Tony Romo, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys passes against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half at AT&T Stadium on November 27, 2014 in Arlington, Texas.Getty Images
A rare Thursday night game that is not part of a short week has Dallas at Chicago. Both teams lost on Thanksgiving Day, and the Bears are headed for a double whammy.
Dallas (8-4) is in the midst of a tight NFC East battle with Philadelphia, as well as in the conference wild-card race. Chicago (5-7) is going nowhere.
Plus, the Cowboys are 5-0 on the road, while the Bears have a 2-3 mark at Soldier Field, with the victories over weaklings Minnesota and Tampa Bay.
"It's hard to get to this point in the year and be 8-4 and right in the middle of the hunt," veteran tight end Jason Witten said. "I think you play long enough like I have, you respect the opportunity that you have and where you are positioned. So I am excited about that."
Not so exciting is that Dallas has struggled out of the gate in recent games, and has lost three of five, with the wins over the Jaguars and Giants.
Still, Dallas (No. 10, AP Pro32) is a 3 1/2-point favourite over No. 24 Chicago. That should be more than manageable.
COWBOYS, 27-20
No. 22 Atlanta (plus 11) at No. 1 Green Bay
Packers on quite a roll at Lambeau. Lots of leaps upcoming Monday night.
BEST BET: PACKERS, 37-17
No. 14 Kansas City (plus 1 1/2) at No. 7 Arizona
Sad to see how injuries have crippled the Cardinals.
UPSET SPECIAL: CHIEFS, 20-19
No. 5 Seattle (plus 1) at No. 4 Philadelphia
Winner here will be a postseason force. Both teams could be.
SEAHAWKS, 22-21
No. 2 New England (minus 3) at No. 11 San Diego
Patriots won't get soft after a week in Southern California.
PATRIOTS, 27-20
No. 13 Baltimore (plus 3) at No. 15 Miami
Ravens will run, run and run some more against the soft Miami ground defence.
RAVENS, 19-17
No. 17 Buffalo (plus 10) at No. 3 Denver
The Bills' rush will get to Peyton, just not often enough for an upset.
BRONCOS, 28-20
No. 12 San Francisco (minus 8) at No. 32 Oakland
These are the kind of road trips any coach likes – across the Bay to face the league's worst team.
49ERS, 23-10
No. 16 Pittsburgh (plus 3) at No. 9 Cincinnati
Two befuddling teams who stunk it up last week. The difference: Cincinnati won.
BENGALS, 21-20
No. 6 Indianapolis (minus 3) at No. 18 Cleveland
This won't be easy for Colts, but it is doable.
COLTS, 24-23
No. 19 Houston (minus 5) at No. 28 (tie) Jacksonville
The Jaguars will be sky high after rallying past the Giants. No repeat.
TEXANS, 26-16
No. 27 New York Giants (pick 'em) at No. 30 Tennessee
A mess, Big Apple-style, versus a mess, Music City-style.
GIANTS, 23-21
No. 25 Carolina (plus 9 1/2) at No. 20 New Orleans
Saints get a home win – and within reach of the .500 level.
SAINTS, 30-16
No. 26 Tampa Bay (plus 9 1/2) at No. 8 Detroit
Lions know a playoff spot is there for the taking without any screw-ups.
LIONS, 31-17
No. 21 St. Louis (minus 2 1/2) at No. 28 (tie) Washington
It's difficult to go with Rams as a road favourite. But not impossible.
RAMS, 16-14
No. 31 New York Jets (plus 6) at No. 23 Minnesota
The Vikings are making a push toward respectability. The Jets are not.
VIKINGS, 20-10
2014 record: Against spread: This week (7-9); Season (90-95-4). Straight up: This week (9-7); Season (125-65-1)
Best bet: 5-8 against spread, 7-6 straight up.
Upset special: 7-6 against spread, 5-8 straight up.