This week’s Thursday Night Football matchup features a pair of teams trending in completely opposite directions with their postseason hopes hanging in the balance.

The San Francisco 49ers have won five of six to climb into the sixth spot in the NFC while the Tennessee Titans’ hold on the top spot in the AFC South suddenly looks tenuous after losing three of four.

But are the Titans a live home dog? Find out in our free NFL betting picks and predictions for 49ers vs. Titans on Thursday, December 23.

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An American tradition continues this Thursday, as the NFL presents its annual trio of Thanksgiving Day football games.

As usual, the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys will have hosting duties in the afternoon, with the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants serving as their respective opponents. The third and final course will be a primetime affair between the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings. 

I’ve taken a liking to all three totals on this Turkey Day slate, and will separate them over two NFL Thursday parlays. I’ll also fold in a quarterback prop wager. 

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After a gut-wrenching loss to the Eagles two weeks ago, Josh Allen and the Bills have strung together two wins against some of the league’s strongest contenders in the Chiefs and Cowboys. Josh Allen has combined for four touchdowns and just one turnover across those two games, providing a level of consistency that was sorely missing during the earlier parts of the season.

Week 16 odds will see Buffalo travel to take on the Justin Herbert-less Chargers, who may have newfound relief and motivation after former head coach Brandon Staley was fired after last week’s embarrassing divisional loss.

Can Josh Allen and interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady keep the offense humming? Or will the Staley-less Chargers defense pose as a credible threat in Week 16?

C…

Betting trends are the junk food of handicapping: empty calories that taste good going down but can leave us sick to our stomachs a few hours later.

To be honest, I believe most NFL trends are fluff — even some of the ones featured below. Yet, they can help steer bettors in the right direction in the NFL odds.

A good NFL betting trend has substance that carries over from week to week and season to season, with a narrative that can clearly prove its value. Those “trends with teeth” can be hard to come by.

I previewed all 32 NFL teams heading into the 2024 season and included a notable betting trend for each squad. I’ve gathered each of those trends and lumped them here into a sugar-coated, cream-filled, deep-fried article for your gambl…

Kylian Mbappe s second-half brace powered Real Madrid to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Real Betis in Sunday s LaLiga clash.

Madrid controlled possession but struggled against a well-organised Betis defence until they finally managed to break the deadlock in the 67th minute.

Mbappe struck his first goal in LaLiga with a close-range effort from a brilliant back-heel pass by midfielder Federico Valverde, and the forward would soon add to his account shortly after.

The France captain secured all three points eight minutes later from the penalty spot after Vinicius Junior was fouled inside the box by goalkeeper Rui Silva.

Madrid moved to second in the standings with eight points, four behind leaders Barcelona, while Betis are 17th on two.

MAGNIFIQUE, .

Nuno Espirito Santo has committed his future to Wolves by extending his contract to 2023.

The Portuguese was appointed at Molineux in May 2017 and steered the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, with Wolves racking up an impressive 99 points as Championship winners.

Nuno has since steered Wolves to back-to-back seventh-place finishes in the top flight, while he also oversaw a run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League last term.

I feel good. Ready for it. Looking forward to it. Working really hard for it, because it s a new cycle, no matter what you did before, it s about what s in front of us and this is what we think we should do,  the head coach told Wolves official website.

Let s prepare well, let s challenge, do …

The eagerly anticipated clash at the Emirates will see Premier League holders Manchester City take on bitter rivals Manchester United, and with both sides in need of a morale-boosting win, we should see a great game of football.

The Citizens may have enjoyed more success in these derby matches over the last few years, but they are clearly going through a very rough patch at the moment and will be missing a key member of the side in David Silva.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are unbeaten in last four matches and while they are buoyed by the late equalizer against Chelsea, the Red Devils will also be eager to prove they can still mix it up with the best of them in the league. With that in mind, you should know offered on away win.

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Belgium are aiming to put a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign behind them, with success in the Nations League now their priority.

Domenico Tedesco s side reached the last 16 in Germany, being knocked out after a 1-0 defeat to France thanks to Jan Vertonghen s own goal.

Belgium won just one of their four games at the tournament, finishing second behind Romania in the exceptionally tight Group E.

They had 20 shots on target throughout the tournament, but only scored two goals, with both of them coming in their victory over Romania in the second group game.

Forward Charles De Ketelaere, who played just six minutes in the tournament, says they are not focusing on the past.

We talked about it yesterday so we can leave it behind, De Ketelaere said.

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We’re looking at an all-rookie quarterback battle in California as Davis Mills and the Houston Texans, winners of two straight, take on Trey Lance and the San Francisco 49ers, who enter this critical Week 17 matchup as 12.5-point home favorites.  

Can Mills and the Texans build off their shocking win vs. the Chargers last week? What can the 49ers expect from Lance who hasn’t thrown a pass since Week 5? Find out in our NFL picks and predictions for Falcons vs. Bills.

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Week 14 props are starting to trickle in, and getting to these numbers early is the best way to get that sweet sweet closing line value.

My prop card is being rounded out by two quarterback passing attempt Overs which I see as the two best values in that market on Sunday. One of them is due to environment and play-calling tendencies while the other is because of injuries, game script, and an overall-low number. 

With new picks coming in daily all weekend, here are my best NFL player prop picks for the upcoming action.

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