Thanksgiving Day Picks:

Packers at Lions (+11):

The Packers should win this game easily, but the true question will be whether or not they can win by at least 12 points to cover the spread. I know the Lions put up some points last weekend against the Browns, but there are a couple of things to remember; one, that was against the Browns, maybe the most anemic team in the NFL right now, two, Matt Stafford won’t be starting today, leaving the game in the trusted hands of Daunte Culpepper. Another reason why I don’t think the Lions can cover is, if they had so much trouble stopping Brady Quinn and the Browns, what will Aaron Rodgers do to them?  My pick:  I’ll take the Packers to cover the spread.

Raiders at Cowboys (-14):

Dallas should be able to win this game fairly easily. They are always dominate at home and usually play their best game on Thanksgiving. They will look to give their 100,000 faithful something to cheer about today, after nearly blowing the game last week against Washington. I’d expect them to try to get some quick scores, and then rely on their three pronged rushing attack to hold the lead. I know the Raiders were impressive against the Bengals, and Gradkowski breathed new life into the offense, but I don’t see them winning two weeks in a row. The week after surprising the Eagles, the Raiders got beat 38-0 by the Chargers. My pick:  I’ll take the Cowboys at home on Thanksgiving day, and they’ll win by three touchdowns.

Giants at Broncos (+6.5):

The Broncos are in the midst of a four game losing streak and seem to be in complete disarray right now. Their defense can’t stop anyone, and has been completely exposed against the run. The Chargers and Redskins ran all over the Broncos these last two weeks, and those aren’t exactly the best ground units (or offensive lines) in the NFL. This week the Broncos are going against one of the best rushing attacks, so things might get ugly fast in Denver. Bradshaw probably won’t play today, but Brandon Jacobs should be all the Giants need. And if New York does go through the air, I don’t think Denver can get enough pressure on Manning to keep him from torching them. My pick:  I know the Giants squeaked by in overtime last week, and lost their four previous games, but I think they right the ship today against the Broncos, and win by at least 10 points.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you enjoy the games!