NFL Week 12 Picks: San Francisco 49ers vs. Baltimore Ravens

The San Francisco 49ers (9-1) and Baltimore Ravens (7-3) will close out the NFL Thanksgiving schedule Thursday night, and all eyes will be focused on the sidelines.

Jim and John Harbaugh will meet up to form the first-ever meeting between head-coaching brothers in league history.

Oddsmakers opened up the Ravens as 3.5-point home favorites, and early wagering immediately sent that number down to a field goal.

Let's take a closer look at a family affair that kicks off on the NFL Network at 8:20 EST inside M&T Bank Stadium.

Baltimore Ravens, AFC North Division

The Baltimore Ravens are tied atop the AFC North division with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which suggests that John Harbaugh needs this victory a lot more than his brother.

It's nearly a foregone conclusion that the San Francisco 49ers are going to win the NFC West division, sitting five games ahead of the Seattle Seahawks.

Getting motivated for this matchup will not be a problem for the Ravens, especially with the Steelers primed to walk away with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday.

San Francisco 49ers, Against-the-Spread Record

San Francisco 49ers' first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh has made plenty of money for backers this season, posting a 9-0-1 against-the-spread record in 10 games.

Heading into Week 12, the 49ers are the only NFL team not to drop a game versus the Vegas number.

Impressive stuff.

Baltimore Ravens, Home Dominance

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has made it one of his priorities to win in front of the home fans, registering an 18-3 record the last two-plus years.

Bettors will find that the Ravens have never dropped a contest inside M&T Bank Stadium under his direction when laying points outside of the AFC North division.

A perfect 16-0 record in that situation is very impressive.

Similar Running Backs

Frank Gore and Ray Rice are very similar in stature and both will play a key role in determining Thursday night's winner.

The San Francisco 49ers come in averaging 134.2 rushing yards per game, which is led by Gore's 870 yards through 10 games of action.

Rice went over the century mark in rushing yards against the Cincinnati Bengals last week—the first time that happened since gaining 101 yards versus the Houston Texans on Oct. 16.

The Baltimore Ravens need to start getting serious about running the football, averaging 99.6 yards per game, which ranks 23rd in the National Football League.

Prediction

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis missed last week's 31-24 home win over the Cincinnati Bengals but is likely to be back in the defensive huddle Thursday night.

It was his first absence from the playing field in 57 games.

The future Hall of Famer will want to help supply his coach with a victory over his brother, whipping the M&T Bank Stadium crowd in a frenzy with his pregame antics.

Oddsmakers have lowered the price on the Ravens due to the spread success of the 49ers, which has me ready to lay the points while I enjoy a Thanksgiving feast.

I suggest you do the same.

Pick: Baltimore Ravens (-3)