Thanksgiving is upon us which means a fantastic slate of games for Week 12 of the NFL season! We went 3-1 in last weekend and missed the perfect week by just 0.5 points but we'll be aiming to go one better this weekend as we take a look at some of the key games in the Thanksgiving Week 12 slate!
NFL Week 12 Betting Tips
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys (Friday 8.30am AEDT)
The second game of the Thanksgiving triple header sees the Washington Redskings heading to DAllas to take on their division rivals in the Cowboys. The Redskins currently hold a 1 game advantage in the NFC East with Dallas trailing closely behind. The thought of making the playoffs would have been well out of the Cowboys mind a few weeks ago, but three wins in their last five games has brought them within striking distance of the Redskins.
Washington have won four of their last six games but went down to Houston in Week 11 by just two points at home. A win here is crucial to solidfy a lead in the NFC East, as they currently sit just one game ahead of Dallas and two games ahead of Philadelphia with six games to play.
The Redskins have been a much better team on the road than they have been at home so far this season. They will be without their starting QB Alex Smith after he suffered a broken leg in Week 11, however, they are 3-1 on the road so far this season, and boast an impressive 7-3 record against the spread. We this will be an extremely low scoring slugfest and Washington should cover the line, just.
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (Friday 12.20pm AEDT)
Another great division matchup here as the New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons from 12.20pm on Friday. The Falcons won three games in a row and were looking like making a a late push for a wildcard spot in the NFC, however, they have now lost their last two games in a row to the Browns and Cowboys and now sit third in the NFC South with a 4-6 record.
The Saints continued to roll on the weekend, downing the Eagles by a whopping 41 points to win their 9th game in a row and move three games clear on top of the NFC South. Drew Brees is arguably the MVP favourite at the moment and had another great game on the weekend with 363 passing yards and four touchdowns as the Saints put up 48 points.
The Falcons have been well below average at stopping the passing game so far in 2018. They allow a massive 284 passing yards per game, which is the fourth highest tally in the league and they also sit fourth in points allowed per game at 27.6. New Orleans should put up another 40+ score very comfortably here.
Total points OVER 59.5
$1.91
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos (Monday 8.25pm AEDT)
The Steelers captured a hard fought four-point win over the Jaguars on the weekend and have now won their last six games in a row. After a slow start to the season that saw them 1-2-1 through the first four games, the Steelers have bounced back and now look like a force in the AFC once again. Pittsburgh currently maintain a 2.5 game advantage in the AFC North, and would need to be very unlucky to lose the division from here.
The Broncos are in the tough position of being in the same division as both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers. They have been fairly good throughout the season so far with wins over the likes of the Seahawks, Cardinals and Chargers but tough losses to the Rams and the Chiefs twice has left them third in the division with a 4-6 record.
The Steelers start as 3-point favourites away from home here. Which seems a little low to me given the two teams form of late. Denver are just 2-3 at home so far this season and just 1-3-1 against the spread at home. On the contrary, Pittsburgh have been one of the best road teams in the league in 2018, currently boasting an undefeated 4-0-1 record away from home and a 3-2 record against the spread on the road.
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (Monday 12.20pm AEDT)
The Packers suffered a tough 3-point loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night football in Week 11 which puts them to 4-1-5 on the season, which should be extremely tough to fight back from. The Packers do, however, have a relatively easy run home, with games against Arizona, Atlanta, New York Jets and Detroit to round out the season. They’ll need to get past Minnesota first though, who are undefeated against the Packers in their last three games.
Minnesota are right in the thick of the NFC Wildcard race. They currently sit in second place in the N FC North with a 5-4 record and need a win this weekend to stay relevant with the likes of Carolina, Dallas and Seattle in the race for the final two playoffs spots. They have won four of their last six games but were defeated by conference rivals in the Chicago Bears on the weekend.
Arguably the hardest game to call of the weekend in my opinion. It’s always a close match between these two rivals, exemplified by the draw they played out just a few months ago. Both defences have been fairly solid this year, and the tied game was the first time in three meetings that the two sides had combined for 40+ points. We think this one goes under.
Total points UNDER 48.5
$1.92
