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**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:16 AM

Blaine Gabbert keeps Titans' hopes alive, beating Redskins
December 22, 2018
By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Blaine Gabbert threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt with 4:30 left and the Tennessee Titans kept their playoff hopes alive by rallying to beat the Washington Redskins 25-16 on Saturday.

Gabbert came off the bench for the third time this season after the Redskins knocked Marcus Mariota out of the game late in the first half with a stinger. Gabbert hit Taywan Taylor for 35 yards to jump-start the winning drive, Derrick Henry ran four times for 33 yards, his last an 18-yarder to the 2. Gabbert then hit Pruitt at the back of the end zone.

The Titans (9-6) now must beat Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts and have either Baltimore or Pittsburgh lose once to earn the AFC's second wild-card spot for a second consecutive playoff berth.

Safety Kevin Byard intercepted Josh Johnson's pass on third-and-3 with 1:17 left. Then Malcolm Butler picked off a pass as time expired and ran 56 yards for an emphatic TD.

The Redskins (7-8) have lost five of six.

RAVENS 22, CHARGERS 10

CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Lamar Jackson threw for 204 yards and had the longest touchdown pass of his brief career, and Baltimore strengthened its chances of clinching a playoff spot.

The Ravens (9-6) - who have won five of their last six with Jackson as the starter - dominated for most of the night to remain in possession of the last wild-card spot. They briefly trailed 10-6 early in the third quarter before Jackson completed a 68-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews.

Justin Tucker's third field goal extended the lead to six and they put it away late in the fourth quarter when Patrick Onwuaso forced Antonio Gates' fumble and Tavon Young returned it 62 yards. Jackson, who was the 32nd overall pick in April, had his first 200-yard passing game, completing 12 of 22. Gus Edwards had 92 yards on 14 carries.

Los Angeles (11-4) has clinched a playoff spot, but its hopes of winning the AFC West suffered a major blow. Kansas City can wrap up the division with a win on Sunday at Seattle.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:30 AM

NFL December's Best Bets and Opinions

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

12/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
12/17/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/16/2018 11-12-1 47.83% -11.00
12/15/2018 3-0-1 100.00% +15.00
12/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
12/10/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
12/09/2018 11-13-0 45.83% -16.50
12/06/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/03/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/02/2018 12-11-0 52.17% -0.50

Totals...............46-41-0.....52.87%.....+4.50

********************

Best Bets For December

DATE........................ATS..................U NITS....................O/U................UNITS..............TOTAL

12/22/2018............1 - 1.................-0.50.......................1 - 1.................-0.50............-1.00
12/17/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/16/2018............2 - 5................-17.50......................5 - 2................+14.00..........-3.50
12/15/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................2 - 0................+10.00.........+15.00
12/13/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................0 - 1.................-5.50............-0.50
12/10/2018............0 - 1.................-5.50.......................0 - 1.................-5.50............-11.00
12/09/2018............3 - 3.................-1.50.......................5 - 6.................-3.00.............-4.50
12/06/2018............1 - 0 ................+5.00......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/03/2018............1 - 0.................+5.00......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/02/2018............3 - 4..................-7.00......................0 - 3................-16.50............-23.50

Totals.....................14 - 14..............-7.00....................15 - 14.............+8.00..............+1.00

**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:35 AM

Sunday’s 6-pack

Top 6 picks for Week 16 of Westgate SuperBook NFL handicapping contest:

1) Seattle Seahawks, +2.5 (884)

2) Los Angeles Chargers, -4.5 (777)- L

3) Chicago Bears, -4 (735)

4) Philadelphia Eagles, -2.5 (711)

5) Minnesota Vikings, -5.5 (670)

6) Baltimore Ravens, +4.5 (634)- W

Season record: 47-42-3

Quote of the Day
“I’d take legacy over money. I want to have a legacy. All my people that look up to me, the younger kids, I want them to know about A.D.’s legacy. Championships, the things I do in the community, being a good teammate, playing hard. All that stuff matters the most to me. Don’t get me wrong, money is amazing. But I think in that sense, money or legacy, I think my legacy will win that battle every time.”
Pelicans’ star Anthony Davis

Sunday’s quiz
Who coached the Baltimore Ravens when they won their first Super Bowl title?

Saturday’s quiz
Toronto Blue Jays won consecutive World Series in 1992-93; Cito Gaston was their manager.

Friday’s quiz
James Harden played his college basketball at Arizona State.

********************

Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…….

13) Titans 25, Redskins 16— Tennessee lost QB Mariota (stinger), but backup Gabbert came in, threw GW TD pass with 4:30 left. Titans scored a defensive TD on the last play of the game, exciting some people in the Aria sportsbook who were beneficiaries of that play.

Tennessee is 9-6 and still in mix for a playoff spot; Washington isn’t.

12) Ravens 22, Chargers 10— This score means Kansas City can clinch AFC West with win in Seattle today; it also puts pressure on the Steelers to win in New Orleans, or else they’ll be out of the playoff picture, for now.

At one point in this game Baltimore had outgained the Chargers 164-14 but led only 3-0; they totally controlled this game and will be a dangerous team if they get a home game in playoffs.

11) So I’m sleeping late Friday night and I wake up because a dog is barking, which is odd in a hotel, especially a really nice hotel like Vdara; I figure someone has their TV on too loud or something, but when i went downstairs Saturday morning, lady in the next room is taking this large canine out for a walk. Go figure.

10) Baylor Bears have a good defensive team; they’ve held both Arizona and Oregon under 50 points, so if Baylor was in a down Pac-12 this year, they might be favored to win it.

9) Wizards 149, Suns 146 3OT— Guy sitting next to me in the sportsbook wagered on the Suns just before I left; game wound up going three OT’s- if he stayed and watched whole game, his wife probably wasn’t really happy about it. He was telling her how pointspreads worked just before he went to make the bet- she didn’t look terribly interested.

Suns were +5, so the guy cashed his ticket.

8) The status of Miami quarterback N’Kosi Perry for Thursday’s Pinstripe Bowl is in doubt after a sexually-explicit video was posted on his Snapchat account, according to the Miami school newspaper. The video reportedly involves two people having sex, and was posted after Miami’s win over Toledo September 15. The video resurfaced among Miami students this week.

7) Upsets of the Day:
— Cal-Riverside (+9) 60, LMU 53
— Indiana State (+8) 72, Colorado 67
— Seton Hall (+7.5) 78, Maryland 74
— Georgia (+5) 70, Georgia Tech 59
— Arizona State (+3.5) 80, Kansas 76

6) Auburn 93, Murray State 88— Racers will be an interesting Cinderella team in March; Auburn was 13-33 on arc in this entertaining game. Murray led by as many as six points in the second half, but Auburn got hot- they had been 9-47 on arc in their previous two games.

5) LaSalle 57, Towson State 51— Kid on Towson caught an inbounds pass in the backcourt, got confused and laid the ball in the wrong basket, scoring two points for LaSalle and guaranteeing he’ll be on SportsCenter every week for at least a year.

4) Army 70, Houston 14— You give up 70 points in a bowl game, tying the all-time record, it is a problem, but giving up 70 to a service academy is even worse— your athletes have to be bigger and faster, albeit not tougher.

Houston’s best defensive player skipped this game to prepare for the NFL Draft, after he and the coaches

3) Couple of ESPN’s college basketball analysts now go on the court during TV timeouts to illustrate a point they want to make about the game. This bugs me; if you need attention that bad, then go back into coaching. Use a grease board to make your points; stay off the floor.

2) Other college basketball stuff:
— Kentucky 80, North Carolina 72— Best win by far for this year’s Wildcats.
— Ohio State 80, UCLA 66— Still think Steve Alford should be coach at Indiana.
— NC-Greensboro 83, Samford 75— Spartans were down 12 at halftime.
— San Francisco 74, Stanford 65— Bill Russell’s alma mater is 12-1.

1) Some well-known people who have birthdays today:
— Musician Eddie Vedder
— Soap opera star Susan Lucci
— Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh
— Former Steelers’ LB Jack Ham
— Political pundit Bill Kristol
— Former Mets’ pitcher Jerry Koosman

**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:39 AM

SuperContest Picks - Week 16
December 22, 2018
By VI News

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest is the biggest, most prestigious, challenging pro football handicapping contest in the country. The fees are $1,500 per entry.

Contestants must pick 5 pro football games against the spread each week for the entire 17-week season. The individual that has the best record after the season will be deemed the winner.

The LVH Casino at Westgate Las Vegas Resort is a hotel, casino, and convention center, which is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. LVH SuperBook vice-president Jay Kornegay is in charge of the SuperContest.

This year's contest has 3,123 entries.

Each week throughout the season, we'll post the Top 5 Consensus Picks in the SuperContest on Saturday afternoon and list all of the selections for each matchup.

Week 16

1) Seattle +2.5 (884)
2) L.A. Chargers -4.5 (777) L
3) Chicago -4 (735)
4) Philadelphia -2.5 (711)
5) Minnesota -5.5 (670)

SUPERCONTEST WEEK 16 MATCHUPS & ODDS
Away Team Selections Home Team Selections
Washington (+9.5) 325 Tennessee (-9.5) 419
Baltimore (+4.5) 634 L.A. Chargers (-4.5) 777
Tampa Bay (+7.5) 371 Dallas (-7.5) 388
Buffalo (+13) 474 New England (-13) 304
Atlanta (-3.5) 404 Carolina (+3.5) 398
Jacksonville (+4) 253 Miami (-4) 626
N.Y. Giants (+9.5) 441 Indianapolis (-9.5) 351
Houston (+2.5) 568 Philadelphia (-2.5) 711
Minnesota (-5.5) 670 Detroit (+5.5) 323
Green Bay (-2.5) 421 N.Y. Jets (+2.5) 296
Cincinnati (+8.5) 335 Cleveland (-8.5) 421
L.A. Rams (-14) 169 Arizona +14) 275
Chicago (-4) 735 San Francisco (+4) 468
Pittsburgh (+6) 483 New Orleans (-6) 585
Kansas City (-2.5) 466 Seattle (+2.5) 884
Denver (-2.5) 273 Oakland (+2.5) 427

Consensus Results - 2017 | 2016

WEEKLY AND OVERALL CONSENSUS RECORDS
Week Consensus Record Overall Record Percentage
1 4-1 4-1 80%
2 0-5 4-6 40%
3 3-2 7-8 47%
4 3-2 10-10 50%
5 1-4 11-14 44%
6 1-4 12-18 40%
7 4-1 16-19 46%
8 5-0 21-19 53%
9 5-0 26-19 58%
10 2-3 28-22 56%
11 2-3 30-25 55%
12 2-3 32-28 53%
13 2-3 34-31 52%
14 2-3 36-34 51%
15 2-3 38-37 51%
16 - - -
17 - - -

**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:41 AM

Gridiron Angles - Week 16
December 22, 2018
By Vince Akins

NFL CHOICE TRENDS:

-- The Chiefs are 10-0 OU (13.05 ppg) since Dec 01, 2013 and after a loss where they rushed for a touchdown.

