Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys (-13.5, 40.5)
Dallas (7-3) hosts its traditional Thanksgiving Day game on Thursday, this time against the lowly Oakland Raiders (3-7).
After compiling a mediocre 2-2 record through their first four games of the season, the Cowboys have climbed to first place in the NFC East by winning five of their past six contests. Oakland ended a three-game skid last Sunday by upsetting the surprising Cincinnati Bengals.
Line movement
The line has been consistent all week long. Some shops opened 14 before dropping to 13.5, while others have remained at 13.5 from start to finish. The total is hanging around 40 to 40.5.
Injury report
Dallas tight end Jason Witten, who has 54 catches this season (19 more than any other Cowboy), is questionable with a sprained foot.
“I won't say it's severe, but it's something that worries us about him being able to play this week,” coach Wade Phillips said on Tuesday.
Quarterback Tony Romo (back) and running back Marion Barber (thumb) are banged up, but both will start.
The Raiders are in slightly better shape, although defensive tackle Richard Seymour left last week’s win over Cincinnati in the first quarter with a lower back strain. He is listed as questionable.
Bruce Almighty
JaMarcus Russell never materialized since being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Prior to last week’s game against the Bengals, Oakland finally decided that enough was enough and gave backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski his first start of the season.
The decision paid off in the form of an improbable comeback victory. Gradkowski completed 17-of-34 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns while throwing just one interception. He also led the Raiders on a game-tying 80-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, capping it off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy with 33 seconds left.
Happy Thanksgiving
The Cowboys are a solid but unspectacular 26-14-1 in their Thanksgiving Day history. While that record may be unimposing, they have won three in a row for the first time since a three-game streak between 1994 and 1996.
Most encouraging for Dallas is the fact that none of its past three Thanksgiving opponents have managed to be competitive. The Cowboys hammered Tampa Bay 38-10 in 2006, crushed the New York Jets 34-3 a year later, and most recently rolled over Seattle 34-9.
Dallas is 4-1 against the spread over the last five years on Turkey Day and 13-6 in its last 19 outings on Thanksgiving.
Offensive fouls
Although Gradkowski breathed life into the Raiders offense last week, the unit still ranks dead last in the NFL with a paltry 227.3 yards per game. Oakland is also last—with room to spare—in passing offense, averaging 125 yards per contest.
While Dallas registers at fifth in the league in total offense, Romo and company have been struggling of late. The Cowboys have gone three consecutive games without scoring more than 20 points, and they have put up only seven in each of their last two outings.
Newman vs. Campo or Pacquiao vs. Mayweather?
Jerry Jones, interested in bringing the potential fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather to Cowboys Stadium, saw a bout of a different sort last Sunday.
Cornerback Terrence Newman and secondary coach Dave Campo engaged in a heated shouting and shoving match, but it had already become a joking matter days later.
“It's going down,” Newman said. “It's going to happen in Vegas. We'll have Jerry promoting.”
Extra points
The Raiders are 4-2 ATS this year when they get at least seven points, including 2-1 ATS when they get more than 10 points.
The Cowboys are 0-1 ATS when they give more than 10 points. They were 11-point favorites last week at home against the Redskins, but needed a late touchdown to pull out a 7-6 victory.