Thanksgiving NFL Picks Against the Spread

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger

Joe Robbins - Getty Images

Even though Thanksgiving is going to look different around the country this year, at least we still have the NFL to give us a small semblance of normalcy.

The first two games of the day might leave a little to be desired since they feature four teams with losing records, but at least the nightcap should give us a hotly contested rivalry that always finds ways to deliver.


Houston Texans (-3) v. Detroit Lions – 12:30 PM EST – CBS

Houston enters Thursday’s game having won two of their last three games. Last week the Texans beat the New England Patriots 27-20, giving Houston their first win this year against a team other than the Jacksonville Jaguars. Deshaun Watson passed for 344 yards and two touchdowns against the Patriots, giving Watson his fifth 300-yard passing game of the season. What Watson has been doing well lately for Houston is taking care of the football, as he hasn’t thrown an interception in five straight games.

Since staging a fourth quarter comeback against the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit hasn’t seen much go right. The Lions have lost three of four games, and they are dealing with injuries to many of their key players on the offensive side of the football. D’Andre Swift, Kenny Golladay, and Danny Amendola all missed last week’s 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers. If that wasn’t tough enough to swallow, Matthew Stafford is playing with an injured thumb, while T.J. Hockenson was a limited participant in practice earlier this week because of a shoulder injury.

These two teams are trending in opposite directions. Houston looks to have found some rhythm after firing head coach Bill O’Brien, while Detroit is limping towards the finish line in what could be Matt Patricia’s final season with the Lions. Normally I’d have a little more faith in Detroit to show up on Thanksgiving, but the Lions are just too banged up right now. After seeing what Carolina was able to do without Teddy Bridgewater and Christian McCaffrey, Watson and the Houston offense shouldn’t have trouble moving the football on Detroit.

Houston 28, Detroit 17

Washington Football Team v. Dallas Cowboys (-3) – 4:30 PM EST – FOX

Both Washington and Dallas have seen their quarterbacks suffer brutal injuries this year. Dak Prescott was lost for the season when he was injured in the first half of a 37-34 Dallas win over the New York Giants. The Cowboys had lost four straight games prior to Sunday’s 31-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The offense of the Cowboys looked much improved with Andy Dalton back at quarterback after Dalton missed the previous two games for the Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott had his best game of the season against the Vikings, notching his first 100-yard rushing game of the year.

One of the best stories of the NFL season has been the return of Alex Smith to the field. After Dwayne Haskins was benched, Washington named Kyle Allen their starting quarterback, but the Allen experiment didn’t last two long, as the Texas A&M product suffered a gruesome leg injury against the Giants. Smith at least can give Washington some veteran stability at quarterback as the team tries to figure out what the future of the position will hold for the team.

Even though Washington did win on Sunday, they did so against a Cincinnati team that was dealing with the loss of Joe Burrow in the third quarter. Not only is Dallas getting healthier and improving on defense, the offense of the Cowboys is starting to find a little rhythm. Dalton and Dallas are able to get a little revenge on a Washington team that knocked Dalton out of the game in last month’s 25-3 win by the Football Team.

Dallas 31, Washington 21

Baltimore Ravens v. Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5) – Sunday 11/29

On Wednesday afternoon the NFL decided to move Thursday night’s Baltimore-Pittsburgh game to Sunday because of a number of positive COVID-19 tests within the Baltimore organization.

How quickly the Ravens have fallen. After looking like one of the favorites in the AFC, Baltimore has lost three of four games, falling to third place in the AFC North. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, it looks like the Ravens are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. Overall Baltimore has had four players and five staffers test positive, with the biggest names of the group being running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins.

Compared to the Ravens, Pittsburgh has to feel like they are on easy street. After narrowly defeating Dallas a few weeks ago, the Steelers took care of business against Cincinnati and Jacksonville the last two weeks. Pittsburgh is still struggling to find a running game, but that hasn’t been much of a problem with Ben Roethlisberger finding Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool through the air.

How shorthanded is Baltimore going to be for this game? We might not know until close to kickoff. Even if the list of players held out for the game doesn’t grow, the Ravens are going to have a really tough time running the football, which will put even more pressure on Lamar Jackson, who has been less than impressive recently. Pittsburgh is just playing too well right now to consider back a Baltimore team on the road that is dealing with a lot on and off the field.

Pittsburgh 34, Baltimore 23

string(14945) "

Even though Thanksgiving is going to look different around the country this year, at least we still have the NFL to give us a small semblance of normalcy.

The first two games of the day might leave a little to be desired since they feature four teams with losing records, but at least the nightcap should give us a hotly contested rivalry that always finds ways to deliver.


Houston Texans (-3) v. Detroit Lions - 12:30 PM EST - CBS

Houston enters Thursday's game having won two of their last three games. Last week the Texans beat the New England Patriots 27-20, giving Houston their first win this year against a team other than the Jacksonville Jaguars. Deshaun Watson passed for 344 yards and two touchdowns against the Patriots, giving Watson his fifth 300-yard passing game of the season. What Watson has been doing well lately for Houston is taking care of the football, as he hasn't thrown an interception in five straight games.

Since staging a fourth quarter comeback against the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit hasn't seen much go right. The Lions have lost three of four games, and they are dealing with injuries to many of their key players on the offensive side of the football. D'Andre Swift, Kenny Golladay, and Danny Amendola all missed last week's 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers. If that wasn't tough enough to swallow, Matthew Stafford is playing with an injured thumb, while T.J. Hockenson was a limited participant in practice earlier this week because of a shoulder injury.

