A few teams have been almost automatic to beat the spread in the 2015 NFL season, but the rest of the league has been up and down. While three teams have covered the betting line nine times this year, no one else has been able to cover the spread in more than six of their 11 games.
With two pick’ems on the Week 12 schedule, the favorites and underdogs each covered seven point spreads. Five underdogs won outright, and two of those teams find themselves favored on the upcoming schedule, according to vegasinsider.com.
Below are picks against the spread for every game in Week 13, as well as updated betting odds at Las Vegas casinos.
Green Bay Packers (-3) at Detroit Lions
After losing four of five games, it’s clear that the Packers are not among the NFL’s elite like it once seemed. Detroit’s defense is playing extremely well, allowing 16, 13 and 14 points in their last three games. New offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has breathed new life into the offense, and the Lions can certainly beat the Packers in Detroit after doing so in Green Bay just a few weeks ago.
Prediction ATS: Detroit Lions
San Francisco 49ers (+7) at Chicago Bears
Blaine Gabbert has played better than Colin Kaepernick this season, and he’s given the 49ers a chance to win in two of his three starts. But the 49ers have been awful on the road, going 0-5 with four losses by at least 16 points. Chicago has a chance to make the playoffs, and they’ll put up points against San Francisco’s 29th ranked defense.
Prediction ATS: Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals (-9.5) at Cleveland Browns
Cincinnati beat Cleveland by 21 points in their first meeting this season, and Sunday could produce a similar result. The Bengals have the NFL’s best record against the spread (9-1-1), and more than half of their wins have come by 13 points or more. The Browns’ offense will struggle with Austin Davis at quarterback, and they have nothing to play for at 2-9.
Prediction ATS: Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars (+2.5) at Tennessee Titans
The Jaguars are the better team, so grabbing the points is the smart play. The Titans don’t have any home-field advantage, having won just one home game in the last two seasons, and Jacksonville has already beaten them once this year.
Prediction ATS: Jacksonville Jaguars
Houston Texans (+3) at Buffalo Bills
This could end up being the best game in Week 13. Buffalo is coming off two losses to good teams, and they haven’t played at home in a month. Houston’s defense has played incredibly well during their four-game winning streak, allowing just two touchdowns, giving them the edge.
Prediction ATS: Houston Texans
Baltimore Ravens (+4) at Miami Dolphins
Even after suffering injuries to their two most important offensive players, the Ravens continue to play close games. Baltimore has won three of their last four games, and they still haven’t lost by more than one score. Miami has lost by double-digits in four of their last five games, and their only win in the last five weeks came by one point.
Prediction ATS: Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers (-7) at New Orleans Saints
It’d be hard for anyone at this point to deny that the Panthers are an elite team. Carolina keeps getting more impressive every week, winning each of their last three games by at least 17 points, including two road victories. The Saints have lost three in a row, and they don’t have what it takes to keep up with the Panthers.
Prediction ATS: Carolina Panthers
Seattle Seahawks (PK) at Minnesota Vikings
The Seahawks could very well win in Minnesota, but the Vikings are the easy pick here. Considering the way these two teams have played this season, the Vikings should be three-point favorites. Minnesota has exceeded expectations all season long, going 9-2 against the spread. With the league’s best running back and a top defense, the Vikings could be headed towards a division title.
Prediction ATS: Minnesota Vikings
Arizona Cardinals (-5.5) at St. Louis Rams
A month ago it looked like the Rams might be a playoff team, but St. Louis has lost four games in a row. Having to play Nick Foles and Case Keenum at quarterback has finally caught up to the Rams, and they won’t be able to keep up with the NFL’s highest-scoring team. St. Louis won in Arizona earlier this season, and the Cardinals will be looking for revenge on Sunday.
Prediction ATS: Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons (+2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Falcons have lost five of their last six games, including four in a row. Atlanta has been burned by turnovers, and that could continue on Sunday against a team that ranks sixth in takeaways this season. The Falcons haven’t scored more than 21 points in regulation since Week 4, and the Bucs have already won in Atlanta this season.
Prediction ATS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New York Jets (-2) at New York Giants
The Giants’ offensive line is extremely banged up, but they have a good chance to beat the Jets. Odell Beckham Jr. will take advantage of a Jets secondary that has aging stars. Eli Manning threw three interceptions in the team’s loss to Washington, but that was not indicative of the way he’s played all season, and he should take better care of the ball in Week 13.
Prediction ATS: New York Giants
Denver Broncos (-4) at San Diego Chargers
Brock Osweiler has proven to be better than Peyton Manning this season, and the Broncos should be able to take care of business in San Diego. The Chargers have very little home-field advantage, and their three wins have come against teams that have a combined 8-23 record.
Prediction ATS: Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs (-3) at Oakland Raiders
The Chiefs have been dominant for five straight games, and they should defeat the Raiders, who have lost most of their games against good teams. Kansas City hasn’t turned the ball over during their current winning streak, and they won’t lose in Oakland if they can keep that up.
Prediction ATS: Kansas City Chiefs
Philadelphia Eagles (+9.5) at New England Patriots
The Patriots should win, but they might have trouble blowing out the Eagles because of all their injuries. With injuries to Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, New England won’t score 45 points like Philadelphia has allowed in the last two weeks. New England failed to cover the spread against the Steelers, Colts, Jets and Bills because of meaningless, late scores, and Sunday could present a similar situation.
Prediction ATS: Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Cowboys (+4) at Washington Redskins
The Cowboys are 0-7 when Tony Romo doesn’t start, and they’ll have trouble winning at Washington. The Redskins have taken care of business at home against sub-.500 teams, winning five straight at FedEx Field against the Rams, Eagles, Bucs, Saints and Giants. Dallas is averaging just 16 points per game in their last eight contests, and they might struggle to score on Monday night.
Prediction ATS: Washington Redskins
Indianapolis Colts (N/A) at Pittsburgh Steelers
There is currently no betting line at Las Vegas sports books because of Ben Roethlisberger’s uncertain playing status. IB Times will make an official prediction when a point spread becomes available.
Season Record: 89-81-6
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
