Column: Weekend betting selections
Dec. 24—Week 15 of the NFL season treated my selections well.
I was 3-2 last week and was fairly close to an undefeated slate of picks.
The Cincinnati Bengals (-3.5) weathered a bad start against Tampa Bay and won handily 34-23. The New York Giants (+4.5) beat division rival Washington 20-12 to avenge a tie and the Detroit Lions (+1) continued to stay hot in a 20-17 win against the New York Jets.
My two losses were the Minnesota Vikings (-3.5) in a 39-36 overtime win against the Colts. The Vikings set an NFL record for their 33-point comeback but were a half of a point from covering the spread. The Philadelphia Eagles (-9) beat the Bears 25-20 but did not cover the spread.
Here is Week 16:
Tennessee Titans -3.5: The Titans vs. Texans is one of eight NFL games to be impacted by the winter storm plaguing the Midwest and East. I think that will play into the hands of the Titans as Derrick Henry has been an animal against the Texans.
In his last four games against Houston, Henry has ran for more than 200 yards and at least two touchdowns in each matchup for a total of 892 yards and nine touchdowns. Look for Henry to get at least 30 carries and lead his team to a win on the ground.
Cleveland Browns -3: Cleveland hosts the New Orleans Saints in another weather-impacted matchup. The Saints play in a dome and won't be used to seeing a windchill of below zero. That type of cold isn't typical for the Browns either, but I believe Cleveland will be better equipped.
Running back Nick Chubb is listed as probable and even if Chubb can't play, backup Kareem Hunt is more than capable of handling at least 20 carries and running between the tackles.
Cincinnati Bengals -3: In the last freezing game of my picks, the Bengals travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to battle the New England Patriots. Both teams are acclimated to cold weather so I don't think either team will see an advantage with the weather.
The Bengals are 11-3 against the spread and have won six games in a row. On the other side, the Patriots are coming off a loss in which wide receiver Jakobi Meyers tossed a 30-yard lateral on the final play of the game to give Las Vegas the win. It was the Patriots' third loss in four games as New England is trending in the wrong direction.
Dallas Cowboys -4: The Cowboys are playing the Eagles, who have the best record in the league at 13-1. The issue for Philadelphia is star quarterback Jalen Hurts is out with a shoulder injury. Hurts has more than 700 rushing yards to go with 22 passing touchdowns.
Without Hurts, I think the Eagles will struggle to keep up with the Cowboys. Dallas is coming off an overtime loss to the Jaguars and will be hungry against their division rival.
Detroit Lions -2.5: Detroit continues to rack up wins. The Lions have won six of its last seven and the last three in a row. Detroit is 7-7, in the thick of the wildcard hunt and are playing meaningful games in late December. Even more important, the Lions are 10-4 against the spread.
Carolina is 5-9 with the 30th ranked offense and the 17th ranked defense. I predict Detroit to win big in Charlotte.
Alex Topor can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at atopor@meadvilletribune.com.
