NFL picks week 12: A feast of Thanksgiving Day picks

I’m not sure what is going to get devoured more this Thursday: the turkey, the mashed potatoes, or the football.

Regardless, I’m greatly looking forward to a full day of food and football. Thanksgiving Day is always one of my favorite days of the football season. There is just something that makes the NFL go hand-in-hand with turkey and mashed potatoes. Maybe it’s just me.

And the fact that I can get away with watching football all day long on Thanksgiving because it’s my job is just the icing on the cake.

(Which reminds me… I hope there is cake too.)

Whether you believe it or not, Thanksgiving is an underrated holiday. Definitely enjoy the football and the food, but enjoy spending time with your family and friends as well. These are all of the elements that make it such a special day.

But before settling in for a full day of relaxation, I have to unveil my official Thanksgiving Day picks. We don’t have a half bad slate of games this year. It should be a great day.

Here we go…

Bears (-3.5) over LIONS

The 7-3 Bears will most likely lose at least another game or two on their way to the playoffs. But it shouldn’t happen on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit.

This defense is something to behold, and it’s a reason why I believe Chicago actually has a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Not because they are a better football team than the Rams or the Saints (because they absolutely are not), but because defense wins championships. That old cliché rings especially true in the NFL.

Khalil Mack and the Chicago D gave Kirk Cousins a rough welcoming at Soldier Field on Sunday night, and I expect them to take it to Matt Stafford in Motown on Thanksgiving.

UPDATE: Chase Daniel is starting at QB for Chicago in place of the injured Mitchell Trubisky. I’m sticking with the Bears though, because defensive football >>> offensive football.

Redskins (+7.5) over COWBOYS

This would have been an exceptional divisional battle had Alex Smith’s leg not snapped like a twig on Sunday. It would’ve been Smith vs. Prescott on Thanksgiving Day, with first place in the NFC East up for grabs. That would be worth getting excited about, right?

Then the football gods had to put their cruel hats on, shatter Smith’s tibia, and all but end a Redskins season that had looked pretty promising up until that moment.

Now Washington has to rely on Colt McCoy, who hasn’t played since 2015. I have a hard time picturing the Redskins winning in Dallas behind McCoy, but I also wouldn’t feel comfortable betting on this shaky Cowboys team that is favored by more than a touchdown.

SAINTS (-13) over Falcons

This is a bold pick. Betting on a nearly two-touchdown favorite is like playing with fire. But history is not on Atlanta’s side in this game; the Falcons are 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games in New Orleans.

Additionally, the Saints are 9-1 straight up this season, 8-2 against the spread, have won nine straight games, are the only team this year to have beaten the seemingly indestructible Rams (just ask Patrick Mahomes), and they just look like they might be the best team in the NFL right now.

I’ve been burned on multiple occasions betting against 39-year-old Drew Brees this year. I can’t do it again.

With that being said, eat lots of turkey, watch lots of football, and have lots of fun. And don’t feel bad about it. It’s Thanksgiving Day, and you deserve it.