Cowboys Corner – Week 12 Betting

With NFL odds for the Thanksgiving action already posted and our Dallas Cowboys in action this Thursday as they always are at this time of year, Cowboy Corner arrives early this week. The Cowboys barely escaped the Washington Redskins; will they be sharper against an Oakland team fresh off a massive upset win over Cincinnati?

Week 12

OAKLAND RAIDERS @ DALLAS COWBOYS

Thursday, November 26, 4:15 p.m. ET

Favorite: Cowboys -13.5

Cowboys offense vs Raiders defense

True Cowboy fans were happy to just see the Cowboys get the “W” but sports betting fans sure weren’t happy; the Cowboys scored just seven points and questions are starting to pop up again about Tony Romo’s ability to lead this team down the stretch. Romo’s career quarterback rating is higher for November than for any other month – 106.0 over the last three seasons with 30 touchdowns and 11 picks over 12 games. December is the bane of Romo’s existence – a 69.0 rating and eight touchdowns versus 11 picks over eight games during the last three seasons.

This season, however, Romo may be starting his annual slide early. Facing strong pass defenses from Green Bay, Philadelphia and Washington over the past three weeks, he’s thrown just three touchdown passes. The Raiders defend the pass better than many people expect, ranking 12^th in the NFL. Nnamdi Asomugha can shut pretty much anyone down and won’t have trouble with the enigmatic Miles Austin or Roy Williams depending on who his assignment is.

To up its sportsbook odds, America’s Team will have to run the ball – something they’ve done well of late through Marion Barber and Felix Jones.

Cowboys defense vs Raiders offense

Despite the Cowboys’ anemic offense run, the defense is holding strong, as Dallas has allowed more than 21 points just once this year and held the Redskins to six points last week. Against the mobile Jason Campbell last week, the Cowboys didn’t blitz like crazy and their game plan worked. Bruce Gradkowski’s footwork is underrated – he doesn’t take off like Campbell but he does move around a lot – so Dallas may use a similar strategy against him.

Quantity doesn’t equal quality in the Oakland backfield; none of Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas and Michael Bush scares Dallas, which ranks seventh in the league in run defense.

Outlook

Most people planning their Thanksgiving Thursday or making their NFL picks were probably disappointed to hear Dallas was hosting the anemic Raiders on Thursday but they may be in for a surprise. Because of their solid pass defense, Oakland may keep this game closer than people expect. Dallas should still pull out the win in the end, though; Cowboys Stadium will give them a boost.