Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers

The Baltimore Ravens will look to keep their winning ways going when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Both of these teams are trending in opposite directions.

For Baltimore, they’ve won five of their last six games and enter this matchup with a whole week’s worth of rest, having last played on “Thursday Night Football” against the Cincinnati Bengals.  Despite all the talent in the world, the Los Angeles Chargers are a pitiful 4-6 this season, with five of their losses coming by three points or fewer. To make matters worse, the Chargers will be without Joey Bosa, who is headed toward IR.

The Chargers should be a better football team, but they have fallen short of expectations under the command of head coach Brandon Staley year after year now.

The Ravens are a darn good football team this season, as evidenced by their record; however, their two losses have come to division opponents in the Browns and Steelers. Outside of that, the Baltimore Ravens have cleaned up week after week.  This is a battle between two talented teams, but the real difference between these squads is on the sideline. John Harbaugh is a much better coach compared to Staley and that is part of the reason why the Ravens have a big advantage in this matchup. Harbaugh is far from perfect, but he knows how to stay out of the way and make the right call most of the time, which you cannot say about his counterpart, as the Chargers find ways to lose games week after week against quality and subpar opponents. Both Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson are two of the very best players in the league, but it’s Jackson who has been more consistent and dominant so far this year, along with his team. No reason to think that changes here.

On the flip side, the Chargers may not be great at winning games, but they sure are good at staying in them. As noted, five of the Chargers’ six losses have come by three points or fewer. The lone loss that does not fit this mold came against the Kansas City Chiefs. Outside of that, the Chargers cannot get out of their own way with tough losses to the Dolphins, Titans, Cowboys, Lions and Packers. L.A. has hung in there against some of the best teams in the NFL; however, they collapse when the lights are brightest.

Steve Quinne’s Pick: Los Angeles +4.0 (-110)

Look, the Chargers aren’t making the playoffs, barring anything crazy, but this is still a big game for Brandon Staley. He and his team must be hearing the outside noise surrounding them right now. They’ve been in almost every game this season, what changes here? They are at home, and their backs are against the wall. Again, while their chances at making the playoffs are already slim to none, a loss here would essentially be a knife in the coffin for the Chargers season.

Baltimore has been great and winning in its own right, but questions loom after a massive layoff and losing their best playmaker outside of Lamar Jackson. There are too many questions for this Ravens team and too much talent on the home side to pass up taking the points in this spot.

NFL: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys

Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. That’ll be the case when these two long-time adversaries rekindle their rivalry on Thanksgiving.

The Cowboys are rolling, having won four of their last five games to move to 7-3 on the season. In the last two weeks, they’ve scored 82 combined points, while giving up just 27. Blowout wins over the Giants and Panthers have Dallas riding high.

The same can’t be said for the Commanders. Washington has lost four of its last five, including a brutal loss on Sunday to the hapless Giants. At 4-7, the Commanders’ playoff hopes are on life support; they desperately need a win, but it’ll be tough on a short week against a very good team.

Dallas is a perfect 4-0 at home. They also boast a league-best point differential at +127. As a result, the Cowboys still have aspirations for tracking down the Eagles in the NFC North and vying for the No. 1 seed in the conference.

They’re arguably the most balanced team in the league. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are a dangerous duo, connecting 74 times for 1,013 yards and five touchdowns. Tony Pollard spearheads the ground game, with 590 yards and three scores. And the Cowboys defense is ranked No. 2 in the league, surrendering just 266.3 yards per game.

The Cowboys have scored the most points in the NFC, racking up 302 through 10 games. They’ve also given up just 175, second-only to the 49ers. Not surprisingly, Dallas has recorded some lopsided wins.

They beat the Giants by 40 and 32, bested the Patriots by 35, topped the Rams and Panthers by 23, and outscored the Jets by 23. When they win, they normally do it in fine fashion.

Meanwhile, the Commanders have been sputtering, especially on defense. Ron Rivera’s team is ranked 29^th in the NFL on that side of the ball, giving up 372.8 yards per game. They’re also giving up 27.7 points per game, which is dead last in the league.

Steve Quinne’s Pick: Dallas -10.5 (-110)

All of America is hoping for a competitive game, looking for a doozy on Turkey Day. But it seems unlikely. Dallas is simply a juggernaut at this point. They have a top-10 offense and one of the best defenses in the league. Washington, on the other hand, struggles to stop anyone. And their offense is just okay, with Sam Howell racking up a lot of yards through the air, but only managing 21.5 points per game. The Cowboys will add another blowout victory to their 2023 slate.

CFB: Ohio State at Michigan

For the first time in five years, Michigan is favored over Ohio State in one of college football’s greatest rivalries. And this time around, it’s ever-so-important. Both teams are currently inside the CFP Top-4, so the outcome will surely have major implications for both teams and likely a school outside the Top-4. Furthermore, the margin between these two teams appears to be razor thin, as the voters and bettors are not in total agreement.

When the line opened, Michigan has been as much as a 6.5-point favorite. Currently, it’s sitting at -3.5, but more movement could take place.

Despite the fact that Jim Harbaugh won’t be on the sidelines, serving the final game of a three-game suspension for the alleged sign-stealing scheme, observers of the Wolverines seem unphased. Clearly, his assistants and players have his back – as evidenced by Michigan’s monster road win over No. 11 Penn State two weeks ago when emotions were at their highest. Last week’s 31-24 win over Maryland was less impressive, but still kept the Wolverines undefeated for this weekend’s showdown.

Ohio State rolls into town on the heels of a 37-3 thumping of Minnesota – who, for what it’s worth, was whipped by Michigan 52-20 earlier in the season – and likely insulted by the fact that the Buckeyes are ranked higher but getting little to no respect for it.

Then again, all the drama can be tossed right out the window, as this is a game that will be played by the country’s best two defenses. It’s quite possible one big play could determine who heads to the Big Ten championship game versus Iowa.

Bud Parmalee’s Pick: Ohio State M/L +145

For the record, take the under, as it’s set at an embarrassingly realistic 46.5, as if it were an NFL playoff game. But it’s not, it’s just that both defenses are that good. But that’s not my bet here. I’m taking the Buckeye’s to put an end to the saga that surrounds Michigan. Two weeks ago, the slogan “Michigan Against Everyone” became very prominent. Too prominent, in fact. There’s a lot of truth to that, and while Michigan is playing the “us against the world” card, the world – including everyone associated with college football – doesn’t want this messy situation impacting this year’s CFP final polls. Call me a conspiracy theorist but look for the Buckeyes to settle the score and end the Harbaugh shenanigans.