Thanksgiving NFL Picks: Can Tony Romo Take Down The Mighty Carolina Panthers?
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's Thanksgiving week! That's excellent ... unless you were looking forward to some competitive football games.
Sure, the game in Dallas should keep everybody in the family interested for at least a few hours, but the early game should give you plenty of time to catch up with your family, and the nightcap should allow you to let the food coma take a hold by halftime.
For some more detail, here we go with some speed picks for the Thursday games.
Philadelphia (Pick 'em) over DETROIT
If you were to ask me to pick the worst possible game to be put on TVs in living rooms across the country on Thanksgiving Day, Eagles-Lions would without a doubt be one of the first three matchups to come out of my mouth. Just a gross, gross situation for all of us to deal with right here.
If you need help explaining to some of the younger members of your family what they're witnessing, just know that counseling services are available.
Ridiculous Quote From Last Week's Picks: (Photos of Mark Sanchez and Jim Caldwell, intended to mock the idea of picking the Eagles or Lions, respectively).
Note: I batted .500 on these. I'll take it.
DALLAS (Pick 'em) over Carolina
Going undefeated is hard. Playing on a short week, with travel, and also playing on a holiday is hard.
Plus the Cowboys are undefeated, too ... when Tony Romo plays. That counts, right?
The Panthers are a better team, but sometimes those additional factors play a role in the outcome of the game. If the Cowboys keep it together, they have a real chance to pick up this win. Wildly/pathetically, if they do win, they'll improve to 4-7, and they'll have just one fewer win than the division-leading New York Giants. What a world.
(At the same time, as much as I'd like to get this pick correct, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be thoroughly entertained by the spectacle of seeing the Cowboys fall behind, which would then lead to Greg Hardy again acting out on the sidelines on national television, which would then prompt Jason Garrett to defend all of the great qualities of this truly great and special human being, because Jerry Jones said so. Oh man, that'd be fun to watch. This is really a win-win situation for me when you think of it like that.)
GREEN BAY (-8.5) over Chicago
Um. People. It's Brett Favre retirement night. Brett Favre gave people from Green Bay a reason to live for a decade-and-a-half. There are people in Wisconsin who would force their own children to leave the Thanksgiving dinner table in order to clear a spot for Brett Favre in the event that Brett Favre showed up unannounced for supper.
This is Brett Favre we're talking about. He's going to be in the building. That's worth at least 45 points to the Packers. I'm only half-joking.
The rest of the Week 12 NFL picks can be found by clicking here.
Last week: 8-6
Season: 74-83-3
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
