NFL/MLB Thursday Night Parlay
Most of our parlays this season have included the same sport, but with multiple MLB playoff games on Thursday plus the Commanders vs. Bears for this week's "Thursday Night Football" game, we're going to include both. It's kind of like cats and dogs hanging out together, or the little kids eating at the same table as the adults on Thanksgiving. Sure, it might be a little awkward at first, but when it's all said and done, it'll be fine.
First, let's start with Game 2 between Houston and Seattle. Seattle jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, but Houston never gave up. They hung around in the middle innings, and scored five unanswered runs in the eighth and ninth to pull off the dramatic win, thanks to a two-out, three-run walk-off home run from Yordan Alvarez.
The extra time off for Houston may have played a big factor in why they got off to a slow start on Tuesday, but with Framber Valdez pitching, don't expect that to happen again on Thursday. Valdez set an MLB record with 25 straight quality starts earlier this year, and even if he doesn't outpitch Seattle's Luis Castillo, expect Houston to be within at least two runs. Houston's biggest weakness during the regular season was its bullpen, but that was far from the case in game one on Tuesday. The Astros allowed just one run over five innings, and were a big reason why Houston was able to comeback and rally against the Mariners.
Expect another close game, and maybe even a Seattle win, but it's highly unlikely it will be by more than two runs. That's why we love Houston +2 on the runline against Seattle in game two on Thursday.
As for the final leg of our parlay, take the Bears (+3) vs. the Commanders on Thursday night. It's currently a pick'em game, but with Chicago's elite defense, and Carson Wentz's high turnover rate, don't expect Washington to win by more than a field goal.
Chicago probably wins this game, especially after a strong showing against Minnesota last week, but betting on the Bears to win outright is simply too risky. Both these teams struggle to score, and both offensive lines give up a ton of sacks. Neither team may even score 21 points, but that doesn't matter. These two teams are overall pretty even on paper, and that should result in a close game on Thursday.
Thursday night games so far this season have been pretty one-sided, but that trend ends this week. Chicago enters Thursday's game with a tad more momentum than Washington, which is why Chicago +3 is the way to go here.
The Parlay: Houston Astros (+2) AND Chicago Bears (+3) (+101 odds via DraftKings)
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