Post by Makers on Dec 20, 2015 9:12:26 GMT -5
Looking for some quick-hitting betting info for Week 15 of the NFL slate? We break down all the need-to-know facts and figures for Sunday's NFL matchups.
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (-5.5, 43)
* The Bear haven't been as bad as some people predicted at the start of the season and books haven't really caught up with this, especially when they are away from Soldier Field. The Bears are 5-1 ATS in six road games this season, including their last five in a row.
* After a stretch that saw them go 1-2 ATS, the Vikings bounced back at the betting window last week, covering as 10-point pups in Arizona. The Vikings are still the second best bet in the NFL this season at 10-3 ATS.
Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3, 49)
* The Falcons incredible cold streak continued last week after getting blown out 38-0 against division rival Carolina as 8.5-point road pups. Atlanta is now 0-9 ATS over their last nine games. The under is also 8-0-1 during that streak thanks to Atlanta scoring just 15.8 points per game over that span.
* Although it may be a long shot, the Jaguars still have a shot at the less than great AFC South and over the last seven weeks the Jaguars have been a solid bet. They are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven and are coming off a 51-16 demolishing of division rival Indianapolis.
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts (-2, 42)
* T.J. Yates, who led the Texans to a win over the New York Jets on Nov. 22 and has three TD passes in parts of three games this season, will start at quarterback. Defensive end J.J. Watt adjusted to playing with a broken hand last week and again is expected to take the field with a heavy wrap over his left hand.
* The Colts may not even have their No. 2 quarterback if Matt Hasselbeck (ribs) can’t make the start, leaving No. 3 Charlie Whitehurst as the healthy option. "My focus has been giving them everything I've got," Hasselbeck told reporters. "Fighting through pain, showing the coaching staff what I have to offer. Then it's their job to make that decision to decide who plays and who doesn't.”
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants (+3.5, 48)
* Not only are the Panthers undefeated, they are a heck of a bet as well, going 10-3 ATS this season, which includes a 5-1 ATS mark on the road. That makes them the second best bet in the NFL, trailing just the Cincinnati Bengals.
* New York snapped a three-game skid with a 31-24 win at Miami on Monday night, as Eli Manning had his best game of the season with 337 yards on 27-of-31 passing and four touchdowns. The Giants likely will need another big game from Manning with their stagnant ground game facing one of the league’s top run defenses.
Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots (-14, 46.5)
* New England snapped out of a two-game slide with a 27-6 victory over Houston last week in a game that marked the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski (knee) but resulted in the loss of running back LeGarrette Blount (hip) for the rest of the season. The Patriots, who will lean even more on emerging rusher James White, need a win plus a Denver loss or a win plus a Cincinnati loss and a Denver tie to lock up one of the AFC’s top two playoff seeds.
* The Titans are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum and are staring at another year of drafting in the top five, though rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota is giving the team hope for the future. The Oregon product has two games this season with four touchdown passes and no interceptions and has thrown for at least 218 yards in each of his last four starts.
Buffalo Bills at Washington (+2, 44)
* While Rex Ryan is happy with the play of quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the Bills rank 28th in the league in passing and Taylor is 0-5 in games in which he's thrown 30 or more passes.
* Washington posted a rare road win last week at Chicago and will try to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Cousins threw for 300 yards and a touchdown Sunday and has 12 scoring passes against just three interceptions over his past seven games.
Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens (+7, 41)
* The Chiefs red-hot run at the betting window finally came to an end last week, with the team failing to cover the 11.5-point in their 10-3 win over the San Diego Chargers. Before last week the Chiefs have covered the spread in six straight games and are now 7-6 ATS for the season.
* Meanwhile, the Ravens continue to struggle at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore is 0-5-1 ATS at home this season and 0-8-1 ATS in their last nine games there overall.
Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks (-15, 42.5)
* Cleveland halted its seven-game losing streak last week as it posted a 24-10 home triumph over San Francisco. Johnny Manziel returned as the Browns' starting quarterback after a two-game benching and threw for 270 yards and a touchdown while the club gained a season-high 230 yards on the ground. Cleveland has lost five of its first six road games, with its lone victory coming in overtime at Baltimore in Week 5.
* The Seahawks have really tuned things around at the backhalf of this season and while defending their NFC crown looked murkey a few weeks ago, they can actually clinch another trip to the postseason with a win and som help elsewhere. The are back in the thick of things thanks to a four-game winning streak in which they have outscored their opponents 141-56 and covered the spread in each game.
Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders (+3.5, 48)
* The Packers, who have won their last two road games after losing the previous two, host the Vikings in the season finale for both clubs. A tie - or losses or ties by Tampa Bay and either Washington or the New York Giants - also would secure a postseason spot for Green Bay, which has won six straight meetings with Oakland.
* The Raiders are aiming to register their third win in four games and reach .500 this late in the season for the first time since finishing 2011 with an 8-8 record. Oakland is coming off a 15-12 victory at Denver that ended its eight-game losing streak against the AFC West-rival Broncos.
Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers (-7, 45.5)
* Denver's Brock Osweiler didn't find the end zone last week despite throwing for a career-high 308 yards in a 15-12 loss to Oakland. The setback dropped the AFC West-leading Broncos into a tie with Cincinnati for second place, although the latter holds the tiebreaker to claim temporary ownership of the first-round bye.
* The Steelers look to continue their familiar December push toward the playoffs on Sunday and the playoff push makes them a better bet. Pittsburgh is 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games in December, which includes 2-0 ATS this year.
Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers (-1, 46)
* While the Steelers rev up in December, the Dolphins let go of the throttle. They are 0-9 ATS in their last nine games in December, and to make matters worse they are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
* The Chargers are another team that don't have much of a home field advantage, at least when it comes to the betting window. The Chargers are just 1-11 ATS in their last 12 home games.
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers (+5, 40.5)
* While the Bengals are the NFL's best bet at 10-2-1 ATS this season, it looks like they will have to play for the foreseeable future without starter Andy Dalton, who suffered a broken thumb in last week's loss to the Steelers. The Bengals will turn to former Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron.
* San Francisco followed up one of its best performances of the season, an overtime win at Chicago, by getting mauled in Cleveland and giving up 230 rushing yards to a team that ranked last in the league entering the contest. Blaine Gabbert is 2-3 since he replaced Colin Kaepernick as the starting quarterback, but he has failed to pass for 200 yards in each of the past two games and was sacked a franchise record-tying nine times by the Browns.
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles (+3.5, 51)
* A seven-game winning streak has fueled the ascent of Arizona, which can claim its first division title in six years with either a win on Sunday or if second-place Seattle stumbles versus Cleveland.
* After the Eagles win straight up and ATS they cash unders the next game, with the under going 7-0 in the last seven games when that is the case.
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (-5.5, 43)
* The Bear haven't been as bad as some people predicted at the start of the season and books haven't really caught up with this, especially when they are away from Soldier Field. The Bears are 5-1 ATS in six road games this season, including their last five in a row.
* After a stretch that saw them go 1-2 ATS, the Vikings bounced back at the betting window last week, covering as 10-point pups in Arizona. The Vikings are still the second best bet in the NFL this season at 10-3 ATS.
Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3, 49)
* The Falcons incredible cold streak continued last week after getting blown out 38-0 against division rival Carolina as 8.5-point road pups. Atlanta is now 0-9 ATS over their last nine games. The under is also 8-0-1 during that streak thanks to Atlanta scoring just 15.8 points per game over that span.
* Although it may be a long shot, the Jaguars still have a shot at the less than great AFC South and over the last seven weeks the Jaguars have been a solid bet. They are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven and are coming off a 51-16 demolishing of division rival Indianapolis.
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts (-2, 42)
* T.J. Yates, who led the Texans to a win over the New York Jets on Nov. 22 and has three TD passes in parts of three games this season, will start at quarterback. Defensive end J.J. Watt adjusted to playing with a broken hand last week and again is expected to take the field with a heavy wrap over his left hand.
* The Colts may not even have their No. 2 quarterback if Matt Hasselbeck (ribs) can’t make the start, leaving No. 3 Charlie Whitehurst as the healthy option. "My focus has been giving them everything I've got," Hasselbeck told reporters. "Fighting through pain, showing the coaching staff what I have to offer. Then it's their job to make that decision to decide who plays and who doesn't.”
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants (+3.5, 48)
* Not only are the Panthers undefeated, they are a heck of a bet as well, going 10-3 ATS this season, which includes a 5-1 ATS mark on the road. That makes them the second best bet in the NFL, trailing just the Cincinnati Bengals.
* New York snapped a three-game skid with a 31-24 win at Miami on Monday night, as Eli Manning had his best game of the season with 337 yards on 27-of-31 passing and four touchdowns. The Giants likely will need another big game from Manning with their stagnant ground game facing one of the league’s top run defenses.
Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots (-14, 46.5)
* New England snapped out of a two-game slide with a 27-6 victory over Houston last week in a game that marked the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski (knee) but resulted in the loss of running back LeGarrette Blount (hip) for the rest of the season. The Patriots, who will lean even more on emerging rusher James White, need a win plus a Denver loss or a win plus a Cincinnati loss and a Denver tie to lock up one of the AFC’s top two playoff seeds.
* The Titans are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum and are staring at another year of drafting in the top five, though rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota is giving the team hope for the future. The Oregon product has two games this season with four touchdown passes and no interceptions and has thrown for at least 218 yards in each of his last four starts.
Buffalo Bills at Washington (+2, 44)
* While Rex Ryan is happy with the play of quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the Bills rank 28th in the league in passing and Taylor is 0-5 in games in which he's thrown 30 or more passes.
* Washington posted a rare road win last week at Chicago and will try to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Cousins threw for 300 yards and a touchdown Sunday and has 12 scoring passes against just three interceptions over his past seven games.
Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens (+7, 41)
* The Chiefs red-hot run at the betting window finally came to an end last week, with the team failing to cover the 11.5-point in their 10-3 win over the San Diego Chargers. Before last week the Chiefs have covered the spread in six straight games and are now 7-6 ATS for the season.
* Meanwhile, the Ravens continue to struggle at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore is 0-5-1 ATS at home this season and 0-8-1 ATS in their last nine games there overall.
Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks (-15, 42.5)
* Cleveland halted its seven-game losing streak last week as it posted a 24-10 home triumph over San Francisco. Johnny Manziel returned as the Browns' starting quarterback after a two-game benching and threw for 270 yards and a touchdown while the club gained a season-high 230 yards on the ground. Cleveland has lost five of its first six road games, with its lone victory coming in overtime at Baltimore in Week 5.
* The Seahawks have really tuned things around at the backhalf of this season and while defending their NFC crown looked murkey a few weeks ago, they can actually clinch another trip to the postseason with a win and som help elsewhere. The are back in the thick of things thanks to a four-game winning streak in which they have outscored their opponents 141-56 and covered the spread in each game.
Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders (+3.5, 48)
* The Packers, who have won their last two road games after losing the previous two, host the Vikings in the season finale for both clubs. A tie - or losses or ties by Tampa Bay and either Washington or the New York Giants - also would secure a postseason spot for Green Bay, which has won six straight meetings with Oakland.
* The Raiders are aiming to register their third win in four games and reach .500 this late in the season for the first time since finishing 2011 with an 8-8 record. Oakland is coming off a 15-12 victory at Denver that ended its eight-game losing streak against the AFC West-rival Broncos.
Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers (-7, 45.5)
* Denver's Brock Osweiler didn't find the end zone last week despite throwing for a career-high 308 yards in a 15-12 loss to Oakland. The setback dropped the AFC West-leading Broncos into a tie with Cincinnati for second place, although the latter holds the tiebreaker to claim temporary ownership of the first-round bye.
* The Steelers look to continue their familiar December push toward the playoffs on Sunday and the playoff push makes them a better bet. Pittsburgh is 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games in December, which includes 2-0 ATS this year.
Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers (-1, 46)
* While the Steelers rev up in December, the Dolphins let go of the throttle. They are 0-9 ATS in their last nine games in December, and to make matters worse they are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
* The Chargers are another team that don't have much of a home field advantage, at least when it comes to the betting window. The Chargers are just 1-11 ATS in their last 12 home games.
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers (+5, 40.5)
* While the Bengals are the NFL's best bet at 10-2-1 ATS this season, it looks like they will have to play for the foreseeable future without starter Andy Dalton, who suffered a broken thumb in last week's loss to the Steelers. The Bengals will turn to former Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron.
* San Francisco followed up one of its best performances of the season, an overtime win at Chicago, by getting mauled in Cleveland and giving up 230 rushing yards to a team that ranked last in the league entering the contest. Blaine Gabbert is 2-3 since he replaced Colin Kaepernick as the starting quarterback, but he has failed to pass for 200 yards in each of the past two games and was sacked a franchise record-tying nine times by the Browns.
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles (+3.5, 51)
* A seven-game winning streak has fueled the ascent of Arizona, which can claim its first division title in six years with either a win on Sunday or if second-place Seattle stumbles versus Cleveland.
* After the Eagles win straight up and ATS they cash unders the next game, with the under going 7-0 in the last seven games when that is the case.