I went into Monday night's Steelers/Bengals game at +$118 for a net total since week-14.
I lost $33 when I hesitantly placed a tease on the Steelers at -8 and over the total of 46.5-points.
That leaves me off at a net total of +$88 going into Saturdays week-16 games.
The lines for Saturdays games:
1:00 Tampa Bay -10 at Detroit (over/under 54.5)
4:30 Arizona -6 vs San Francisco (over/under 48.5)
8:15 Miami -3 at Las Vegas (over/under 48)
All three of these games have some sort of playoff implications.
At 1:00 the Buccaneers can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Lions.
The Lions will be without interim head coach Darrell Bevell who tested positive for Covid-19 and will become the first head coach to miss a game because of it.
They will also be without their defensive coordinator and other assistant coaches.
The Lions have been eliminated from playoff contention and have nothing to play for other than pride. They should be very accommodating to Tom Brady and company.
The Buc's have won two straight and seem to be starting to hit their offensive stride just in time for the playoff push. Their defense did give-up 27-points to the Falcons last week and will need to start tightening-up if they want to make any noise in the playoffs.
At 4:30 the Cardinals can clinch a playoff spot with a win and some help.
They stopped a 4-game losing streak last week with a 26-7 win over the Giants.
They're currently in the No. 7 and final spot in the NFC playoff race and can clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2015 if they win on Saturday and the Bears lose or tie against the Jaguars on Sunday.
The 5-9 49'ers have been eliminated from playoff contention one year after playing in the Super Bowl. They have lost three straight and six out of the last seven.
QB C.J. Beathard will make his first start since 2018.
The 49'ers have spent the last month in Arizona after being forced out of their stadium because of coronavirus rules banning contact sports in Santa Clara County.
This game can only be watched via Amazon Prime. If you don't have that you may want to sign-up or you'll miss it, unless of course you have a way to illegally access it some other way.
At 8:15 the Dolphins will be across the country trying to keep their playoff hopes alive when they visit the Raiders in Las Vegas.
If they can win their last two games they would clinch a playoff spot. But, losing one of their last two games would really hurt their chances, and they would need the Ravens to lose to the Bengals in week-17 in order to secure a spot.
So, there's a lot to play for here for the Dolphins.
The Raiders have a slim chance at a playoff spot. They need to win and get some help.
A loss here to the Dolphins and they will be eliminated from the playoff race.
Even if they win here they still need the Ravens to lose to the Giants at home - not likely.
The writing is on the wall for the Raiders and their season is most likely only 16-games long.
With all three of these games having teams that are eliminated from playoff contention already or need a miracle to get in (Raiders), and the other three teams having a lot to play for, one would think the winners of these games would be the teams that are 100% emotionally invested and desperat for a win. But, this is the NFL and "on any given Sunday Saturday" someone is going to be on the bad end of an upset.
Will there be a team this week that needs a win and then loses? Maybe not, but I'm sure there will be at least one game where the favorite does not cover the spread.
Since it's a special triple-header on Saturday, I'll make the day interesting and lay some coin on all three games.
1:00 Buc's at Lions
The Buc's never make it easy on themselves.
The Lions are in rough shape coming into this one without some key players and coaches. Can they find it within themselves to lace 'em up with purpose the day after Christmas when they know their last two games are meaningless?
Well, I don't think they're going to lay down and get steamrolled by Tom Brady.
QB Matt Stafford is questionable, so that may be another blow to today's roster, and Chase Daniels may have to make another start.
This bet will come down to whether Stafford is going to play or not. I'll be keeping an eye on the inactive list prior to the start of this one.
If he does play I will lay $30 on a tease at -4 Bucs and over the 48.5-points.
If he doesn't play I will take the Buc's minus the 10-points straight-up for $40.
4:30 Cardinals vs 49'ers
The Cardinals have 14 sacks in the last two games, and 49'ers QB C.J. Bethard should be on his back more than a few times today.
I don't think the 49'ers are in any shape to compete in this one.
I'll lay $70 on the Cardinals at -6.
8:15 Dolphins at Raiders
The Raiders have lost their last two games, both at home, to the Colts and Chargers.
The Dolphins are coming off a 22-12 home win against the Patriots and need to make that win mean something by winning again today. A loss here and it's most likely the end of the road for them as far as the playoffs go.
I'm sure Raiders head coach John Gruden will have his team ready to play, and I expect a good game here. Both teams will look to run the ball and control the clock and the betting total of 48-points seems like a solid number.
I'm going to take the three points and the Raiders at home.
$30 +3 Raiders.
Good luck on any action you take today!
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