The lines are from Vegas and the home teams are in CAPs.
PHILADELPHIA -3.5 over Dallas
The Eagles aren’t a bad team at home and the Cowboys will likely be resting most of their key players – including backup Tony Romo. With Mark Sanchez getting significant snaps behind a backup offensive line, this isn’t enough points to take.
PITTSBURGH -6 over Cleveland
The Browns won their Super Bowl by actually winning a game last week. That doesn’t change the fact that they’re still terrible and probably a good notch below the Steelers backups.
Buffalo -3.5 over NEW YORK JETS
The Jets checked out weeks ago and won’t be getting up for this one. The Bills should be playing hard for interim coach Anthony Lynn with some jobs on the line.
Jacksonville +4.5 over INDIANAPOLIS
The Jags showed some good fight under Doug Marrone and this is looking like Chuck Pagano’s last contest in charge of Indy. Jacksonville had been feisty for a few weeks before finally winning last week while the Colts just aren’t that good.
New England -9.5 over MIAMI
The Pats can’t leave anything to chance with the Raiders playing later on. The Dolphins are locked into the No. 6 seed, so don’t expect them to be risking too much and going all out against the Pats, especially considering these two would meet in the second round.
Chicago +6.5 over MINNESOTA
Matt Barkley was figured out last week, throwing five picks, but did turn it on a bit late in the game. The Vikings offence isn’t one that I want to spotting nearly a TD with, even if it is against the lowly Bears.
TENNESSEE -3 over Houston
The Texans are locked into the fourth seed and have no motivation to risk anything against the Titans. Tennessee, on the other hand, will want to make sure that the Texans go into the playoffs on a low and also end Houston’s AFC South winning streak.
Baltimore +1 over CINCINNATI
No A.J. Green. No Tyler Eifert. A banged-up Jeremy Hill. Why would anyone think that the Bengals are going to move the ball against the Ravens defence when they struggled against Houston last week?
Carolina +4.5 over TAMPA BAY
The Bucs have a less than 1% chance to make the playoffs, which means it’s basically impossible. Standing in their way will be a Panthers team that will be pretty fired up to end their terrible season the right way and get things moving heading into next season.
New York Giants +7.5 over WASHINGTON
The Giants will be resting some guys, but Washington is just giving too many points here. Also, scoring enough points against this New York defence to cover will be a tough ask.
New Orleans +7 over ATLANTA
Drew Brees isn’t going to back down against this division rival and has a good shot at reaching 5,000 yards passing for the fifth time in his career. The Falcons are gunning for the No. 2 seed, but may not even need to win to get it.
Arizona -6 over LOS ANGELES
The Rams didn’t show much fight under their interim coach last week and it’s pretty certain that the Cards will look to take out some frustrations on their division rival. This hasn’t been a good season for Arizona, but their offence can put up some points.
DENVER -1 over Oakland
The Broncos will play both their QBs, and both might be better than Matt McGloin, who starts for the Raiders. Expect a lot of rushing, but the altitude and Denver’s defence could get to Oakland.
Seattle -10 over SAN FRANCISCO
The Seahawks have been backing into the playoffs and need to kickstart their whole game. A good elixir for that is facing a 49ers team that can’t even tank right. Expect a blowout, even if Seattle rests some guys.
Kansas City -5.5 over SAN DIEGO
Is this the final game in San Diego for the Chargers? It might be since the city seems to have no interest in keeping the team there. The fans have left long ago and it has shown in the Chargers’ results.
Green Bay -3.5 over DETROIT
The biggest game of the week might not even be close. The Lions looked awful against Dallas last week and the Packers have been on fire coming down the stretch. Detroit has the home-field advantage, but playing indoors may benefit the Packers offence more.
Last week: 11-5
This season: 126-101-8