-- The Browns are 0-11 OU (-9.68 ppg) since Oct 12, 2003 as a home favorite coming off a road game in which they outgained their opponent

NFL PLAY ON ATS TREND:

-- The Saints are 11-0 ATS (14.1 ppg) since Jan 16, 2010 at home when their last two games both went under the total.

NFL PLAY AGAINST TREND:

-- The Cowboys are 0-12 ATS (-7.8 ppg) since Dec 13, 2009 as a home favorite coming off a where they failed to cover by at least seven points.

TOP NFL PLAYER ATS TREND:

-- The Texans are 0-8 ATS (-7.3 ppg) since Dec 03, 2017 coming off a game where Deandre Hopkins had at least seven receptions.

TOP NFL PLAYER OU TREND:

-- The Dolphins are 7-0-1 OU (8.9 ppg) since Sep 18, 2016 when Ryan Tannehill threw for at least 300 yards last time they faced this team.

NFL O/U UNDER TREND:

-- The Eagles are 0-11 OU (-12.8 ppg) since Oct 20, 2013 at home coming off a win where they scored at least seven points more than expected.

NFL O/U OVER TREND:

-- The Packers are 10-0 OU (8.3 ppg) since Dec 03, 2015 on the road when they scored fewer points than expected last game.

NFL BIBLE O/U ACTIVE TREND:

-- The Vikings are 0-12 OU (-9.58 ppg) vs a divisional opponent on turf after a game in which they had fewer than 10 incompletions.

NFL BIBLE ATS ACTIVE TREND:

-- The Vikings are 13-0 ATS (11.42 ppg) after a home win in which Adam Thielen didn’t have a 22+ yard reception

NFL OU SYSTEM:

-- Dogs of more than 10 points which threw for at least three times as many yards as they ran for last game are 109-64-4 OU. Active on Arizona.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:46 AM

Total Talk - Week 16
December 22, 2018
By Chris David

Scoreboard operators weren’t that busy in Week 15 and that lack of production helped the ‘under’ go 9-6-1. The 16-game slate saw not one but two shutouts posted and both of the totals that closed in the thirties easily fell below their numbers. Through 15 weeks, the ‘under’ owns a 117-106-1 mark.

2018 TOTAL RESULTS - GAME & HALVES

O/U Game 1st Half 2nd Half
Week 15 6-9-1 6-10 6-9-1

O/U Game 1st Half 2nd Half
Year-to-Date 106-117-1 110-114 97-121-6

2018 RESULTS - OTHER
O/U AFC-NFC Divisional Indoor Coast to Coast
Week 15 1-5 2-2 1-1 1-0-1

O/U AFC-NFC Divisional Indoor Coast to Coast
Year-to-Date 28-26 34-39 19-23 11-6-1
Line Moves and Public Leans

Listed below are the largest line moves for Week 16 as of Saturday morning per BookMaker.eu.

L.A. Rams at Arizona: 47 ½ to 44
Tampa Bay at Dallas: 46 to 48
Cincinnati at Cleveland: 46 to 44
Denver at Oakland: 45 to 43
Buffalo at New England: 45 ½ to 44

Listed below are the five largest leans for Week 16 per the betting trend percentages on the VI Matchup index as of Saturday morning.

L.A. Rams at Arizona: Under 93%
Cincinnati at Cleveland: Under 85%
Buffalo at New England: Over 80%
Chicago at San Francisco: Over 80%
Minnesota at Detroit: Under 77%

Bragging Rights

This will be the last week of non-conference action until the NFC and AFC square off in Super Bowl 53 next February. The ‘over’ has gone 28-26 on the season in these matchups but the ‘under’ went 5-1 last week. Tennessee and Washington will meet on Saturday afternoon before the final five games take place on Sunday.

N.Y. Giants at Indianapolis: The Colts enter this game on a 5-0 ‘under’ run and they’ve seen the ‘under’ go 3-0 versus their first three NFC East opponents this season. The Indianapolis defense is very underrated and that unit has only allowed 12.2 points per game during the current streak to the low side. Knowing that, I’m a little surprised the total (48) is this high and we just saw the Giants get shutout 17-0 at home last Sunday to the Titans. However, New York was averaging 31.4 PPG in its previous five games before the bagel.

Houston at Philadelphia: Playing the ‘under’ at Lincoln Financial Field has been golden again this season with the Eagles going 6-1 to the low side. Quarterback Nick Foles filled in nicely last week for the Birds at the Rams and you wonder if he can improve the offensive numbers (21.3 PPG) at home. If you’re leaning high in this matchup, then you need Houston to convert with sixes instead of threes. The Texans have 32 offensive touchdowns and 34 field goals this season.

Green Bay at N.Y. Jets: The Packers have seen the ‘under’ go 3-0 in their three games versus the AFC this season. New York enters this game on a 4-1 ‘over’ run and weak defensive numbers (29.2 PG) have contributed to that cause. QB Aaron Rodgers (groin) could be on a short leash due to injury and it’s tough to gauge what you’ll get from the Packers knowing they’ve been eliminated from the playoffs.

Pittsburgh at New Orleans: The Saints enter this game on a 5-0 ‘under’ run yet this total is still listed in the fifties (53). Pittsburgh hasn’t show much offensively (22.9 PPG) on the road but New Orleans is a juggernaut at home (38 PPG) and it hasn’t played at the Superdome since Thanksgiving. A lot of ‘cappers are buying Pittsburgh as an underdog and that’s understandable knowing that the Steelers have gone 4-0 in that role this season while averaging 24.5 PPG.

Kansas City at Seattle: (See Below)

Divisional Matchups

Buffalo at New England: The ‘under’ has cashed in four of the last six in this series, which includes New England’s 25-6 win at Buffalo in Week 8. The Bills have struggled scoring on the road (15.1 PPG) and that’s led to a 5-2 ‘under’ mark. New England has certainly been more potent offensively (33.5 PPG) at Foxboro but a strong defense (19.7 PPG) has produced a 4-2 ‘under’ mark at home. The Patriots enter this game on 6-1 ‘under’ run and after losing two straight games, most are expecting this to be a ‘get-right’ game on both sides of the ball.

Atlanta at Carolina: Tough total to handicap due to the injury to Carolina QB Cam Newton and nobody knows what to expect from rookie Taylor Heinicke. The Panthers enter this game on a six-game losing skid and they weren’t scoring with Cam, which helped the ‘under’ go 4-2. Will the kid turn them around? The ‘over’ (43 ½) cashed in the first meeting between the pair in Week 2 as Atlanta posted a 31-24 win at home. The Falcons are coming off a season-high 40-point effort last Sunday as they closed their home slate over the limited Cardinals. Unfortunately for Atlanta, the offense (20 PPG) hasn’t travelled well this season and the defense (27.2 PPG) remains shaky.

Minnesota at Detroit: This series has leaned heavily to the ‘under’ with eight of the last 10 going to the low side. Minnesota captured a 24-9 home win over Detroit in Week 9 and the total on that game was 47. For the rematch, we’re looking at 42 and you can argue it should be lower even though the Vikings exploded for 41 last Sunday at home versus Miami. The Lions offense has been decimated this season due to injuries and trades. The unit is averaging 15.8 PPG in their last eight games, which has led to a 7-1 ‘under’ mark. Minnesota hasn’t been as sharp defensively on the road (25 PPG) but seeing Detroit get in this neighborhood seems like a stretch.

Cincinnati at Cleveland: The script has flipped in this Ohio matchup with the Browns now listed as heavy favorites over the Bengals. Cleveland diced up Cincinnati 35-20 in Week 12 on the road and the ‘over’ (47) cashed. The total has dropped for the rematch to 44 and Cleveland enters this game on a 3-0 ‘under’ run while the Bengals are 2-0-1 to the low side in their last three.

L.A. Rams at Arizona: The pair met in Los Angeles in Week 2 with the Rams blanking the Cardinals 34-0 and the ‘under’ (43) was never in doubt. The books made a mistake with this week’s opener (47 ½) and the number was chewed down to 44 quickly. L.A. hasn’t been sharp lately and it enters this game off two consecutive losses. Arizona is ranked last in scoring (13.7 PPG) and expecting them to eclipse that number is a reach. I’d be very surprised to see the Rams (-14) lose this game to the Cardinals, who could easily be 0-14 right now. Expecting a similar outcome to the first meeting is very possible but the status of Rams running back Todd Gurley (knee) could keep the offensive output in check.

Denver at Oakland: (See Below)

Under the Lights

The ‘over’ went 2-1 last week in the primetime games and both of the tickets to the high side needed some late help, which was given in both the Chargers-Chiefs matchup on Thursday and the Eagles-Rams game on Sunday. Through 46 primetime games, the ‘over’ sits at 24-22 in games played under the lights this season.

Primetime Total Results (O/U): TNF (10-5), SNF (6-9), MNF (8-8)

Kansas City at Seattle: Along with the Saints-Steelers, this is the only other total listed in the fifties this week. While a couple tickets could’ve gone the other way, the Chiefs have seen the ‘over’ cash in their last four games. On the road, Kansas City has been a great ‘over’ bet (6-1). Seattle has gone 5-1 to the ‘over’ in the second-half of the season and the offense (29.1 PPG) has been clicking lately.

Denver at Oakland: This Christmas Eve matchup looks like a toss-up and some pundits believe it could be the final game for the Raiders in Oakland. The ‘under’ has cashed in the last four encounters between the pair and that includes a 20-19 win by Denver in Week 2 at home. If you’re leaning to the high side, then you’re expecting the Broncos to take advantage of Oakland’s worst scoring defense (29.9 PPG).

