NFL Week 16: Bet on the teams with urgency

The NFL is watching its season wind down. 12 teams will eventually make the playoffs. Meanwhile, about half of the league fights for a chance to either earn a spot, or improve its seeding. In NFL Week 16, the schedule gives bettors a chance to clean up on some fat lines between teams that are going in different directions.

Case in point? The New England Patriots playing host to the Buffalo Bills. New England has been installed as a 12.5-point favorite at Gillette Stadium, per OddsShark. While Buffalo deserves plenty of credit for playing hard and winning five games with a barren roster, it has no chance of taking down the Patriots. New England is going to come out with ample firepower, trying to blow the Bills out and take another step towards the divisional crown.

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Another game to keep an eye on involves the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals. Los Angeles is on the road and is laying 14 points, but don’t be scared off by the big number. The Cardinals have the worst offense in the league this side of Buffalo, and the Rams have lost two straight. A third loss could very well drop them out of the erst-round bye in the NFC, with the Chicago Bears taking on the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara.

Speaking of the Bears, they’re another team trying to improve seeding while playing an opponent long out of the race. Beware, though, because the 49ers have won their last two games against playoff contenders, and this is a third straight home game. Chicago should win, but the four-point spread isn’t enough to bet without a tease.

Read: Doug Pederson Will Stick with Foles as Eagles Starter

Then there are the Minnesota Vikings, who head to Motown for a date with the Detroit Lions. While Minnesota has been up and down all season, Detroit is all but dead on arrival as a 5.5-point underdog. The Lions added their ninth loss to the docket on Sunday by losing a miserable 14-13 contest to the Buffalo Bills. Unless the Vikings lay a complete egg, they should win handily against a team that is more than ready for some golf.

Finally, the Indianapolis Colts have to win in NFL Week 16 to keep hope alive of making the playoffs as the sixth and final seed in the AFC. This weekend, they welcome in the lowly New York Giants, a team fresh off being eliminated from playoff contention. Whether Odell Beckham jr. plays or not, the Colts should have no problem covering the nine-point spread. Expect this one to be over at halftime.