry World didn’t change that trend on Thursday.
Like Detroit, the Philadelphia Eagles used a solid defensive effort to knock the Cowboys off balance, before pummeling the home side with a devastating running game.
LeSean McCoy broke the century mark for the second straight game, tallying 159 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries while the Eagles as a unit registered 256 yards rushing. Quarterback Mark Sanchez even got in on the action, rushing for a touchdown for the first time in three years.
Sanchez added 217 yards and a score through the air on 20-of-29 passing, while Eagles’ kicker Cody Parkey added four field goals to continue his solid season.
Dallas – playing on very short rest after visiting the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football – meanwhile struggled to gain momentum for much of the game.
Tony Romo went 18-of-29 for 199 yards but failed to register a touchdown. The Eagles’ defense picked him off twice as he looked visibly worn down. DeMarco Murray failed to rush for 100 yards for just the second time this season, although he did cross the goal line.
The Cowboys were a miserable 4-for-12 on third down, forcing Chris Jones to kick five punts. 42 penalty yards didn’t help matters either.
With the victory, Philadelphia (9-3, 3-3 road) gained sole possession of the NFC East lead, moving a game ahead of the Cowboys.
With thee of its last four on the road, Dallas (8-4, 3-4 home) will hope that its impressive road form holds firm in two weeks’ time when the team heads to Philadelphia for the return match.
Betting results: Philadelphia (9-3-0 ATS) covered the spread (+3) for the second straight week while Dallas failed to cover for the fourth time in five games. The total (51.5) went under.
It was a tough day at the office for the San Francisco 49ers.
Seattle Seahawks 19, San Francisco 49ers 3
The San Francisco 49ers had little to be thankful for as they ushered in Thanksgiving in Santa Clara. The Seattle Seahawks meanwhile emphatically proved a point.
Defense continued to be the theme of the night as the Seahawks D limited the Niners to just 164 total yards and forced three turnovers. Richard Sherman twice intercepted Colin Kaepernick, who had a truly miserable night.
Kaepernick tallied 121 yards on 16-of-29 passing and was sacked four times to go alongside those two interceptions. His supporting cast was no better. Running back Frank Gore compiled 28 yards on 10 carries while rookie Carlos Hyde ran for 19 yards. In total, the San Francisco running game accounted for 64 yards.
Seattle was more compact than impressive in terms of offensive output, but that was all that was needed on this night. Russell Wilson went 15-of-22 for 236 yards with one touchdown, while Marshawn Lynch ran for 104 yards. It was the defense that celebrated come the end of the game though.
With five wins in its last six, Seattle (8-4, 3-3 road) looks to be rounding into form at just the right time. Whether there’s still time to catch the Arizona Cardinals at the top of the NFC West remains to be seen.
San Francisco (7-5, 3-3 home) meanwhile will be hoping that the loss is a mere blip on the radar and that the remaining four games can prove profitable. A trip up the bay to Oakland next week certainly should be.
Betting results: Seattle (6-6-0 ATS) covered the spread (+1) for just the second time on the road this season. San Francisco has now failed to cover in four of its last six. The total (42) went way under.
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