Thanksgiving Week usually entails all game picks for the weekend being published on Wednesday. After doing that for the last eight or nine years, I finally realized that it’s indeed possible to break the picks article into two parts.
And so we did. The picks for the trio of Thanksgiving games appear below.
Last week, I picked up two games on MDS (not MBS, MDS), with 9-4 in comparison to his 7-6. That gives me a record of 102-59 (63.3 percent) to his 98-63 (60.8 percent).
On Friday, we’ll have the other 12 games that will be played in Week 12. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and enjoy the games.
Bears at Lions
MDS’s take: The Lions looked absolutely dreadful in Chicago on November 11. Can home-field advantage make that big a difference? I think the Lions will play more competitively at home, but not well enough to win.
MDS’s pick: Bears 24, Lions 21.
Florio’s take: The Lions seem to have a little extra something on Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving, a win would pull them closer toward a possible playoff berth. After beating the Panthers on Sunday, Detroit could have a surprise for a Bears team that played a hard-fought game against the Vikings late into Sunday night.
Florio’s pick: Lions 24, Bears 22.
Washington at Cowboys
MDS’s take: The NFC East lead is on the line, and Dallas is going to take that lead. With Colt McCoy at quarterback Washington is going to struggle, and the Cowboys should run the ball effectively against a bad Washington run defense.
MDS’s pick: Cowboys 27, Washington 17.
Florio’s take: The Cowboys have won two in a row without playing at home. With Alex Smith out and the Dallas offense clicking and the Cowboys in a win-now mindset, Dallas does enough to win.
Florio’s pick:Cowboys 23, Washington 17.
Falcons at Saints
MDS’s take: For all the talk about Monday night’s Chiefs-Rams game as a Super Bowl preview, the Saints have made a strong case in recent weeks that they’re the best team in football. I expect them to keep it going with a solid win over an overmatched Falcons defense.
MDS’s pick: Saints 31, Falcons 20.
Florio’s take: Nothing takes the steam out of a juggernaut like an arch rival. Though the Falcons won’t win, they likely won’t get the Bengals/Eagles treatment.
Florio’s pick: Saints 34, Falcons 27.