Week 12 NFL Picks: The Thanksgiving Slate
Josh Frey
|
Another week, another rough slate of picks for us here at PurplePTSD. For the third consecutive week, the picks go below .500 with a 2-5 week. However, it’s officially the holiday season, and perhaps the football gods are in the spirit of giving Ws this Thanksgiving weekend.
In this edition of the Week 12 NFL picks, we’ll be going over all the action on Thanksgiving Day. Keep an eye out for the Sunday picks later in the week as well. Before we jump into the Thanksgiving slate, here’s a look back at the Week 11 picks:
- Titans +3 (W)
- Eagles -6.5 (L)
- Eagles/Colts O44.5 (L)
- Patriots -3 (W)
- Vikings +1 (L)
- Cowboys/Vikings O47.5 (L)
- Chiefs -6 (L)
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1190551″ player=”26281″ title=”Reaction%20to%20Vikings%20Loss%20vs.%20Cowboys” duration=”1088″ description=”Dustin Baker goes through the broad talking points of the Vikings loss in Week 11.” uploaddate=”2022-11-21″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/snapshot/1190551_th_1669055922.jpg” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/sd/1190551.mp4″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
Buffalo Bills @ Detroit Lions
- Spread: Bills -10
- Bills ML: -450
- Lions ML: +360
- O/U: 54 points
Frey’s Pick: Lions +10
The Bills just had to use Ford Field as a home stadium as six feet of snow dumped in Buffalo last weekend, and now they are the road team on Thanksgiving Day just four days later. It’s been a tough couple weeks for Buffalo as they’ve had to play the Vikings and then go through the tumultuous past week before playing the Browns.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions have quietly been one of the hottest teams in the NFL in November. They’ve won three consecutive games, equaling the total wins they had during the entire 2021 season. Along the way, their defense has vastly improved over the early portions of the season. On this three-game winning streak, they’ve allowed just 19 points per game.
I’m not confident enough to say that the Lions will win this game, but they should be good enough to keep it close. This sentiment grows if Buffalo continues to rely on their running backs rather than Josh Allen with his elbow injury.
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
- Spread: Cowboys -9.5
- Giants ML: +330
- Cowboys ML: -410
- O/U: 44.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Over 44.5 points
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants couldn’t be on more opposite sides of the spectrum right now. Dallas dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis last weekend while New York fell to the Detroit Lions at home by a score of 31-18.
It’s tough to say whether or not the Cowboys will have a letdown game now, or if the Giants are as fraudulent as some suspected early in the year. Regardless, if we are to take Dallas’ offense for real, the points should absolutely go over 44.5 on Thursday.
In their last three games, the Cowboys have averaged 39 points on their own, meaning the Giants would simply need to score a touchdown for this to cover. Dallas has defeated teams on this stretch with a brilliant balance of both passing and rushing attacks, and I would expect a high-scoring affair once again.
New England Patriots @ Minnesota Vikings
- Spread: Vikings -2.5
- Patriots ML: +130
- Vikings ML: -150
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Vikings -2.5
The Minnesota Vikings have had some wild swings over the past two weeks. Two weeks ago, they landed on top of the Buffalo Bills in a 33-30 road overtime victory. Then, this past weekend, they got blown out at home by the Dallas Cowboys, 40-3.
Luckily, the Vikings are on the lower end going into Thursday, and they likely want nothing more than to get back on the field to right the wrongs of last Sunday. The may not have star left tackle Christian Darrisaw this week, but their defense should return a couple defenders that have been crucial.
Additionally, the Patriots missing their starting center David Andrews will make things difficult for them. New England’s offense has struggled to score points all season, and the Vikings should find a way to win this game.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.