Fearless Predictions

After the early games concluded, I thought our teaser was looking golden but I guess I underestimated the issue with both the Patriots and Steelers. We caught a push and that alleviated the weekly loss ($110) but we lost another piece of our bankroll ($755). As always, Press, Pass or Fade but in the end – Good Luck and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Best Over: Tampa Bay-Dallas 48
Best Under: L.A. Rams-Arizona 44
Best Team Total: Over Kansas City Chiefs 28

Three-Team Total Teaser (+7.5, +105)
Over Tampa Bay-Dallas 40 ½
Under Jacksonville-Miami 45 ½
Under Chicago-San Francisco 51

**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:49 AM

Sunday Blitz - Week 16
December 22, 2018
By Kevin Rogers

GAMES TO WATCH

Texans at Eagles (-2 ½, 46 ½) – 1:00 PM EST

Houston (10-4 SU, 6-7-1 ATS) is on the doorstep of capturing the AFC South title following an 0-3 start. The Texans rebounded from a 24-21 home loss to the Colts in Week 14 to hold off the Jets last Saturday, 29-22. Houston jumped out to an early 16-3 lead, but New York rallied to grab a 22-19 fourth quarter advantage. Deshaun Watson hit DeAndre Hopkins on a 14-yard touchdown connection with 2:15 remaining to give Houston the lead and a late field goal to push on the closing side of seven.

In spite of a disappointing start, the Eagles (7-7 SU, 5-9 ATS) are still in the mix to win the NFC East after last season’s Super Bowl hero bailed them out last week. Nick Foles paced the Philadelphia offense with 270 yards passing as the Eagles held off the Rams, 30-23 to cash as heavy 13 ½-point underdogs. The Eagles rushed for three touchdowns as Philadelphia cashed in the underdog role for the first time this season.

The Texans will be without running back Lamar Miller (1,080 yards), who is out with an ankle injury. Houston has never beaten Philadelphia in four lifetime meetings, as the Eagles beat the Texans as short road favorites in their last matchup in 2014. The Eagles look to improve on a 2-5 ATS record in the role of a home favorite this season, while the Texans have won and covered in their last two opportunities as a road ‘dog.

Best Bet: Eagles 26, Texans 20

Buccaneers at Cowboys (-7, 48) – 1:00 PM EST

For the second straight season, Tampa Bay (5-9 SU, 6-7-1 ATS) will finish with a losing record as the Bucs are coming off consecutive defeats to the Saints and Ravens. The offense didn’t fare well the last two weeks by scoring a total of 26 points, while barely covering as 8 ½-point underdogs in a 20-12 defeat at Baltimore. Tampa Bay has hit the UNDER in four straight games, while the Bucs are seeking their first road victory since the Week 1 upset of New Orleans.

The Cowboys (8-6 SU, 8-6 ATS) saw their five-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt in last week’s 23-0 shutout at Indianapolis. Dak Prescott failed to throw a touchdown pass for the third time this season, while Amari Cooper was limited to 32 yards receiving after amassing 217 yards in the Week 14 overtime win against Philadelphia. The good news for the Cowboys is Dallas looks to improve on a 6-1 record at AT&T Stadium, while covering in five of those victories.

This is the second time this season that Dallas is listed as a touchdown favorite, as the Cowboys held off the Redskins on Thanksgiving, 31-23. The last time these teams hooked up came in 2016 as Dallas won, 26-20, but the Buccaneers covered as seven-point underdogs. Tampa Bay is seeking its first win in “Big D” since the season opener of 2001.

Best Bet: Cowboys 28, Buccaneers 24

Steelers at Saints (-6 ½, 53) – 4:25 PM EST

In spite of dropping three consecutive games from Week 12 through Week 14, Pittsburgh (8-5-1 SU, 7-6-1 ATS) is back in first place in the AFC North after holding off New England, 17-10 as 2 ½-point home underdogs last Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger tossed a pair of touchdowns, including a 17-yard connection to Antonio Brown to give the Steelers a 14-7 second quarter lead. Pittsburgh improved to 4-0 SU/ATS in the underdog role, while receiving their most points in a regular season game since being listed as a 7 ½-point ‘dog to New England in an 11-point loss in 2016.

The Saints (12-2 SU, 10-4 ATS) are playing their first game at the Superdome since Thanksgiving night as New Orleans is coming off a 2-1 road trip. After Dallas put a halt to New Orleans’ 10-game winning streak in Week 13, the Saints rallied past the Buccaneers the next week, then edged the Panthers, 12-9 last Monday night. New Orleans had several opportunities to cover as six-point favorites, but a late fumble out of the end zone resulted in a touchback and killed a chance for an ATS win.

The defense has stepped up of late for the Saints by limiting their last six opponents to 17 points or less, while hitting the UNDER in five straight contests. Pittsburgh is riding a five-game UNDER streak away from Heinz Field, as its last road OVER came in Week 3 at Tampa Bay. The Saints have won the last two matchups with the Saints since 2010, including a 35-32 triumph at Heinz Field in 2014 as 3 ½-point underdogs.

Best Bet: Saints 31, Steelers 20

SUPERCONTEST PICKS

Kevin Rogers (4-1 last week, 37-36-2 this season)
Jaguars +4
Jets +2 ½
Giants +9 ½
Bears -4
Saints -6

Chris David (3-2 last week, 48-26-1 this season)
Panthers +3 ½
Patriots -13
Jaguars +4
Texans +2 ½
Jets +2 ½

BEST TOTAL PLAY

UNDER 44 ½ - Bengals at Browns (1-0 last week, 9-6 this season)

Cleveland routed Cincinnati in its last matchup at Paul Brown Stadium, 35-20 last month. The Browns have cashed three straight UNDERS since that win, while finishing UNDER the total in four of the past six home contests. The Bengals have scored 21 points or fewer in five of the last six games, as Cincinnati dropped 30 points on Oakland last Sunday. The last four meetings in Cleveland have finished UNDER the total as this game should continue the trend.

TRAP OF THE WEEK

The Dolphins have compiled an impressive 6-1 record at Hard Rock Stadium as Miami hosts Jacksonville in its home finale. The Jaguars have lost five of six road games with the last victory away from north Florida coming in Week 1 against the Giants. Miami has covered in all three opportunities as a home favorite of 3 ½ points or less, while the Jaguars have won once since the start of October. Something doesn’t seem right with the Dolphins laying 3 ½ against Cody Kessler.

BIGGEST LINE MOVE

The Panthers opened as 3 ½-point favorites against the Falcons at the Westgate Superbook last week. However, after the announcement of Carolina shutting down quarterback Cam Newton for the rest of the season, the Panthers flipped to a 2 ½-point underdog. Carolina has lost six straight games since a 6-2 start as they turn to former Old Dominion standout Tyler Heinicke to try and end this skid. The Falcons own a 1-5 road record, while being listed as a road favorite for the second time this season.

BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW

The 49ers are the first team since 2001 to be listed as a home underdog in three consecutive weeks, while winning in the first two opportunities. San Francisco beat Denver and Seattle in the first two chances, as the Niners welcome in the Bears as a ‘dog once again. In case you were wondering, two teams fell into that situation in ’01 as both the Redskins and Seahawks fell into this rare system. Seattle lost to Miami and Washington beat Seattle, so there isn’t a huge sample size, just an interesting nugget.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:52 AM

Big NFL Week 16 of interconference matchups
December 22, 2018
By The Associated Press

For interconference matchups in the next-to-last week of the season, the NFL couldn't have done much better. Pittsburgh at New Orleans, Houston at Philadelphia, Kansas City at Seattle, and Washington at Tennessee all had significant playoff implications.

Not a bad way to head into the final two weekends.

''I think the message for the whole team is we're not satisfied with where we're at,'' says Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City can clinch the top seed in the AFC and win the AFC West under certain circumstances.

''We wanted to put ourselves in this position, but at the same time, we know we still have a long way to go. We're going to keep in that mentality the rest of this season and into the playoffs (of) not being satisfied with just being here. We want to make sure we can go and win the big games whenever we need to.''

Well, there are a lot of big games on Saturday and Sunday.

Pittsburgh (8-5-1) at New Orleans (12-2)

NFC South champion New Orleans gets home-field edge for the conference playoffs by winning here, though it can happen in other ways, too. Pittsburgh's situation is precarious: The Steelers snapped a three-game slide by beating New England, but has no postseason guarantee yet. There are scenarios for them to secure the division, and others, with two losses, that keep them from making the postseason.

Pittsburgh's previous victory in New Orleans came in 1990. The Saints are 5-1 in the Superdome, averaging 38 points. Drew Brees' 74.9 percent completion rate leads the NFL. He holds the single-season record at 72 percent. During their six home games, Brees has completed 77.7 percent (153 of 197) for 1,925 yards (320.8 per game) with 20 TDs and one interception.

Kansas City (11-3) at Seattle (8-6)

Although the Chiefs are safely into the postseason and in strong position, one loss could sink them to a wild card. Their prolific offense leads the league in points per game (35.6), yards per play (6.78) and yards per game (427.3). But it will be tested in Seattle, which had quite a misstep in a loss at lowly San Francisco last Sunday, but has a physical, aggressive defense and top-ranked running game.

Yet it's KC defensive tackle Chris Jones who has the gaudiest numbers. He had 2+ sacks last week and has at least one sack in 10 straight games, an NFL record. Jones has 14 for the season.

The Seahawks must win and have some other things occur to secure an NFC wild-card spot.

Houston (10-4) at Philadelphia (7-7)

The defending Super Bowl champ Eagles must win out and it still might not be enough to get to January. Then again, 9-7 also could win the NFC East. That's how jumbled things are.

''We're fighting for our lives right now. It's a little different for us, different feel,'' says coach Doug Pederson, whose team had the NFC's best record in 2017.

Houston has the AFC's second seed behind Kansas City and will have a wild-card bye if it wins out. But the Texans don't own the AFC South title yet, though it comes by beating Philly. Making the playoffs is very likely after a 0-3 start.

''It really doesn't matter how you win, you just have to win,'' says star DE J.J. Watt, in the midst of a sensational comeback season. ''We've kind of heard it all year: `This. That. They didn't.' We won. I don't care how we win, I just want to win. I don't care if people think it's pretty, I don't care if they like it, if they don't like it, I just want to win.''

Titans 25, Redskins 16

Blaine Gabbert threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt with 4:30 left and the Titans kept their playoff hopes alive by rallying to beat the Redskins on Saturday.

Gabbert came off the bench for the third time this season after the Redskins knocked Marcus Mariota out of the game late in the first half with a stinger. Gabbert hit Taywan Taylor for 35 yards to jump-start the winning drive, Derrick Henry ran four times for 33 yards, his last an 18-yarder to the 2. Gabbert then hit Pruitt at the back of the end zone.

