NFL Football Picks

The Denver Broncos come into the Bay Area for a week 14 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. San Francisco is home, coming off their third loss in a row—a 43-16 road-loss to the Seahawks last Sunday. At 2-10 and almost as bad against the spread, confidence is low and for a good reason. The linesmaker has the Broncos as a -5.5 road favorite. Denver is banged up on the defensive side of the ball so they may be ripe for the upset. Football handicapper Loot Levinson has down his homework and gives out his suggested wager on the game.

The struggling Bengals losers of six of their last seven matches head to Los Angeles to take on the high flying Chargers in Week 14 NFL action. The NFL betting board lists the hosts as a large -14 point spread favorite with the total posted at 47.5 points. This has the feel of a college game to me with Cincinnati outmatched in most metrics making the two-touchdown line appear to be an underlay. Get Loot’s take on this game and see which side of the spread he is landing on.

The Jets in many ways are a carbon copy of the Titans in their approach to the game and the production they have gotten out of it. New York is ranked just ahead of Tennessee it total offense averaging a 29th-ranked 302.3 yards per game. The Jets score 20.1 points per game (26th in the NFL) and like to lead the way with a proficient running game. The problem for New York is their rushing attack sits 22nd in the league averaging just 103.6 yards per game. Is the disparity in output worth 8 points? Keith Franks has your NFL pick.

The Buffalo offense isn’t exactly setting the world on fire. Their passing game ranks 30th in the NFL and their running game ranks 17th but they’ve been doing enough lately to win back to back games. And against Miami’s 21st-ranked pass defense and 29th-ranked run defense they might just be able to extend that winning streak. What are the odds they can at least stay within the bookie’s 6 point spread?

It looks like Chase Daniel will get the start again in place of an injured Mitch Trubisky but as he showed last week against the Lions, he’s capable of leading this offense to a win. Against the Giants 18th-ranked pass defense, 26th-ranked run defense and 25th-ranked scoring defense, he should be far more than capable. Does his brief history bode well for a 5 point win to win against the spread? Rick Wise offers his prediction.

As reports continue to come in, it appears more and more like Lamar Jackson will be getting the start for the Baltimore Ravens in place of Joe Flacco who is still battling injury. Along with the potential absence of Flacco, Baltimore also has Alex Collins, Tavon Young, James Hurst, and Tim Williams all listed as “questionable” for this weeks game against Atlanta. Meanwhile the Falcons get linebacker Deon Jones back from the IR. Can the banged up Falcons cover the spread? Bob Clark offers his NFL prediction.

The glaring deficit that Arizona will have to overcome is their complete lack of offense. Heading into the week, the Cards rank dead-last in rushing yards, passing yards, points scored, third down conversions and time of possession. Getting consistent offensive movement has been nearly impossible with Arizona scoring 20-points just twice this season, topping out at 28 in one of their two wins against the Niners. They are even last in field goal makes, further hamstringing their ability to put points on the board. They do have a highly capable back in David Johnson but he is averaging just 3.2 yards and the Cards fail to average 80 rushing yards per game. Sportsbooks are giving Arizona 14 points to work with. Can they stay within 2 TDs? Ted has your NFL pick.

The Bengals are the epitome of nicked up. Cincy will be without their starting quarterback Andy Dalton who is on the IR due to a torn ligament in his thumb. Furthermore, Cincinnati’s chief offensive weapon wide-receiver and former Georgia Bulldog A.J. Green is listed as day-to-day with a toe injury and remains questionable for Sunday. Do the Bengals have enough to cash and stay within 4 points of Denver?

Tom Brady was solid after laying an egg against Tennessee and sinking to his lowest quarterback rating (29.5) and second lowest passer rating (70.6) of the season. He looked like himself again against the Jets, finishing 20-of-31 for 283 yards and 2 touchdowns, and in the process became the NFL’s career leader in total passing yards in both the regular and post seasons. Is Tommy going to stay with his winning ways and help Pats bettors cover the spread with a seven point victory?

One of the reasons that Cleveland and Houston have found success in recent weeks is the elevated play of both defenses. Houston’s defense had a rough start to the year but they have regrouped nicely holding opponents to just 16.2 points per game since week 5. For the Browns, despite the statistical concerns, the Browns have played better with each passing week specifically against the pass where they rank 4th in DVOA rankings. Despite the Defense’s trajectory the sportsbooks have the Brown as 6 point underdogs. Jay Horne looks at the match-up and shares his value pick.