Thanksgiving Day NFL Games 2011 Betting Odds
Thanksgiving Day NFL games 2011 betting odds had the Green Bay Packers as -6.5 point favorites in Detroit, Dallas as a -7 point favorite hosting the Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens as a -3 point favorite hosting the San Francisco 49ers. You can bet all these Thanksgiving Day NFL games at Sportsbook.com. Be sure to claim your FREE CASH up to $250. Use bonus code GAMBLING911.
Check out our betting preview of the Packers-Lions game here.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (3-7) at DALLAS COWBOYS (6-4)
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Dallas -7 & 44
Opening Line & Total: Cowboys -7 & 44.5
The Dolphins seek their fourth win in a row when they spend Thanksgiving in Dallas, winners of three straight.
Miami has three consecutive double-digit wins, beating its opponents by a hefty 86-20 margin during the win streak. And over the past two years, the Dolphins have played better football on the road than at home—they’re 8-5 ATS (62%) outside of Miami over the past two seasons. Dallas has a habit of playing down to its opponent, as evidenced by the team’s 3-12-1 ATS record (20%) as a favorite over the past two years.
The Dolphins recent surge has much to do with QB Matt Moore making a number of big plays. He was 14-of-20 for 160 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT in last week’s 35-8 trouncing of Buffalo. The Cowboys have used some creative defensive looks under first-year coordinator Rob Ryan, and they’ve managed to confuse opposing offenses on several occasions. But Miami has been balanced on offense, out-rushing three of their past four opponents with the duo of Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas. Bush has been able to rack up some huge gains in three career games versus Dallas, rushing for 8.4 yards per carry and adding nine catches for 154 yards (17.1 avg). Dolphins star WR Brandon Marshall had only one reception last week, but he expects to bounce back against a Dallas secondary still missing starting cornerback Mike Jenkins (hamstring).
The Cowboys are 5-0 ATS the last five times they’ve been favored on Thanksgiving Day, and they have the offense to exploit a suspect Miami pass defense, even with their best receiver shelved in Miles Austin (hamstring). With their lack of quality depth in the secondary, the Dolphins will have trouble matching up against a multi-faceted Cowboys passing attack that saw five players catch at least three passes in last week’s overtime win in Washington. QB Tony Romo threw for 292 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT against the Redskins, giving him a 69% completion rate, 841 passing yards (280 YPG), 8 TD and 0 INT during the three-game win streak. Romo needs another big afternoon considering the Dolphins have been so stingy against the run, allowing just 276 yards (69 YPG) on 3.0 yards per carry in the past four games. DeMarco Murray is having a huge rookie season (747 rushing yards, 6.0 YPC), but was held to 73 yards on 25 carries (2.9 YPC) last week.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (9-1) at BALTIMORE RAVENS (7-3)
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Baltimore -3 (-120) & 38.5
Opening Line & Total: Ravens -5 & 39.5
The Harbaugh brothers will spend Thanksgiving together as John Harbaugh’s Ravens host Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers on Thursday night.
The Niners just keep paying out. They’re 9-0-1 ATS in 2011, and that in and of itself is a five-star FoxSheets Power Trend (average score has been San Francisco 25.6, Opponent 14.5). The Ravens, meanwhile, have repeatedly shown up unprepared, letting games slip away to Seattle and Jacksonville, and nearly getting upended by Arizona in Week 8 and Cincinnati last week. LB Ray Lewis (toe) may miss a second straight game, which would be bad news against the 49ers’ power running game. And San Francisco’s elite defense should have little trouble shutting down erratic QB Joe Flacco.
San Francisco makes no secret of the fact that they want to run, run, run, and the Ravens could be in for a long night with LB Ray Lewis (toe) questionable after having missed the game against the Bengals. The Ravens had held six straight opponents to less than four yards per carry, before Cincinnati was able to reach that mark on Sunday (119 yards on 30 carries). Niners RB Frank Gore has been bothered by a knee injury in the past two weeks, but he has been a beast on the road this year, averaging a hefty 6.3 yards per carry. Rookie backup Kendall Hunter has also been successful rushing the football with a strong 4.4 YPC average. If the 49ers have to throw the football, QB Alex Smith has proven he is capable, carrying a 93.9 QB rating (7th-best in NFL) with 13 TD and 4 INT. San Francisco takes great care of the football with a league-low-tying nine turnovers this season, and has posted a stellar +9 turnover margin in the past four games. However, Baltimore leads the AFC with 21 takeaways on defense.
The Ravens have been tough at home this year, and Flacco has been much more comfortable there (7.6 YPA at home, 5.9 YPA on road). He’s at least capable of making plays against a 49ers pass defense allowing 249 YPG (23rd in NFL). Rookie WR Torrey Smith (20.3 yards per reception) has really come on strong in the past few weeks, racking up a season-high 165 yards last Sunday against Cincinnati. And although the Niners lead the league in rushing defense (74 YPG), Baltimore RB Ray Rice remains one of the NFL’s most unique playmakers. Rice has a pedestrian 237 rushing yards in the past four weeks, but has scored six rushing TD and added another 176 yards receiving in this span. For the year, Rice has 1,176 total yards and 10 touchdowns.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