The Titans (9-6) now must beat Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts and have either Baltimore or Pittsburgh lose once to earn the AFC's second wild-card spot for a second consecutive playoff berth.

Safety Kevin Byard intercepted Josh Johnson's pass on third-and-3 with 1:17 left. Then Malcolm Butler picked off a pass as time expired and ran 56 yards for an emphatic TD.

The Redskins (7-8) have lost five of six.

Ravens 22, Chargers 10

Lamar Jackson threw for 204 yards and had the longest touchdown pass of his brief career, and the Ravens strengthened their chances of clinching a playoff spot.

The Ravens (9-6) - who have won five of their last six with Jackson as the starter - dominated for most of the night to remain in possession of the last wild-card spot. They briefly trailed 10-6 early in the third quarter before Jackson completed a 68-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews.

Justin Tucker's third field goal extended the lead to six and they put it away late in the fourth quarter when Patrick Onwuaso forced Antonio Gates' fumble and Tavon Young returned it 62 yards.

Jackson, the 32nd overall draft pick in April, had his first 200-yard passing game, completing 12 of 22. He had come into the game averaging 146.2 yards in the previous five games. Gus Edwards had 92 yards on 14 carries, and Jackson had 39 yards on 13 carries.

The Ravens' top-ranked defense frustrated the Chargers (11-4). Philip Rivers was 23 of 37 for 181 yards, sacked four times, threw an interception and didn't have a touchdown pass for the first time this season.

Los Angeles (11-4) has clinched a playoff spot, but its hopes of winning the AFC West suffered a major blow.

New York Giants (5-9) at Indianapolis (8-6)

Indy is another AFC wild-card contender that probably needs two victories, which would include the finale at Tennessee. Andrew Luck, like Watt, is having a monster return season from injury, and needs 49 yards passing for a fourth 4,000-yard season.

''I've been a part of teams where you sit and say, `We need this to happen with this.' It doesn't work like that,'' Luck says. ''You've got to handle your own business.''

That means trying to shut down RB Saquon Barkley, who needs seven catches to break Reggie Bush's record for receptions (88) by a rookie. Barkley is tied with former Colts star Edgerrin James for second-most games with 100 yards from scrimmage by an NFL rookie (12). He also needs 191 scrimmage yards to join James and Eric Dickerson as the only rookies with 2,000 yards from scrimmage.

Buffalo (5-9) at New England (9-5)

For the third straight week, the Patriots can secure their 10th straight AFC East crown. Considering their success against Buffalo, well, here are the numbers:

-Patriots will be looking for their 26th season sweep over the Bills and 14th series sweep since 2000.

-Bill Belichick has an 86-30 (.741) all-time regular-season record against the AFC East as Patriots coach.

-Tom Brady owns a 29-3 record against the Bills. Brady's 29 wins against Buffalo are the most by a quarterback against any single opponent.

-New England is 6-0 at home.

Los Angeles Rams (11-3) at Arizona (3-11)

Things have turned sour for the Rams, who for the first time under second-year coach Sean McVay have lost two in a row. Of course, their gaudy record already has earned them the NFC West championship and they get a wild-card round bye with two victories.

In what appears a mismatch, the Rams have gone 3-0 and outscored Arizona 99-16 under McVay. Still, in the past three games, Jared Goff has one TD pass and six interceptions.

Los Angeles DT Aaron Donald leads the NFL with 16+ sacks.

The Cardinals have lost eight games by 10 or more points and four by at least 20.

Chicago (10-4) at San Francisco (4-10)

Chicago's turnaround season has brought its first playoff berth since 2010 as NFC North champs. With two victories, the Bears could find themselves with a first-round bye, but more likely will be seeded third.

Matt Nagy is Chicago's first rookie coach with 10 wins since George Halas went 10-1-2 in 1920, the first year for the franchise then known as the Decatur Staleys. The Bears lead the NFL in takeaways (35), turnover margin (plus-13), interceptions (26) and points off turnovers (107).

Niners TE George Kittle has 1,154 yards receiving and needs 26 more to post the most for San Francisco since Terrell Owens had 1,300 in 2002.

Tampa Bay (5-9) at Dallas (8-6)

A win gives Dallas the NFC East. The Cowboys come off a shutout loss at Indy that ended a five-game winning streak. They are 9-1 at home in the regular season against Tampa.

Dallas has a 20-game streak of not allowing 30 or more points, its longest since a 26-game run in 1993-94. The key here might be slowing WR Mike Evans, who was overlooked for the Pro Bowl despite being second in the NFL to Julio Jones with 1,328 yards receiving. Evans needs 95 yards to break Mark Carrier's club record of 1,422 from 1989.

Minnesota (7-6-1) at Detroit (5-9)

The Vikings can clinch a wild card with a win and help despite a stagnant offense. And Detroit's offense is worse.

The Lions have not scored more than 22 points since Oct. 21, and Minnesota has an NFL-best 47 sacks. Minnesota sacked Matthew Stafford 10 times in their previous meeting, and had nine against Miami last week.

Atlanta (5-9) at Carolina (6-8)

No Cam Newton here thanks to a bad shoulder that has hampered his throwing; Taylor Heinicke makes his first career start.

The Panthers have dropped six in a row, but Atlanta is 1-5 on the road even though Matt Ryan has 12 TD passes and three interceptions in the past five away games.

Carolina RB Christian McCaffrey set the single-season franchise record last week for total yards from scrimmage. McCaffrey needs 21 yards rushing and 132 yards receiving to become the third NFL running back with 1,000 yards in both categories. McCaffrey needs six receptions for 100.

Cincinnati (6-8) at Cleveland (6-7-1)

Lots of excitement in Cleveland, with hopes the Browns will go from 0-16 to a winning record. The tide along Lake Erie certainly seems to have turned.

The Browns haven't swept the Ohio season series since 2002. Former Browns coach Hue Jackson returns for the first time since being fired Oct. 29 and can expect anything but open arms from Cleveland fans.

Running back Joe Mixon needs 5 yards to become the first Bengal to rush for 1,000 in a season since Jeremy Hill in 2014. Mixon leads the AFC with 995 yards rushing and 207 carries.

Jacksonville (4-10) at Miami (7-7)

Miami's first game at home since the miracle play to beat New England . The inconsistent Dolphins probably need that kind of stuff to sneak into the postseason.

A year ago, the Jaguars were a Super Bowl contender. In 2018, they made the league's biggest collapse. Look for a new QB and possible replacement for Doug Marrone as coach.

Denver (6-8) at Oakland (3-11), Monday night

Nice way to end Monday night this season, eh? The Broncos won 11 of the past 14 in this series. Oakland coach Jon Gruden is 1-10 in his career vs. Denver.

This could be the final game at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders have no lease for 2019 and could find a temporary home before moving to Las Vegas in 2020.

Green Bay (5-8-1) at New York Jets (4-10)

Aaron Rodgers plans to play for the Packers, saying sitting out the final two meaningless games would undermine his leadership.

Jets kicker Jason Myers and kick returner Andre Roberts made the Pro Bowl. At least they have that.

**Udog** · 12-23-2018, 10:08 AM

Sharps, public hammer Eagles' odds for NFL Week 16 battle vs. Texans
Patrick Everson

Coach Doug Pederson and Philadelphia are still alive in the hunt for an NFC playoff berth. The Eagles opened as 3.5-point home underdogs against Houston, but were bet up to 2.5-point favorites.

Week 16 of the NFL season has an intriguing 13-game Sunday slate. We check in on the action and line movement for four of those contests, with insights from Derek Wilkinson, supervisor at The SuperBook at Westgate in Las Vegas.

Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles – Open: +3.5; Move: +1; Move: Pick; Move: -1; Move: -1.5; Move: -2; Move: -2.5; Move: -1.5; Move: -2; Move: -1.5; Move: -2.5

Defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia kept its playoff hopes alive in Week 15, pulling off one of the bigger upsets of the season. The Eagles (7-7 SU, 5-9 ATS) went off as 13.5-point underdogs at the Los Angeles Rams in the Sunday nighter, but exited with a 30-23 outright victory.

Houston had its nine-game SU win streak (6-3 ATS) halted by Indianapolis in Week 14, but bounced back in Week 15. The Texans (10-4 SU, 6-7-1 ATS) beat the New York Jets 29-22 to push as 7-point road favorites.

Prior to the Eagles’ Sunday night upset, The SuperBook opened the Texans -3.5 for today’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff in Philly. However, the line was taken off the board during that Sunday night game, and when it was rehung Monday, the Texans were down to -1. The line quickly jumped the fence from there and is now 6 points from where it started.

“Almost all the money is on the Eagles, and it looks like some sharp bets as well,” Wilkinson said, noting wiseguys and the public are on Philadelphia. “I’m surprised it moved that much. They believe in Nick Foles.”

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – Open: -10.5; Move: -12; Move: -12.5; Move: -12; Move: -11.5; Move: -12; Move: -12.5; Move: -13; Move: -12.5; Move: -13.5

This 1 p.m. ET start looks like a nothingburger of a game, but New England is getting pounded at The SuperBook, after a rare two-game losing streak. Last week, the Patriots (9-5 SU, 8-6 ATS) lost to Pittsburgh 17-10 as 2.5-point road favorites, following a stunning last-second loss at Miami.

Buffalo put a 2-6 SU slide (3-5 ATS) to rest in Week 15, but just barely. The Bills (5-9 SU and ATS) edged Detroit 14-13 on a fourth-quarter touchdown, failing to cover as 2.5-point home favorites.

“That’s gonna be our biggest decision of the day,” Wilkinson said. “We’ve got a ton of liability on New England. Everybody and their mom is putting money on the Patriots. No sharp guys are betting on the Bills, either. We’re in a hole right now with the Patriots.

“Unfortunately, we’ll be rooting for the Bills, which is never a position you want to be in.”

Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints – Open: -6.5; Move: -5.5; Move: -6; Move: -6.5

Pittsburgh had control of the AFC North a month ago, but now is in a dogfight with Baltimore, after the Ravens beat the Chargers on Saturday night. The Steelers (8-5-1 SU, 7-6-1 ATS) halted a three-game SU and ATS skid in Week 15 by holding off New England 17-10 as 2.5-point home favorites.

New Orleans is on the brink of clinching the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and can do so with a win in this 4:25 p.m. ET clash. The Saints (12-2 SU, 10-3 ATS) slogged their way to a 12-9 Monday night victory over Carolina as 6-point home faves in Week 15.

“Our liability right now is on the Saints, so we need the Steelers,” Wilkinson said. “But it’s not a big decision yet. I’m sure we’ll get much more money (today).”

Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks – Open: +2.5; Move: +2; Move: +1.5

Kansas City got some breathing room in its quest for the top seed in the AFC, thanks to the Los Angeles Chargers falling to Baltimore on Saturday night. In the Week 15 Thursday nighter, the Chiefs (11-3 SU, 8-5-1 ATS) blew a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead against the Chargers, losing 29-28 as 3.5-point home favorites.

Seattle put together a four-game SU streak to get into the NFC playoff picture, but stubbed its toe in Week 15. The Seahawks (8-6 SU, 8-4-2 ATS) were 3.5-point favorites at San Francisco and lost outright 26-23 in overtime.

“A lot of money on the Seahawks. A few five-figure bets, one at +2.5 and one at +1.5, from house players though,” Wilkinson said of the Sunday nighter, an 8:20 p.m. ET start. “The public for sure likes the Seahawks. We’re probably gonna need the Chiefs, but I think we’ll get some K.C. money late, so that game should even out some.”

**Udog** · 12-23-2018, 10:13 AM

Essentials - Week 16
Tony Mejia

Sunday
Tampa Bay at Dallas (-5.5/45.5), 1 p.m. ET, FOX: Last week’s 23-0 loss in Indianapolis shut down a five-game winning streak, but that run still has them in great shape to win the NFC East since it includes a pair of wins over the second-place Eagles. Taking care of business at home against the Bucs would take a lot of pressure off a Week 17 visit game at the Giants, but it’s going to require getting the offense back on track against a defense that has improved over the past five games, surrendering 20 or fewer points in four of six after spending the first half of the season near the bottom of the league due to injuries and poor play. Jameis Winston is struggling to generate offense and does get De’Sean Jackson back as a target, but those two have never enjoyed great chemistry. It’s no coincidence Jackson is coming back specifically for this game after being out all month with various ailments.

The Bucs boarded a plane to Texas specifically to play spoiler, so the Cowboys don’t have the luxury of being complacent. Key LB Sean Lee will be available for more action than he saw last week and offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Zack Martin should play, although Martin’s status is more tenuous due to a knee issue. Tampa Bay has seen the ‘under’ prevail in four straight games and came in last week despite being set lower (44.5) than it had been all season.

Buffalo at New England (-3/49), 1 p.m. ET, CBS:The Patriots won the first meeting between these teams 25-6, but Tom Brady failed to throw a touchdown pass and New England didn’t pull away until the fourth quarter, settling for four field goals through the first three quarters. Derek Anderson was the quarterback for the Bills in Week 8, so rookie Josh Allen will be getting his first taste of Bill Belichick’s sting. The veteran coach eats first-year signal callers the way the rest of us consume late-night sweets, snacking on them without fail. New England has owned Buffalo, so this game has the potential to restore order considering it has dropped consecutive games for the second time this season despite being a road favorite in Miami and Pittsburgh.

Of course, struggling to put away the Bills would further hammer in the narrative that New England is falling off, one that has been proven wrong over and over again the past few years but only needs to come to fruition once to change everything. Rob Gronkowski has been dealing with back and ankle issues that contributed to him catching just two passes last week and Josh Gordon stepped away due to an impending suspension after his latest positive drug test, so Brady will have to solve a talented defense with depleted options. Rookie Sony Michel has only reached the end zone once in the past six games. Buffalo will have DT Kyle Williams and RB LeSean McCoy in the fold to try and put an dent in a stretch that has seen it drop 32 of 36 games against New England since 2000. Both of the Bills’ wins in Foxboro during that stretch have come via shutout. Temperatures will hover around 40 degrees, but it it is otherwise expected to be a mild December day at Gillette Stadium.

Atlanta at Carolina (-1.5/46.5), 1 p.m. ET, FOX: The Panthers are giving Cam Newton the week off to rest the ailing shoulder he’s been playing on for the past few months, essentially ending their playoff pursuit. The Falcons are already done, having been besieged by injuries and inconsistent play, but they come off a 40-point outburst in their home finale against Arizona last week and are favored here with Julio Jones cleared to play after suffering a rib injury last week. The defense held the Saints to 12 points last week with LB Deion Jones back and will have DT Terrell McClain and corner Desmond Trufant available to make life difficult on first-time starter Taylor Heinicke, who has completed three of five passes in his short career. The 25-year-old was born in Atlanta and played at Suwannee H.S. before becoming attending Old Dominion. The Falcons have won five of six in this series and may further benefit from Carolina pulling back some if RB Christian McCaffrey’s workload decreases.

Jacksonville at Miami (-3/38), 1 p.m. ET, CBS: Between these two, the Dolphins are alive for a playoff spot as they take the field for their home finale looking to go 7-1 at Hard Rock Stadium, where they’ve already beaten Tennessee, Chicago and New England. The Jaguars have dropped nine of 10, beating only the Colts (6-0, Dec. 2) and topping 20 points only twice within that stretch. QB Cody Kessler was the team’s leading rusher with 68 yards on six carries in last week’s 16-13 loss to Washington but finished just 9-for-17 for 57 yards through the air.

The Jaguars have only played in Miami twice since coming into the league, winning their first meeting in ’06 before losing 24-3 in their last trip back in 2012. Leonard Fournette will play, but it remains to be seen how much he can do as he comes in off a foot injury and hasn’t looked like himself throughout most of the season. The Dolphins hope to have LB Kiko Alonso out there despite a knee issue but have ruled out safety T.J. McDonald. RB Frank Gore was placed on IR, so fourth-round pick Kalen Ballage is expected to get more carries next to Kenyan Drake, who scored on a 69-yard miracle play last time he touched the ball at home against the Patriots. Miami fell 41-17 in Minnesota last week.

N.Y. Giants at Indianapolis (-1/43.5), 1 p.m. ET, CBS: The Colts also remain alive for a playoff spot but got no help on Saturday night with the Titans rallying past the ‘Skins and the Ravens pulling off an upset over the Chargers to each post their ninth victory. Indianapolis will visit Nashville next week and now needs to close on a four-game winning streak to try and reach the postseason. Andrew Luck threw touchdown passes in his first 11 games this season and had a run of eight games throwing at least three, but he’s come up empty in two of his three December outings. It’s vital that he gets up and running again and will have top target T.Y. Hilton back after being cleared to return despite an ankle sprain. New York’s Eli Manning has made it to Week 16 as the starter, which is a small wonder given how this season has gone for the Giants. Odell Beckham Jr. was ruled out for a second straight week but Manning will have Sterling Shepard to throw to after some concern that he’d join Russell Shepard and OBJ in missing this contest. The Colts will look to keep Saquon Barkley from finding a rhythm and will sell out to do so, which means Manning will have opportunities to push the ball downfield. Indianapolis impressively blanked the Cowboys last week but will be without a couple of key defenders here. Look for the x-factor here to be Indianapolis RB Marlon Mack, who touched it 28 times for 149 yards in last week’s win over Dallas and has scored eight touchdowns in eight wins. The Colts are 5-0 when he finds the end zone.

Houston at Philadelphia (-3/48.5), 1 p.m. ET, CBS: The Eagles are hoping Nick Foles’ magic can deliver another playoff appearance after he came up with another upset of the Rams last week, prevailing as a 13.5-point underdog. The defending champs have still been collectively outscored by seven points despite getting back to .500 after Carson Wentz was again lost for the season. The defense came up with a huge effort to aid the cause last week but is still a mess in the back due to injuries. The strength of the unit remains up front, so look for that group to try and make Deshaun Watson’s first visit to Philadelphia unpleasant. DT Fletcher Cox has been upgraded to probable, while guard Senio Kelemete remains questionable. The Texans will be without RB Lamar Miller, who didn’t make the trip after suffering an ankle injury in last weekend’s win over the Jets.

Houston has won 10 of 11 games to put itself in position to earn a first-round bye ahead of the Patriots, but would lose a head-to-head tie-breaker against them and need to stay one game clear by winning out. The Texans are expected to see D’Onta Foreman debut alongside Alfred Blue to try and minimize the damage over losing Miller. They won’t have rookie slot receiver Keke Coutee again but will have top target DeAndre Hopkins gutting it out through an ankle issue. Corner Kayvon Webster was activated from IR, which definitely helps since the availability of top CB Johnathan Joseph will be in question until game-time. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-40s for this one.

Minnesota (-3.5/54.5) at Detroit, 1 p.m. ET, FOX: The Vikings are hoping to celebrate Christmas with a playoff spot assured, but can only unwrap that present if the Texans aid their cause and they’re able to take care of business on the road against a division rival that they didn’t trail against once in a 24-9 Week 9 win to open November. DE Danielle Hunter recorded 3.5 sacks and scooped a fumble and rumbled into the end zone, so keeping him from Matthew Stafford is Detroit’s top priority. After dealing away Golden Tate and losing WR Marvin Jones, Jr. and rookie RB Kerryon Johnson for the season, the Lions offense has sputtered and hasn’t produced more than 17 points in any of the last four games. Top target Kenny Golladay (chest) has been cleared to play to aid the cause, while tackle Rick Wagner has been cleared from concussion protocol.

Minnesota’s defense has overcome a shaky start and is again imposing. The Vikings sacked Detroit 10 times and held Detroit to under 10 points, so Mike Zimmer will be counting on making sure Stafford doesn’t find a rhythm enough to play spoiler. Offensively, the Vikings must be wary of Matt Patricia’s defense, which does come in relatively healthy and has been productive over the past month-plus with DE Ziggy Ansah and top corner Darius Slay both in the mix. The Lions have dropped consecutive games against the Vikes.

Green Bay (-2.5/44.5) at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. ET, FOX: Aaron Rodgers continuing to play despite the Packers being eliminated is a mild surprise, but does speak volumes about his leadership after essentially winning a power struggle with the now fired Mike McCarthy. Any progress the Pack can make now will benefit them next year, so count on Rodgers continuing to work with rookie receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown, who will both be pressed into larger roles with Randall Cobb not in the mix. Tackle Bryan Bulaga has also been cleared to play, so Rodgers should have support up front.

The Jets have dropped seven of eight and haven’t won at home since rookie Sam Darnold won a shootout against Andrew Luck and the Colts way back on Oct. 14. He won’t have top target Quincy Enunwa and lost RBs Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell weeks ago, so Darnold is working short-handed. Rodgers will have Jamaal Williams as his primary back since Aaron Jones was lost to an ankle injury last week. Temperatures in East Rutherford will be in the low 40s with mild wind, so the quarterbacks won’t have to battle the elements.

