The high-flying Falcons and rolling Raiders are among our best bets for Thanksgiving weekend...
Atlanta Falcons to beat Arizona Cardinals – {ODDS:122348049:4/9}
The Falcons are comfortably the NFL’s best offensive team.
Their 6.7 yards per play, 32 points per game and 36 total touchdowns are all league-leading marks.
And while they slipped to a defeat against the Eagles last weekend, they should bounce back against the Cardinals, who have failed to live up to their billing as a playoff team.
Arizona scored more points per game than all but one team last season, but have suffered a dramatic drop-off offensively, now ranking 18th in that category.
Quarterback Carson Palmer was in the MVP race in 2015 but has struggled this year, throwing 10 interceptions and just 13 touchdowns.
He will likely come out of this passing duel on the losing side, given that Matt Ryan has recorded 24 touchdowns and has only been picked off five times.
Oakland Raiders to beat Carolina Panthers – {ODDS:1223348988:10/17}
The Raiders kept rolling on Monday night with a win over the Texans in Mexico, taking their current winning streak to four games.
It’s time to accept that they are a playoff-calibre side. They rank fifth in points per game, sixth in total yards, and have turned the ball over just seven times – the league’s second-lowest mark.
Oakland have had no problem putting points on the board all season, and that should continue against their Sunday opponents.
The Panthers have won three of their last four, but their opponents in those three victories have combined for just 10 wins and 15 defeats this season.
Carolina’s supposedly stingy defence has actually allowed more points per game than the Raiders, while only three sides have turned the ball over more offensively.
Houston Texans to beat San Diego Chargers – {ODDS:122347388:21/20}
The Texans led Oakland until the fourth quarter in Mexico on Monday night despite playing in front of a heavily pro-Raiders crowd.
They will benefit from being back in Texas this weekend, considering they have won all five of their games at home this season.
Their opponents, the Chargers, have won just one of five away contests so far and have really struggled defensively – conceding the NFL’s fifth-most points per game.
San Diego’s 22 turnovers are the most of any team this season, and they could struggle to move the ball against a Texans defence that has given up the NFL’s fifth-fewest yards.
Don’t expect a big night for Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers. The Texans are yet to allow a 300-yard passing game this season.
Tennessee Titans to beat Chicago Bears – {ODDS:122347547:4/9}
The Titans have been maddeningly inconsistent this season, but should be good enough to see off the flailing Bears on the road.
Chicago have won just two games all season and only one of their last six, and are now without injured starting quarterback Jay Cutler.
Taking his place is Matt Barkley, who has only thrown 65 passes in his entire four-year career, with six interceptions and no touchdowns.
The Bears have only scored 10 passing touchdowns all year and are averaging just 15.5 points per game – ranking second-last in the NFL in both categories.
The Titans, meanwhile, are averaging 31.3 points per game over their last seven contests, and rank third in rushing yards per game with 140.8.