These two teams are trending in opposite directions. Houston looks to have found some rhythm after firing head coach Bill O'Brien, while Detroit is limping towards the finish line in what could be Matt Patricia's final season with the Lions. Normally I'd have a little more faith in Detroit to show up on Thanksgiving, but the Lions are just too banged up right now. After seeing what Carolina was able to do without Teddy Bridgewater and Christian McCaffrey, Watson and the Houston offense shouldn't have trouble moving the football on Detroit.

Houston 28, Detroit 17

Washington Football Team v. Dallas Cowboys (-3) - 4:30 PM EST - FOX

Both Washington and Dallas have seen their quarterbacks suffer brutal injuries this year. Dak Prescott was lost for the season when he was injured in the first half of a 37-34 Dallas win over the New York Giants. The Cowboys had lost four straight games prior to Sunday's 31-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The offense of the Cowboys looked much improved with Andy Dalton back at quarterback after Dalton missed the previous two games for the Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott had his best game of the season against the Vikings, notching his first 100-yard rushing game of the year.

One of the best stories of the NFL season has been the return of Alex Smith to the field. After Dwayne Haskins was benched, Washington named Kyle Allen their starting quarterback, but the Allen experiment didn't last two long, as the Texas A&M product suffered a gruesome leg injury against the Giants. Smith at least can give Washington some veteran stability at quarterback as the team tries to figure out what the future of the position will hold for the team.

Even though Washington did win on Sunday, they did so against a Cincinnati team that was dealing with the loss of Joe Burrow in the third quarter. Not only is Dallas getting healthier and improving on defense, the offense of the Cowboys is starting to find a little rhythm. Dalton and Dallas are able to get a little revenge on a Washington team that knocked Dalton out of the game in last month's 25-3 win by the Football Team.

Dallas 31, Washington 21

Baltimore Ravens v. Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5) - Sunday 11/29

On Wednesday afternoon the NFL decided to move Thursday night's Baltimore-Pittsburgh game to Sunday because of a number of positive COVID-19 tests within the Baltimore organization.

How quickly the Ravens have fallen. After looking like one of the favorites in the AFC, Baltimore has lost three of four games, falling to third place in the AFC North. As if that wasn't enough to deal with, it looks like the Ravens are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. Overall Baltimore has had four players and five staffers test positive, with the biggest names of the group being running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins.

Compared to the Ravens, Pittsburgh has to feel like they are on easy street. After narrowly defeating Dallas a few weeks ago, the Steelers took care of business against Cincinnati and Jacksonville the last two weeks. Pittsburgh is still struggling to find a running game, but that hasn't been much of a problem with Ben Roethlisberger finding Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool through the air.

How shorthanded is Baltimore going to be for this game? We might not know until close to kickoff. Even if the list of players held out for the game doesn't grow, the Ravens are going to have a really tough time running the football, which will put even more pressure on Lamar Jackson, who has been less than impressive recently. Pittsburgh is just playing too well right now to consider back a Baltimore team on the road that is dealing with a lot on and off the field.

Pittsburgh 34, Baltimore 23

"

Your FindBet Plays Of The Week 

Fredrick Lee via Unsplash

Here at FindBet, we like to celebrate success. The best-of-the-best across all sports, from American football to European football.  The week of November 20 brought tons of excitement to the world of sports. If you didn’t have time to catch all of the games, here are the best plays that happened this week! In the

France vs Argentina World Cup Final Betting Preview: Can Lionel Messi Capture That Elusive World Cup Title?

2022 World Cup Best Bets, Team Props, and Futures2022 World Cup Best Bets, Team Props, and Futures

Picking up where they left off in 2018, the French National Team led by 23-year-old Kylian Mbappe have found their way back into the finals as they look to be the first back-to-back World Cup Champions since Brazil’s dominant runs in 1958 and 1962. Standing between that incredible feat for the defending champions is Argentina,

2022 World Cup Group Stages Best Bets & Props: Tuesday, November 22

2022 World Cup Best Bets, Team Props, and Futures2022 World Cup Best Bets, Team Props, and Futures

Are you psyched about the 2022 World Cup and endless soccer each day for the next few weeks? We certainly are. If you are planning on watching the games and keeping track of all the action in Qatar, here are some picks for the four group stage matches scheduled for tomorrow: Tuesday, November 22. Are

NBA Playoffs Best Bets: Sunday, May 15

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Stacy Revere, Getty Images

This Sunday, we have two huge Conference Semifinal Game 7s on the schedule. The Celtics won on the road in Game 6 off of Jayson Tatum’s heroics. As a result, the Bucks return to the TD Garden to face the Celtics at 3:30 PM EST. The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks have won all their

NBA Playoffs Best Bets of the Night: Tuesday, April 26

Cameron Johnson (Left), Chris Paul (Mid), Mikal Bridges (Right), Phoenix Suns

Photo By: Johnathan Bachman, Getty Images

Two first-round series in the West are all tied up heading into Game 5’s tonight. After an abysmal collapse in Game 3, Minnesota was able to win Game 4 at home. Likewise, the New Orleans Pelicans lost to the Suns by three points in Game 3 but won by 15 points in Game 4. Phoenix