Cincinnati at Cleveland (-5/52.5), 1 p.m. ET, CBS: The Browns have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, but remain engaged as they try to win out in order to finish above .500. A lot has been made about the Browns being such a heavy favorite for this matchup, but the Bengals do arrive in town depleted and got beat 35-20 at home a few weeks ago in a game where Andy Dalton was lost for the season and backup QB Jeff Driskel came in and produced a few scores to try and save face. Cleveland has won four of five games and has really responded to the play-calling of Freddie Kitchens on the offensive side of the ball in addition to Gregg Williams’ aggressive defense.

The Bengals lost WR Tyler Boyd and have been without A.J. Green as well, so Driskel will have to beat the Browns’ blitz with his legs and perhaps the speedy John Ross in addition to a heavy dose of the screen game with Joe Mixon featured. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict is questionable to return for a defense that has already been without numerous key contributors. Cleveland is favored to sweep the Bengals for the first time since ’02. The Browns secondary should be at full strength since Jabrill Peppers hopes to return from a neck injury and standout rookie safety Denzel Ward has cleared concussion protocol. There will be some wind gusts to deal with, but temperatures will be above freezing throughout this contest.

L.A. Rams (-3.5/40) at Arizona, 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX: - The availability of standout running back Todd Gurley will be up in the air until just before kickoff since he’s looking to play but the team wants him to warm up so they can feel comfortable with his knee injury being a thing of the past. Although they’re looking to lock up homefield advantage in the NFC and is chasing New Orleans while trying to hold off Chicago, the cautious approach would definitely be recommended given the opposition. Backup Justin Davis is unlikely to play due to a shoulder injury, so newly-signed veteran C.J. Anderson may be in for a heavy workload.

L.A. is looking for Jared Goff to bounce back in Glendale after throwing five interceptions without a touchdown in the team’s two losses the past few weeks, contributing greatly to setbacks against the Bears and Eagles. He’s missed Cooper Kupp, but has Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks available. Patrick Peterson can’t cover them both at the same time, so it’s important to see Goff get going again. Sean McVay would also love to see him avoid being picked off since it’s happened to him in all three December contests after he tossed only two in a six-game stretch between Oct. 14 and all of November. The Cardinals have a laundry list of injuries and are the week’s biggest underdog.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-23-2018, 12:37 PM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

JAC at MIA 01:00 PM
JAC +3.5
U 39.0

NYG at IND 01:00 PM
NYG +10.0

BUF at NE 01:00 PM
BUF +13.5
U 45.0

GB at NYJ 01:00 PM
NYJ +3.0
U 47.5

CIN at CLE 01:00 PM
CIN +10.0
O 44.0

MIN at DET 01:00 PM
DET +6.5
O 43.5

TB at DAL 01:00 PM
TB +7.5
O 48.0

HOU at PHI 01:00 PM
PHI -1.0
U 46.5

ATL at CAR 01:00 PM
CAR +3.0
O 45.5

CHI at SF 04:05 PM
SF +4.0
U 44.0

LAR at ARI 04:05 PM
ARI +14.5
O 43.5

PIT at NO 04:25 PM
PIT +6.0
U 53.0

KC at SEA 08:20 PM
SEA +2.5
U 55.0

**StarDust Bum** · 12-24-2018, 12:35 AM

Eagles, behind Foles, stay alive in NFC playoff race
December 23, 2018
By The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Jake Elliott kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Houston Texans 32-30 Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (8-7) need a win at Washington (7-8) next week and for Minnesota (8-6-1) to lose at home to Chicago (11-4) to get a wild-card berth.

The Texans (10-5) missed an opportunity to clinch the AFC South and also allowed New England (10-5) to take control of the No. 2 seed. But when Pittsburgh lost to New Orleans, Houston earned at least a wild-card berth.

The Texans would secure the division title with a victory against Jacksonville next week. They'd get a first-round bye with a win and if the Patriots lose or tie.

Filling in for the injured Carson Wentz for the second straight week, Nick Foles again played like the Super Bowl MVP who led Philadelphia to a victory over New England. Foles threw for a franchise-record 471 yards and four touchdowns.

Deshaun Watson had two TD passes and ran for two scores for Houston. Watson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Vyncint Smith with 2:04 remaining as Houston rallied from a 13-point deficit.

But Foles brought Philadelphia back into position for the win.

Foles was injured on a late hit by Jadeveon Clowney while completing a 19-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery to the Texans 30 on third-and-10. Nate Sudfeld came in and threw an incomplete pass, but Foles returned on the next play. His 20-yard pass to Zach Ertz on third-and-10 put Philadelphia at the Houston 35. The Eagles ran the clock down and Elliott made the kick to make up for missing an extra point in the quarter.

SAINTS 31, STEELERS 28

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Drew Brees capped a 326-yard passing performance with a 2-yard touchdown to Michael Thomas with 1:25 left, and the Saints clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

Alvin Kamara gained 105 yards from scrimmage and ran for two touchdowns for New Orleans (13-2), which rallied for the lead after two defensive stops in the fourth quarter. New Orleans ended one Steelers drive when Kurt Coleman forced Stevan Ridley's fumble, and ended another by narrowly thwarting a fake punt.

Ben Roethlisberger passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns for the Steelers (8-6-1), connecting 14 times with Antonio Brown for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Pittsburgh fell into second in the AFC North behind Baltimore and out of playoff position.

Pittsburgh drove into field-goal range on its final drive, but JuJu Schuster fumbled when he was stripped by defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins as the receiver landed on top of his tackler. Linebacker Demario Davis recovered.

PATRIOTS 24, BILLS 12

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - The Patriots earned their 10th straight AFC East title with Sony Michel running for 116 yards and a touchdown.

With the Eagles win over the Texans, the Patriots are back in the No. 2 spot in the AFC. A Patriots win over the Jets next week would give New England a first-round bye in the playoffs.

New England (10-5) improved to 7-0 at home this season and became the first franchise in NFL history to earn playoff berths in 10 straight seasons. It also marked the Patriots' fifth straight win over the Bills and their 26th series sweep of Buffalo (5-10).

Brady went 13 of 24 for 126 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions - his lowest output since he passed for 123 yards in a 2003 loss to the Bills. But with the touchdown he joined Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers with at least 10 seasons of 4,000-plus passing yards. Manning has 14 such seasons, Brees entered the day with 12 and Rivers has 10.

It was Michel's fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season.

COWBOYS 27, BUCCANEERS 20

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The Cowboys wrapped up the NFC East title when Dak Prescott accounted for two touchdowns and Jaylon Smith returned a fumble 69 yards for a score.

Smith's long return came after a scrambling Jameis Winston lost the ball on a blind-side sack by Randy Gregory, who also recovered a fumble to set up a touchdown for a 14-point lead late in the third quarter.

The Cowboys (9-6) clinched the division title and their second trip to the playoffs in three years with Prescott and star running back Ezekiel Elliott a week after failing in their first chance with their first shutout loss in 15 years, 23-0 at Indianapolis.

Winston threw for 336 yards in another prolific passing game for the Buccaneers (5-10), who outgained the Cowboys 383-232 but hurt themselves with turnovers and holding penalties. Tampa Bay's third straight loss clinched the franchise's fifth season of at least 10 losses in the past six years, a week after the Bucs were eliminated from postseason contention.

SEAHAWKS 38, CHIEFS 31

SEATTLE (AP) - Russell Wilson threw a 2-yard pass to Ed Dickson with 7:31 left for his third touchdown strike, Chris Carson rushed for two scores, and Seattle beat Kansas City to clinch an NFC wild-card berth.

Wilson got the better of Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and helped lead Seattle back to the postseason after missing the playoffs a year ago. Seattle's has made the playoffs in seven of the nine seasons with Pete Carroll in charge, and six of seven with Wilson at quarterback.

The Seahawks (9-6) can wrap up the No. 5 seed and a matchup with Dallas by beating Arizona in Week 17.

Wilson was 18 of 29 for 271 yards, and the No. 1 running team in the NFL put the game on the arm of its quarterback in the fourth quarter.

Carson rushed for 116 yards, while Baldwin had seven catches for 126 yards and an acrobatic 27-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.

Mahomes was 23 of 40 for 273 and three TDs. He had a few of his own magical moments that will enhance his MVP candidacy. But for the second straight week the Chiefs (11-4) were unable to come through with a victory that would have wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the AFC and will go into Week 17 with the chance of being division champs for find themselves on the road for the opening weekend of the postseason.

RAMS 31, CARDINALS 9

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - C.J. Anderson, playing five days after he was signed by Los Angeles, rushed for 167 yards - one shy of his career high.

Anderson, playing in place of the injured Todd Gurley, had a 4-yard touchdown run and other runs of 46 and 27 yards as the Rams (12-3) rushed for 269 yards, most allowed by Arizona on the ground this season.

With the victory, Los Angeles held on to the second-best record in the NFC with one game to go.

Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, in perhaps his final home game, threw the first touchdown pass of his career, a 32-yard toss to David Johnson.

But it was the only trip to the end zone for the Cardinals (3-12), who at 1-7 had the worst record home since they moved to Arizona in 1988. A loss in their season finale at Seattle would leave them 3-13, matching the worst record since that move from St. Louis.

All this leads to speculation that Steve Wilks' rookie season in Arizona as head coach might be his last.

COLTS 28, GIANTS 27

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Andrew Luck hooked up with Chester Rogers for a 1-yard TD pass with 55 seconds left to give the Colts their only lead of the game.

Indy (9-6) has won eight of nine to keep itself in the playoff hunt heading into the regular-season finale at Tennessee. The Colts, who won their last six home games after starting 0-2, would win the AFC South with a victory over the Titans and a loss by the Houston Texans. Indianapolis would also earn a wild card if it beats Tennessee and Baltimore loses.

The Giants (5-10) lost their second straight - on a day they committed too many late miscues.

After driving to the Colts' 7-yard line early in the fourth quarter, New York wound up settling for a 27-yard field goal that kept it a one-possession game at 27-21.

On the final drive, linebacker Tae Davis was called for pass interference on third-and-3 and cornerback B.W. Webb was called for it in the end zone. Eventually, Luck made the Giants pay with the easy score to Rogers.

VIKINGS 27, LIONS 9

DETROIT (AP) - Kirk Cousins threw a 44-yard Hail Mary to Kyle Rudolph as time expired in the first half to put the Vikings ahead, moving a step closer to playing in the postseason.

