NFL Betting Tips: Saints to seal NFC South, Seahawks to beat Rams to clinch NFC West title?
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Odds and preview ahead of Week 16’s NFL matchups
We’re being served up a festive feast of NFL action across Week 16 with 16 matchups to enjoy across five days, but some sides got their festive gifts in Week 15.
New York Jets put an end to talk of a winless season by beating Los Angeles Rams 23-20, gifting Jacksonville Jaguars the upper hand in the race for the number one draft pick, with both sides level with a 1-13 record.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ rapid drop off continued too as they handed Cincinnati Bengals only their third win of the season as Buffalo Bills claimed the AFC East for the first time since 1995, ending the Patriots 11-year dominance, while Seattle Seahawks sealed their spot in the postseason.
With all 32 teams in Gridiron action over the festive period, we’ve got plenty of fixtures to feast our eyes on. But ahead of kick-off on Christmas Day, we’re previewing our pick of the action in Week 16.
After losing in two of the last three NFC playoffs against Minnesota, the Saints will look to end the chances of that happening again with a win in the Christmas Day matchup.
Drew Brees led his side to a narrow defeat against NFL leaders Kansas City Chiefs last time out, and with the veteran QB back, they’ll fancy their chances to end the Vikings hopes of a playoff berth while sealing a fourth straight NFC South title.
On the Money Line, New Orleans are odds-on 3/10 favourites to win, with the Vikings a 27/10 shot to keep their playoff dreams alive.
Vikings claimed a 26-20 win over the Saints in January’s Wild Card Playoff round, and there’s 19/4 on them winning by 1-6 points again here.
With the NFC South title on the line, the Saints win on the -6 points spread can be found at 7/10, with Vikings at 11/10 to win on the +6 point spread.
With Tom Brady’s former team New England Patriots eliminated from playoff contention, can the veteran QB lead his new side to their first playoff appearance since 2007?
A win or tie against Detroit, another side without a postseason spot to look forward to, should be enough to seal the Bucs’ place.
Tampa Bay are odds-on 2/9 favourites on the Money Line to secure a win, with Detroit available at 7/2 to cause an upset.
After a disappointing end to his tenure as Patriots QB, Brady has found a new home where he can perform and he’s leading his offense to an average of just over 29 points a game.
Mike Evans still leads the Tampa Bay offence with 11 receiving TD’s this season, while Antonio Brown pulled in his first as a Buccaneer last time out.
In contrast, the Lions are giving up over 31 points a night. Think they’ll score big here? The Bucs are 21/10 to score over 33.5 against the Lions.
Just three weeks ago, Pittsburgh were sitting pretty at the top of the National Football League with an unbeaten record, but how times change, losing their third straight against the Bengals.
Sunday’s match against the Colts has huge repercussions for both sides, with a win for the Steelers finally sealing the AFC North title.
If the Colts lose, that gives the Titans the opportunity to seal the AFC South title in their match on Monday morning. Resigning the Steelers to their fourth straight defeat could seal the Colts a playoff spot, but that’s dependant on other results going their way too.
Colts edge the favouritism to win on the Money Line at 8/11, while Pittsburgh are 23/20 to end their three-match losing run.
The Steelers have lost out by an average of nine points in their last three matches. Indianapolis are 4/1 to win by 7-12 points here, while Pittsburgh are 16/5 to win by 1-6 points. Could they repeat their narrow two-point 26-24 victory over the Colts the last time these two met?
Not many saw the Jets winning a game this season, but last weekend’s win over the Rams may have derailed their chance of first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Could they live to regret that?
On the other side, Cleveland Browns are looking the real deal, sitting on a 10-4 record off the back of the destruction of New York’s other side, the Giants, with a chance to seal their spot in the postseason should they win and other results go their way.
Cleveland are odds-on 2/9 favourites on the Money Line to grab their 11th win of the campaign, while the Jets are 7/2 to win their second on the spin.
Scoring hasn’t been an issue for Cleveland this season, with the Browns averaging just over 30 points a game in their last five. They’re 5/4 to score over 30.5 against the Jets.
As for the Jets, they’ve averaged 17 points a performance over the last five, including two three- point hauls in that time. Last time the two faced each other, the Jets were held to three points, so we’re going 19/10 to be held to under 13.5 points here.
Head coach Sean McVay expressed his embarrassment after seeing his LA Rams side allow the Jets to grab their first win of the season, citing offense inconsistency issues as the main reason.
That defeat allowed Seattle Seahawks to grab the upper hand in the race for the NFC West, a race which could be over should Pete Carroll’s side get the job done on Sunday night.
On the Money Line, Seattle head in as the 4/5 favourites to secure their first divisional title for four years, with the Rams 21/20 to return to winning ways.
LA Rams got the better of Seahawks in the first meeting between the two this season, winning 23-16 in week nine. They’re 9/2 to win by 7-12 points again here and keep the title race alive.
The Seahawks offense hasn’t been firing on all cylinders in recent weeks, averaging under 25 points a game over their last five. Rams have one of the best defensive records in the league, conceding just over 20 points a game in their last five. Seahawks are 6/4 to score under 20.5 points here.
Given their closest divisional rivals are playing hours earlier, the Titans could head into their matchup with the Packers knowing a win will secure the AFC South title.
With the NFC North title already sealed for Green Bay, will that mean they’re happy to lose? Absolutely not, as a winning mentality runs straight through the heart of the Wisconsin side, led by QB Aaron Rodgers.
If both the Titans and Colts win, the race for the AFC South title goes down to the final weekend, but they’ll have the assurance that a postseason spot has been secured for the third time in five seasons.
Green Bay are 8/15 favourites to win on the Money Line, with the Titans 8/5 to secure their playoff spot with a win.
The Packers came out on top with a 31-17 win last time these two met back in August 2018. There’s 2/5 on over 47.5 points being scored again in this one.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.
