Thanksgiving Day Betting Preview: Be thankful for home field advantage

The NFL's Thanksgiving Day slate is chock full of big-time matchups that will keep fans entertained from noon through the night.

The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears get things started at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles at 4:30 p.m. ET. The night cap will go down in San Francisco at 8:30 p.m. ET between the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

Here's a closer look at each of the day's games from a betting perspective.

More NFL Betting Resources

Week 13 Staff Picks
Week 13 Betting Preview (Friday)
Game Day Betting Update (Sunday)
MNF Betting Preview (Monday)

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

Spread: Lions -7
Total: 47.5

Line movement:

Analysis: Oh, how things have changed.

If this meeting took place just a couple of weeks ago, the Lions would have been installed as double-digit favorites, but the events of the last two weeks have changed the public's perception of the teams involved.

Chicago has won back-to-back games, while Detroit has lost twice, but a closer look at those games shows that there's more to the results than meets the eye.

The Bears picked up a pair of wins at home against the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Lions lost road contests to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots - the teams that currently sit atop the NFC and AFC respectively.

The Bears are still very short on talent on the defensive side of the ball which will mean trouble against an explosive Lions offense.

Prediction: Lions 34, Bears 17

The Play: Lions -7

The Trend: The Bears are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings between these teams.

The Tweet: 

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Spread: Cowboys -3
Total: 55.5

Line movement: 

Analysis: While many have turned their attention to the total for Sunday afternoon's showdown at Lambeau Field - which opened at a record high of 60 points in some spots - this game offers an impressively high total of its own.

Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant figures to put up an impressive stat line against an Eagles secondary that's been dishing out receiving yardage as if it were candy lately.

Beyond that, both sides will be looking to run the ball against defensive fronts that will be determined to stop the run. Two meetings between these teams last season produced a total of 66 points.

As for the spread in this game, the Cowboys simply can't be trusted as favorites. In its last 19 games installed as a favorite when coming off a win, Dallas has covered only three times.

Prediction: Cowboys 27, Eagles 24

The Play: Under 55.5

The Trend: The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these teams.

The Tweet: 

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

Spread: 49ers -1.5
Total: 40

Line movement:

Analysis: Home field has meant everything in this series, with the host claiming victory in each of five meetings over the last two seasons.

The Seahawks have had plenty of difficulty moving the ball through the air, and that's going to mean trouble on Thursday night against a 49ers team that ranks seventh in the league against the run.

49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has held Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in check in their five meetings against one another, and this latest meeting figures to be no different.

Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick hasn't fared much better against the Seahawks in his career, and he hasn't gotten a whole lot of help from his running game this season.

This game is going to be won by whichever team makes fewer mistakes, and that favors the home side.

Prediction: 49ers 23, Seahawks 17

The Play: 49ers -1.5

The Trend: The Seahawks are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games.

The Tweet: 

Odds courtesy Scoresandodds.com. Statistics courtesy Pregame.com. Trends courtesy Covers.