The Vikings could have clinched a spot in the playoffs with a win and losses by Washington and Philadelphia this weekend. The Redskins lost to Tennessee on Saturday, and shortly after Minnesota walked into its locker room at Ford Field, the Eagles beat Houston on a game-ending field goal.

Minnesota (8-6-1) can still earn a spot in the postseason by closing the regular season with a win against NFC North winner Chicago at home, or by having wild-card hopefuls lose in Week 17.

The Vikings overcame an awful start offensively, scoring two touchdowns on Cousins' passes over the last 1:32 of the second quarter, and relied on their defense all afternoon against Detroit (5-10).

BEARS 14, 49ERS 9

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Mitchell Trubisky threw one touchdown pass, Jordan Howard ran for another score and the Bears survived a fight and a late fumble to earn their eighth win in nine games.

Danny Trevathan made a key interception in the fourth quarter and Chicago's stout defense kept the 49ers out of the end zone to clinch at least the third seed in the NFC playoffs. The Bears (11-4) can earn a first-round bye with a win in the season finale and a loss by the Rams.

Robbie Gould kicked three field goals for the 49ers (4-11), who had their two-game winning streak snapped.

The game turned feisty in the fourth quarter, when San Francisco safety Marcell Harris hit Trubisky after he started sliding on a scramble near the Bears bench. Trubisky's teammates took exception to the hit and a scuffle ensued with punches being thrown. San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman and Chicago receivers Joshua Bellamy and Anthony Miller all got ejected.

JAGUARS 17, DOLPHINS 7

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) - Blake Bortles came off the bench late in the third quarter with the score tied and provided a spark, helping the Jaguars eliminate the Dolphins from the AFC playoff race.

Bortles took the Jaguars 51 yards for a short field goal and 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. On the next series, Telvin Smith Sr. intercepted Ryan Tannehill's pass and scored on a 33-yard return.

The Dolphins (7-8) will sit out the playoffs for the 15th time in the past 17 years, and they'll finish at .500 or worse for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons. The Jaguars (5-10) won for only the second time in the past 11 games.

Kessler bruised his throwing shoulder when hit as he threw a pass and left the game late in the first half. He returned to start the third quarter, but after being sacked for a fifth time was replaced again late in the period by Bortles.

Bortles finished 5 of 6 for 39 yards. The third overall pick in the 2014 draft, he lost the starting job to Kessler in Week 13.

BROWNS 26, BENGALS 18

CLEVELAND (AP) - Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes to thrill a sellout, holiday-spirited crowd that came out to boo former Cleveland coach Hue Jackson.

Mayfield continued his stellar rookie season, one that took off after Jackson was fired by the Browns on Oct. 29. Mayfield's 24 TD passes are the third most in NFL history by a rookie, trailing only Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson, who both had 26.

With their fifth win in six games, the Browns (7-7-1) improved to 5-2 under interim coach Gregg Williams, who has gone from long shot to legitimate candidate to become Cleveland's next coach. It's only the second time since 2007 the Browns have won at least seven games.

The Bengals (6-9), on the other hand, are disintegrating under coach Marvin Lewis. They lost for the sixth time in seven games and are assured of finishing last in the AFC North, a spot the Browns have occupied every season since 2011.

Cincinnati made it interesting as Jeff Driskel threw two TD passes in a two-minute stretch to get the Bengals close.

However, Mayfield connected with tight end David Njoku for 66 yards and the Browns ran out the clock. Following the long play, Mayfield jogged backward and stared in the direction of Cincinnati's bench and presumably at Jackson, whom he called ''fake'' following their matchup last month in Cincinnati.

PACKERS 44, JETS 38, OT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Aaron Rodgers threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 6:23 left in overtime. The victory was the Packers' first on the road this season - snapping a nine-game skid away from Lambeau Field dating to last season - and it prevented them from becoming the first Green Bay squad since 1958 to go an entire season without a win away from home.

And this one was all on Rodgers, who was masterful in the fourth quarter and the overtime period for the Packers (6-8-1). He threw for 442 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for two scores.

The loss for the Jets (4-11) overshadowed a dazzling performance by rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, who threw for a career-high 341 yards with three touchdowns - but never got a chance with the ball in overtime. It was likely the final home game for coach Todd Bowles, who is expected to be fired after next week's game at New England.

The Jets were done in by penalties, getting called for a whopping 16 that cost them 172 yards. Bowles was critical of the officiating crew, saying some of the calls against New York shouldn't have happened.

FALCONS 24, PANTHERS 10

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Matt Ryan threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns, and the Falcons handed the Panthers their seventh straight loss.

Ryan found Calvin Ridley for a 75-yard touchdown strike on the first play of the second half for the go-ahead score. He also connected with Mohamed Sanu on a crossing route for a 44-yard score and threw a 1-yard TD pass to Julio Jones in the back of the end zone.

Ridley had three catches for 90 yards and Sanu had five grabs for 81 yards for the Falcons (6-9). Brian Hill had 115 yards on eight carries.

The Falcons intercepted Taylor Heinicke three times and forced four turnovers after allowing a touchdown on the game's opening possession. Heinicke, making his first NFL start for the injured Cam Newton, left briefly in the second quarter with a left elbow injury, but returned and was hit repeatedly by the Falcons.

He finished 33 of 53 for 274 yards with one touchdown.

Christian McCaffrey had 21 rushes for 101 yards and 12 receptions for 77 yards for Carolina (6-9) and set an NFL record for receptions in a season (106) by a running back.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-24-2018, 12:40 AM

NFL December's Best Bets and Opinions

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

12/23/2018 11-13-1 45.83% -16.50
12/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
12/17/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/16/2018 11-12-1 47.83% -11.00
12/15/2018 3-0-1 100.00% +15.00
12/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
12/10/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
12/09/2018 11-13-0 45.83% -16.50
12/06/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/03/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/02/2018 12-11-0 52.17% -0.50

Totals...............57-54-0.....51.35%....-12.00

********************

Best Bets For December

DATE........................ATS..................U NITS....................O/U................UNITS..............TOTAL

12/23/2018............6 - 3................+13.50.....................3 - 5................-12.50...........+1.00
12/22/2018............1 - 1.................-0.50.......................1 - 1.................-0.50............-1.00
12/17/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/16/2018............2 - 5................-17.50......................5 - 2................+14.00..........-3.50
12/15/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................2 - 0................+10.00.........+15.00
12/13/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................0 - 1.................-5.50............-0.50
12/10/2018............0 - 1.................-5.50.......................0 - 1.................-5.50............-11.00
12/09/2018............3 - 3.................-1.50.......................5 - 6.................-3.00.............-4.50
12/06/2018............1 - 0 ................+5.00......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/03/2018............1 - 0.................+5.00......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/02/2018............3 - 4..................-7.00......................0 - 3................-16.50............-23.50

Totals....................20 - 17..............+6.50....................18 - 19...............-4.50..............+2.00

**StarDust Bum** · 12-24-2018, 07:40 PM

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Top 6 picks for Week 16 of Westgate SuperBook NFL handicapping contest:

1) Seattle Seahawks, +2.5 (884)- W

2) Los Angeles Chargers, -4.5 (777)- L

3) Chicago Bears, -4 (735)- W

4) Philadelphia Eagles, -2.5 (711)- L

5) Minnesota Vikings, -5.5 (670)- W

6) Baltimore Ravens, +4.5 (634)- W

Season record: 51-44-3

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday……

Saints 31, Steelers 28— Wth 4:11 left, Steelers had ball on their own 42, 4th-and-5, while leading 28-24. They faked a bleeping punt, and it failed. Football coaches have gone off the rails this season, going for it on 4th down, and all the ex-player TV analysts applaud them for it.

Here’s a hint, Mike Tomlin; your QB is going to the Hall of Fame, he’s really good. Steelers gained 429 yards in this game, converted 6-13 third down plays. How about putting the game in Roethlisberger’s hands, instead of a special teamer? Just a thought.

Should be mentioned that if the Steelers had punted and pinned the Saints back deep in their own territory, New Orleans had zero TD’s on their previous three drives, but Saints only had to drive 46 yards for the game-winning score. It is almost like Tomlin is trying to get fired.

Pittsburgh needs to beat the Bengals next week and hope that the Browns upset Baltimore, or else they’ll miss playoffs for first time since 2013.

Seahawks 38, Chiefs 31— Mirage sportsbook here in Las Vegas took a $220,000 wager on the Chiefs to cover this game as a 1-point favorite; whoops.

Seattle clinched a playoff spot and likely will play at Dallas in one of the Wild Card games; they ran ball for 210 yards in this game. Under Carroll, Seahawks are 13-5 as home underdogs. Six of last seven games for both teams went over the total.

Chiefs need to beat Oakland next week to claim the #1-seed and a first round bye in playoffs;

Eagles 32, Texans 30— Are we sure that Carson Wentz should be the Eagles’ starting QB? Nick Foles threw for 471 yards, four TD’s, and led a drive for the game-winning FG at the gun.

Houston scored pair of TD’s in 4th quarter to rally from a 29-16 deficit and looked to have ended the Eagles’ season, but they couldn’t hang on and slipped to the #3 seed in AFC, letting Patriots move ahead of them in the race for a first round bye.

Darren Sproles scored a TD and gave the ball to Mike Trout, who has season tickets just behind one end zone. Like Trout needs another souvenir for his trophy case.

Packers 44, Jets 38 OT— Late in this game, with Jets leading 35-20, I turned to guy next to me and said, “Can you believe a team led by Aaron Rodgers is going to go 0-8 on the road?” Well, not so fast, my friend.

Green Bay still trailed 35-23 with 7:00 left, but actually took a 38-35 lead before Jets tied game with 0:17 left- Rodgers ended things with a TD pass to Devante Adams in OT.

Jets lost eight of last nine games, but rookie QB Darnold threw for 341 yards and three TD’s. Gang Green averaged 8.7 yards/pass attempt, ran a kick back for a TD, but still lost.

Packers are 20-42 on third down their last three games.

Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 20— Tampa Bay is 5-10 this season; they lost seven of their last nine games, lost their last seven road games after winning opener 48-40 in the Superdome.

— In their five wins, Buccaneers are +4 in turnovers.
— In their ten losses, Buccaneers are -22 in turnovers.

If you had to make the call, would you pay Jameis Winston $20M a year to be the face of your franchise going forward, or would you move on to someone else? It is an interesting decision.

Dallas wins NFC East, will probably host Seattle in their first playoff game; they’ve won six of last seven games, finished 7-1 at home in the regular season.

