BetDash NFL picks – week 16

BetDash NFL tipster Mac takes a look at the week sixteen Gridiron action, focusing on four games in particular.

NFL Week 16

Let’s start by pointing out there is no Thursday game this week. The NFL is allowing us fans to have a life for the week. No worrying about Thursday night results and statistics, no early chance to get your bankroll going, or indeed, no concerns with losing your weekend treasure chest early. The Thursday night game is gone, however, now there is a fancy Saturday night game. And this one is pretty fancy. Atlanta travel to Detroit, the former looking to nail down home field advantage throughout the playoffs, the latter looking to just win a football game. The Lions are a serious head scratcher of a conundrum. They rank first in the entire NFL in passing, and yet have lost six games in a row. Six!  Last week they basically scoffed at anyone who backed them (Including me) to cover a 6 point spread over the abysmal Cardinals. Lesson learnt, lesson learnt!

Clever things we said last week
”Thursday night should see a market correction, with the Bengals getting the job done to stay in the playoff hunt.”

Not so clever things we said last week
‘Meanwhile, the Lions still appear to have a little spark left.”

Another great weekend schedule of games live on Sky and C4. We already mentioned the Falcons at Lions, which is on BBCi, or an Internet streaming site near you. The Bungles are on again, this time travelling to the suddenly vulnerable Steelers, and both teams badly need the win. Could be a good one, that’s 6pm Sunday. The 9pm game on Sky sees the Giants at Ravens, a game that sees two struggling teams who both need the win as badly as each other. Could be a serious slugfest. C4 has the late, late Sunday night game and oddly enough, it could be a cracker, oddly considering the two teams, the 49ers at the Seahawks. A couple of years ago this would have constituted ’Must miss TV’, however it has now been upgraded to CAN’T miss TV. As a Patriots fan, I don’t know if I want to live in a World where (Seattle coach) Pete Carroll is in line for NFL coach of the year. Maybe the predicted Mayan apocalypse tomorrow will take care of all that. If not, Happy Christmas to all and good luck to all with this weekend’s NFL punting action, and enjoy the games!

Season to date
Last week against the spread: 7-8
Overall record against the spread: 106-106-5
Finest Four against the spread last week: 1-3
Finest Four against the spread overall: 30-29-1
Winning percentage: 50%
The finest four percentage: 50.8%

The finest four. 
Four picks to boost your bankroll

The Game: Atlanta Falcons At Detroit Lions
Current line: Atlanta Falcons -3.5
The Science: Detroit, no hiding, we have seen your true colours! That loss last week to Arizona was equal parts shocking and damning. The Lions look like they have sold out for the rest of the season. The Falcons are still playing for something, namely wrapping up home field through the playoffs. Judging by their superb demolition job on the Giants last week, the Falcons should have no trouble pounding a disconsolate, beaten Lions team out of the way on route to the playoffs.
The Pick:  Atlanta Falcons -3.5

The Game: Cincinnati Bengals At Pittsburgh Steelers
Current line:  Pittsburgh Steelers -4
The Science: These truly are not The Bungles of old. Cincinnati have won 5 out of their last 6! They have done so behind the solid QB play of the Ginger Menace, Andy Dalton, and the consistent RB play of former Patriot Benjarvus Green Ellis. That and a sparky, feisty defence that can cause turn-overs at crucial times. The Steelers have issues, as indicated by their 4 out of 5 losses recently. That’s awful, and the excuses are mounting up. The Bungles can win this one, and they can definitely stay within 4 points.
The Pick: Cincinnati Bengals +4

The Game: Oakland Raiders At Carolina Panthers 
Current line: Carolina Panthers -9.5
The Science: The suddenly rejuvenated Panthers are not just winning football games, they are absolutely blowing the opposition out of the water. Cam Newton is relaxed and having fun, and when he is like that, there may not be a more powerful offensive force in the NFL. You can not set this line high enough for me. The Raiders have lost 6 of 7 and are going to be steam-rolled here.
The Pick: Carolina Panthers -9.5

The Game: New England Patriots At Jacksonville Jaguars
Current line: New England Patriots -14.5
The Science: The only shock here is this line isn’t at 20 or more. The Patriots suffered through an abysmal first quarter last week, giving the ball away in very un-Patriot fashion, before steadying the ship and almost producing the greatest comeback in NFL history. The Jaguars are no 49ers. Instead, without their little human bowling ball Maurice Jones Drew, they are quite possibly the worst team in the NFL. Look for the Patriots to bounce back after last week’s setback, in their chase for decent playoff seeding. The Jaguars could be in for a serious tonking here.
The Pick: New England Patriots -14.5

The rest
Definitely. Maybe. Probably.

Minnesota Vikings +9.5 At Houston Texans
St. Louis Rams +3 At Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Redskins -6 At Philadelphia Eagles
New Orleans Saints At Dallas Cowboys -1
Indianapolis Colts -7 At Kansas City Chiefs
Buffalo Bills +4 At Miami Dolphins
Tennessee Titans At Green Bay Packers -12.5
San Diego Chargers -1 At New York Jets
Cleveland Browns At Denver Broncos -13.5
Chicago Bears -5 At Arizona Cardinals
New York Giants At Baltimore Ravens -1
San Francisco 49ers At Seattle Seahawks -0