The lines are from Betway.com and the home teams in CAPs.
Washington +10 over TENNESSEE
All aboard the Josh Johnson train! Nothing would be more insane than a guy who hasn’t played for seven years somehow leading a team into the playoffs.
Baltimore +4.5 over L.A. CHARGERS
Now this a playoff preview, prime-time worthy matchup. The big fear is that the Chargers come down after last week’s emotional win over the Chiefs. The Ravens can make this game a grind and may come down to a field-goal margin.
Atlanta -3.5 over CAROLINA
The Cam Newton getting shutdown, the Cats are raising the white flag. While spotting points on the road with the Falcons is certainly dicey, can you really back Taylor Heinicke in a rivalry game?
CLEVELAND -9 over Cincinnati
The Browns are really setting us up to be disappointed in them next season. The amount of growth they’ve shown since Hue Jackson was fired has been fantastic. The Bengals, on the other hand, have gone in the opposite directions and should see a lot of change in the off-season.
Tampa Bay +7 over DALLAS
The Cowboys offence was exposed in Indy last week. While Dallas should bounce back at home, even during its five-game winning streak, it only once won by more than seven points.
Minnesota -5.5 over DETROIT
There isn’t much left to like with the Lions. The Vikings and Kirk Cousins’ reputation against teams with losing records works in their favour here and their gameplan of running the ball more does, too.
INDIANAPOLIS -9 over New York Giants
The line is a bit inflated after last week’s results, but you have to like the way that the Colts are playing right now. Saquon Barkley and the Giants won’t get shutout again, especially in a dome, but we don’t think they’ll be stopping Andrew Luck, either.
MIAMI -4 over Jacksonville
Is there something we’re missing here? The Dolphins are by no means a great team and their .500 record is questionable, but aren’t they a bit better than this line? Taking out home-field, this line says Miami is one point better than a Jags team that has seemingly given up. We’ll take the hosts.
Buffalo +13 over NEW ENGLAND
What, you think we would pick that bum Tom Brady over the legend that is Josh Allen? But, for real, the Pats certainly won’t lose a third straight game, but covering by two TDs against a very game Bills team night be a bit much.
NEW YORK JETS +3 over Green Bay
Aaron Rodgers will play, but it’s the rest of the Packers were not sure about. The Jets gave the game away last week against Houston and could easily fare better against the struggling Packers.
PHILADELPHIA -2.5 over Houston
This a surprisingly good matchup for the Eagles despite the records. They can pressure the QB while the Texans’ O-line has trouble in protection. With Lamar Miler ailing, it remains to be seen how the running game will fare. The Eagles have given up close to 1,000 yards over the past two games, but we still like them here.
Los Angeles Rams -14 over ARIZONA
The Rams have not looked good the past two weeks, but this matchup should set them straight. The Cards were just blown out by the four-win Falcons. If the Rams struggle, there will be some serious worries for the playoffs.
Chicago -4 over SAN FRANCISCO
Nick Mullens. Do you think Nick Mullens can do what Aaron Rodgers couldn’t last week? We didn’t think so.
Pittsburgh +5.5 over NEW ORLEANS
The Saints return home after a tough little stretch on the road in which they haven’t looked all the way like contenders. This is a tough game to a homecoming for. The Steelers are coming off a win over the rival Pats and could get James Conner back. While we don’t disagree with the line, we’re still preferential to taking the points.
Kansas City -2.5 over SEATTLE
If Patrick Mahomes truly wants to be the MVP this season, this is a game he needs to win. The Seahawks’ success at home is well-documented, but they don’t have the same talent level as K.C.
Denver -2.5 over OAKLAND
The Broncos may be out of the playoff race now, but the Raiders get no benefit from winning here. After losing to the lowly Bengals, we don’t see Oakland putting up a big fight on Christmas Eve.
Last week: 6-10
This season: 102-110-8