Patriots 24, Bills 12— New England catches a huge break when the Texans lost in Philly; now the Patriots are the #2 seed in AFC and need only to beat the Jets next week for a first round bye.

Change in tactics for NE with WR Josh Gordon suspended by the NFL; Patriots ran ball 47 times for 273 yards, throwing only 25 passes. Teams combined to connect 5-25 on third down; both teams turned ball over three times.

Patriots are 33-4 in their last 37 games vs Buffalo; must be nice to have six games every freakin’ year against Jets-Bills-Miami.

Falcons 24, Panthers 10— Carolina lost last seven games (1-6 vs spread); backup QB Heinecke got KO’d for a while from his first NFL start but came back later. Even less experienced #3 QB Allen came in and was 4-4 passing for 38 yards.

— Carolina ran 84 plays for 436 yards; they scored 7 points on four red zone drives.
— Atlanta ran 48 plays for 427 yards; their two 2nd half TD’s were on plays of 75-44 yards.

Panthers turned ball over four times (-2) on 11 drives; rough end to their season- they’ve lost six of their last seven games with Atlanta.

Jaguars 17, Dolphins 7— Looked like Jacksonville knew the Dolphins’ play calls before Miami did; several times when the Dolphins tried misdirection, there was a Jaguar standing waiting for it, and one of those plays resulted in a crucial turnover.

Officials in this game might need rotator cuff surgery from throwing so many flags; both teams were called for 10 accepted penalties. Subtract penalty yardage and Jacksonville won yardage battle, but by 147-88 margin. This was an ugly game played in perfect weather.

Dolphins are 7 for their last 37 on third down; Ryan Tannehill is in his 6th year as an NFL QB; his career W-L record is 42-45. If I was a Miami fan, I’d be an unhappy human, with him as my team’s franchise quarterback- he was a WR until his junior year in college.

Colts 28, Giants 27— Indy is now 9-6 after starting season 1-5; they play Tennessee on Sunday night, in what is a play-in game for the #6 seed and likely a trip to LA to play the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs. Steelers’ loss in New Orleans opened the door for that to happen.

Jets and Giants both led 14-0 Sunday, and both lost; Giants finish season 6-1 vs spread as road underdogs. Six of their last seven games went over the total.

Vikings 27, Lions 9— On their first four series, Minnesota ran 12 plays for five yards, and trailed 9-0, even though Detroit was putrid in the red zone. On the last play of the first half, Vikings completed a 44-yard Hail Mary for a TD that gave Minnesota the lead- Detroit never scored again.

Vikings are the #6-seed in NFC right now; they play the Bears next week, while the Eagles are in Washington. This was Minnesota’s first win in their last four road games.

After going 36-28 in four years under Jim Caldwell, Detroit is 5-10 this year, proving that just because you know Tom Brady doesn’t mean you can win NFL games without him.

Browns 26, Bengals 18— Cleveland was eliminated from playoff hunt, but they’ve won five of last six games- Browns play Baltimore next week while trying for a winning season, a pretty big accomplishment for a team that was 4-44 the last three years. Backdoor cover here for Bengals; they trailed 23-0 after third quarter, but Cincinnati scored couple of TD’s in the last 5:00 to beat the spread.

Bengals lost six of last seven games overall but they covered five of last six games as underdogs vs divisional rival Cleveland.

Rams 31, Cardinals 9— Rams ran ball for 269 yards as they moved to 12-3 and got within one game of clinching a first round bye in playoffs- they won their two games vs Arizona this year by a combined score of 65-9. LA won in Glendale for 4th year in a row, even though Todd Gurley sat this game out with a knee problem. CJ Anderson was signed by the Rams on Tuesday, but ran ball for 167 yards and a touchdown.

In their last three games, Cardinals were outrushed 606-225.

Bears 14, 49ers 9— Chicago won/covered eight of its last nine games, are 3-3 SU on road, 2-3 as road favorite; they can still get first round bye if they win and Rams loss to San Francisco in the LA Coliseum. Otherwise, they’ll probably play either Vikings/Eagles in first playoff game.

Four of Chicago’s last five games stayed under the total; under is 6-3 in 49ers’ last nine games.

**StarDust Bum** · 12-24-2018, 07:41 PM

Betting Recap - Week 16
Joe Williams

Overall Notes

National Football League Week 16 Results
Wager Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 12-3
Against the Spread 5-8-2

Wager Home-Away
Straight Up 7-8
Against the Spread 1-12-2

Wager Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 6-8-1

National Football League Year-to-Date Results
Wager Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 154-82-2
Against the Spread 104-124-10

Wager Home-Away
Straight Up 143-93-2
Against the Spread 112-116-10

Wager Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 110-126-2

The largest underdogs to win straight up
Ravens (+4, ML +180) at Chargers, 22-10
Jaguars (+3, ML +150) at Dolphins, 17-7

The largest favorite to cover
Rams (-14) at Cardinals, 31-9
Vikings (-6.5) at Lions, 27-9
Bears (-3.5) at 49ers, 14-9

Road Kings

-- It was a great day to beat the road teams. Heading into the Sunday Night Football game between the Kansas City Chiefs-Seattle Seahawks the away team was 12-0-2 against the spread (ATS). The Seahawks ended up being the first home team to cover, as they entered the SNF game as short 'dogs (+1) at CenturyLink Field.

Dressed To The Nines

-- It's more of a coincidence than anything else, obviously, but it's fun if you like numbers. The teams which covered the highest spreads in Week 16 each allowed nine points. The Los Angeles Rams laid the most points (-14) in their 31-9 road win over the Arizona Cardinals. The Minnesota Vikings (-6.5) won and covered 27-9 on the road against the Detroit Lions. The Chicago Bears also posted a 14-9 win against the San Francisco 49ers in a chippy game, covering a 3.5-point number at most shops.

Total Recall

-- The game with the highest total on the board was the Kansas City Chiefs-Seattle Seahawks (54.5), and it got off to a bit of a slow start. However, it ended up going well over with 45 total points in the second half. The Pittsburgh Steelers-New Orleans Saints (53.5) game was expected to be a shootout, and it didn't disappoint. While there were 52 points on the board through three quarters, there were some tense moments for a bit in the fourth with just seven total points, but it cashed the over.

-- Perhaps the worst bad beat of the season occurred in the Washington Redskins-Tennessee Titans (38) game on Saturday night. It's the kind of game you're likely to see on ESPN's 'Bad Beats' segment with Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve. The Titans were leading 18-16 on the final, last gasp for the Redskins. DB Malcolm Butler picked off a pass with no time left and rather than go down, he worked as hard as possible to run it back all the way for a pick-six. It flipped what should have been an 'under' result to an 'over', and affected some teaser plays, too.

-- The 'over/under' went 1-1 this week through the first two primetime games with the Monday nighter between the Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders (43.5) still pending. Overall for the 2018 season the 'over' in primetime games is 25-24 (51.0%).

Officially, the 'over' finished 25-23-1 (52.1%) in 49 games under the lights in 2017.

In 2016, the 'over' in night games went (52.9%) through 51 games.

In 2015, the over finished 20-28-1 (41.7%) in 49 primetime games.

In 2014, the over went 33-17 (66.0%) in primetime games, and the over was 28-22 (56.0%) in 2013.

Injury Report

-- Colts TE Eric Ebron (concussion) left the Week 16 battles against the Giants and he entered the league's mandated concussion protocol.

-- Falcons RB Tevin Coleman (groin) was unable to return to Sunday's game in Carolina, leaving Atlanta down its top three running backs.

-- 49ers RB Matt Breida (ankle) left the Week 16 battle against the Bears after turning an ankle and he was unable to return.

-- Texans WR Demaryius Thomas (Achilles') was forced out of Sunday's game in Philadelphia and he might have suffered a long-term injury.

Looking Ahead

-- The 'over' has cashed in six straight meetings between the Lions and Packers. The favorite is 20-7 ATS in the past 27 in this series, and the Lions are 2-5 ATS in the past seven trips to Lambeau.

-- The over is 4-1 in the past battle between the Falcons and Buccaneers, although the under is 5-2 in the past seven at the RayJay. The favorite is 11-4-1 ATS in the past 16 meetings.

-- The over has hit in five straight betweeen the Panthers and Saints under the dome, and the over is 7-2 in the past nine in this series. The Panthers are 13-5 ATS in the past 18 trips to NOLA, with the underdog 8-1 ATS in the past nine meetings. The road team is also 24-11 ATS in the past 35.

-- The home team is 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings in this series. The under is 19-8 in the past 27 meetings, with the under 16-5 in the past 21 in K.C.

-- The under is 5-0 in the past five between the Jets and Patriots. The home team is 6-1-1 ATS in the past eight, although the Jets are 7-3-1 ATS in the past 11 in this series.

-- The Jaguars are 5-1-1 ATS in the past seven trips to Houston, with the road team 4-1 ATS in the past five and the underdog also 4-1 ATS in the past five.

-- The home team is 7-3 ATS in the past 10 battles between the Dolphins and Bills, with Miami 1-5 ATS in the past six trips to Buffalo.

-- The under has connected in five straight meetings between the Cowboys and the Giants.

-- The favorite has hit in four straight meetings between the Eagles and Redskins.

-- Chicago is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings with Minnesota, although the home team is 23-9 ATS in the past 32 meetings. The under is 10-4 in the past 14 meetings, including 5-2 in the past seven in the Twin Cities.

-- The Cardinals are 3-0-1 ATS in the past four meetings with the Seahawks, and they're 4-1 ATS in the past five in Seattle. The road team is also 6-1-1 ATS in the past eight, with the underdog 6-0-1 ATS in the past seven.

-- The 49ers are 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings, and 4-1 ATS in the past five road games against the Rams.

-- Cincinnati is 7-19-1 ATS in the past 27 meetings with the Steelers, including 1-4 ATS in the past five trips to the Steel City. The under is also 7-2 in the past nine meetings in Pittsburgh.

-- The underdog is 4-1-1 ATS in the past six meetings between the Chargers and Broncos, while the Bolts are 8-2-5 ATS in the past 15 trips to the Mile High City. The over is 4-0 in the past four battles in Denver.

-- The Browns are just 1-5 ATS in the past six meetings with the Ravens, although the road team is 12-5-1 ATS in the past 18 in this series. The under has cashed in four straight meetings, and the under is 6-1 in the past seven battles in Charm City.

-- The home team has covered in five of the past seven trips, and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings. The Colts are 11-3 ATS in the past 14 in the series with the over 4-1 in the past five meetings in the Music City.

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