NFL: TREND FAVORS DALLAS PAYDAY
Bettors are throwing their money behind the Dallas Cowboys are big favorites for their annual Thanksgiving matchup.
The Cowboys are 12 ½-point favorites but that isn’t bothering Sportsbook.com members as 69% of them prefer America’s Team over the Seattle Seahawks on the national holiday. Those members are backed by a trend in which home favorites of six or more points are 11-3 against the spread (ATS) on Thursday.
Dallas has been favored by double digits in their last three Thanksgiving Day games and have covered each time.
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This is the first season since 2002 that the Seahawks don’t finish atop the NFC West and the first since ’01 they’ll be playoffs spectators. Seattle opened with a 24-point defeat in Buffalo and never really sniffed .500 all season.
At 2-9 and 4-6-1 ATS, the Seahawks are likely to finish with their worst record since 1992 when they went 2-14 and set a league mark for offensive futility with 140 points.
This year’s scoring unit isn’t that awful, scoring 18.8 points per game. Yet, when your only wins on the season are against NFC West foes St. Louis and San Francisco, it’s obvious the season has been a painful endeavor. They are also 0-7 ATS vs. offensive teams scoring 24 or more points a game over the last two years.
Defensively, Seattle has been torched time and again and will have a hard time keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone. Opponents have outgained the Seahawks by a hefty 130 yards a game (151 YPG on the road), with the majority of the difference coming through the air.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo should be all smiles working against a defense that’s yielded nearly 3,000 yards passing with only five interceptions. Seattle picked off 20 passes in 2007 and are 6-14-1 ATS as non-division away underdogs.
In his second game back from a broken finger, Romo threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns to lead a 35-22 victory over San Francisco that allowed Dallas to keep pace in the playoff race. The positive vibe emitting from the Cowboys locker room is that of wide receiver Terrell Owens, who got is quarterback back, with seven catches for 213 yards to help Dallas.
Owens’ total was the second-most of his career, behind only the 283 yards he had in the 2000 game in which he caught an NFL-record 20 passes. Facing the league’s next to last pass defense should make T.O’s face light-up even more. The ‘Boys are 8-1 ATS in Weeks 10 through 13 since 2006.
Dallas’ defense could have a feast against the sinking Seattle offense. Seattle’s offensive line couldn’t move a dish of mashed potatoes, let alone the Cowboys defense. Dallas is 19-6 ATS in home games versus poor offensive teams averaging 285 or fewer yards per game.
The Seahawks haven’t played on Thanksgiving since 1986 when they defeated Dallas 31-14. Including the playoff game a few years back, the Cowboys lead the all-time series 6-5.
Soon to be defunct head coach Mike Holmgren has seen his Seattle team post a 10-21 ATS record vs. good passing teams averaging seven or more passing yards per attempt.
