A look down the line of scrimmage between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants during an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) (Adam Hunger, AP)
THE 10 BEST GAMES TO BET
JETS at DOLPHINS
1 p.m., Dolphins by 1, 38
HANK’S HONEYS: Which spiraling team is worse off? The Dolphins can still have realistic wild card possibilities as long as they win, needing the Bills to beat the Patriots, while the Jets, who looked so promising not that long ago, are done for the year. Skylar Thompson starts at QB for Miami behind a banged-up line and fortunately for him, he doesn’t have to do much because the Jets offense is that bad, even with Mike White who is obviously not close to 100%. The Dolphins defense, sparked by LB Elandor Roberts, comes off a good performance in Foxboro and if it gets a few players back, will be the difference maker. Not sure if Robert Saleh can get his young team up to be spoilers.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Dolphins and the under.
GIANTS at EAGLES
4:25 p.m., Eagles by 14, 42 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: There is no way the Eagles are two touchdowns better than the Giants no matter who’s playing for what this week. We’re not sure if Brian Daboll will rest anyone, but the Giants, who are 2-4-1 SU over the last seven games, need to go into the playoffs playing well, not on a blowout. With all their injuries, the Eagles aren’t the same team that ran roughshod over the league for 14 weeks. Jalen Hurts’ return will be a boost and they certainly need the first-round bye to get healthy and they should get the win. But we’ll take any playoff-bound team with 14 points.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Giants and the over.
TITANS at JAGUARS
Saturday, 8:15 p.m., Jaguars by 6 ½, 40
HANK’S HONEYS: Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars are on a roll but the question is whether they can win comfortably against a veteran team that has been in this kind of game before. The Titans are going with Joshua Dobbs at QB and they’re not going to get much out of their passing game so it’s all about Derrick Henry, the guy the Jaguars have never figured out how to stop. Henry, as well as several banged-up starters, sat out last week’s meaningless game so he’s well-rested. Not so for the Jaguars, who would rather have played on Sunday. The dropoff from Malik Willis to Dobbs isn’t that much, if at all. Dobbs looked rather comfortable against the Cowboys.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Titans and the under.
PANTHERS at SAINTS
1 p.m., Saints by 3 ½, 41 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: Even though the Panthers blew their chances to win the division, they still have something for which to play — Steve Wilks’ job. Wilks turned that team around after the firing of Matt Rhule despite the trading of Christian McCaffrey and his players are going to make it clear that they want him back next year. They should get that running game going and wear down the Saints both mentally and physically. Besides, how can the Saints be giving more than a field goal with that offense? They’ve scored more than 21 points only once since Week 9.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Panthers and the under.
BROWNS at STEELERS
1 p.m., Steelers by 2 ½, 40
HANK’S HONEYS: The Steelers’ defense has allowed 17 or fewer points for six straight weeks and that streak is likely to continue here as the Steelers go for their 18th straight home win against the Browns. No one has been running on these guys and that would put the game on Deshaun Watson’s shoulders. Good luck with that. Kenny Pickett, meanwhile, has been coming up big in the clutch and has the entire team believing. The Steelers’ playoff chances are very much alive and you know Mike Tomlin will have them ready. Can Kevin Stefanski expect that kind of effort from his team in what is sure to be his last game at the helm?
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Steelers and the under.
PATRIOTS at BILLS
1 p.m., Bills by 7 ½, 42 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The emotions that the Bills let out watching Damar Hamlin go into cardiac arrest will be put on the field as they play for their teammate. You can be sure of that. That’s going to be especially true of Hamlin’s defensive mates as they go up against an often-dysfunctional offense. The Pats haven’t had many impressive wins lately, beating the Jets twice, the Colts and the Cardinals over the last nine weeks. They are 0-4 against teams who have clinched playoff spots, allowing an average of 29 ppg, and are 1-5 ATS in their last six games.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bills and the under.
RAVENS at BENGALS
1 p.m., Bengals by 6 ½, 42
HANK’S HONEYS: The Bengals’ locker room is divided about even playing after watching Damar Hamlin collapse Monday night so it’s probably wise to just stay away from this one. Looking at it from a football perspective, however, the Ravens’ offense has been non-existent since Lamar Jackson’s injury and it appears he’ll be missing another one here. As formidable as the Ravens defense can be, they’re not going to hold down Joe Burrow and they just don’t have enough weapons to match him in any form of shootout.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bengals and the under.
CHARGERS at BRONCOS
4:25 p.m., Chargers by 3, 40 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Chargers have been stomping lesser competition. They will be playing their starters to lock in the No. 5 seed and with the line so small, the back door isn’t very big. Russell Wilson and the Broncos responded well to the firing of Nathaniel Hackett by playing the Chiefs tough but that trend doesn’t usually carry over a second week. The Chargers’ pass defense is excellent and if Wilson returns to his struggling ways, the Broncos don’t have a running game. The Bolts got their running game going last week and will likely try to keep that going here. Combined with the Broncos’ low-scoring offense, that makes this a strong under pick.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Chargers and the under.
RAMS at SEAHAWKS
4:25 p.m., Seahawks by 6 ½, 41 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Rams had some spirited play under Baker Mayfield but that ran out against the Chargers. With a depleted roster and a miserable season behind them, we don’t see them putting up much of a fight or being able to take advantage of a mediocre Seattle defense. After winning the Super Bowl last season, playing spoiler isn’t going to get the sky high. For the Seahawks, it’s win and wait. They played well enough in a must-win spot against the Jets last week to back them here.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Seahawks and the over.
LIONS at PACKERS
8:20 p.m., Packers by 4 ½, 49 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The problem here is that the Lions will be eliminated by kickoff time if the Seahawks beat the Rams earlier in the day. That would leave them in a spoiler roll with the Packers in a win and they’re in scenario. But you know what? Dan Campbell has had his team fighting hard all year and if they can’t be in the playoffs, they are going to try to make sure they take the Packers down with them. The Packers have won four in a row but there have been favorable circumstances in all of them. Even with Aaron Rodgers and Lambeau Field and prime time and all, the Lions are more than capable of getting a TD lead and keeping this close.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Lions and the over.
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LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH
CHIEFS at RAIDERS
Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Chiefs by 7 ½, 52 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: This is truly a tough one to figure. The Chiefs, presumably, are playing for the No. 1 seed, but as much as these teams despise each other, that doesn’t mean the Raiders will lay down. Jarrett Stidham made you wonder why he wasn’t starting over Derek Carr all season last week but can he do it again? The Raiders love blowing double-digit leads but that usually means that they cover, especially getting over a TD. Meanwhile, while the Chiefs have owned their division, they have six straight AFC West losses ATS.
CAN’T HELP YOURSELF? Raiders and the under.
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BEST OF THE REST
TEXANS at COLTS
1 p.m., Colts by 2 ½, 38
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Colts and the under.
BUCS at FALCONS
1 p.m., Falcons by 4, 40 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bucs and the under.
VIKINGS at BEARS
4:25 p.m., Vikings by 4, 43 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Vikings and the under.
CARDINALS at 49ERS
4:25 p.m., Niners by 14, 40
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: 49ers and the over.
COWBOYS at COMMANDERS
4:25 p.m., Cowboys by 5 ½, 41
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Cowboys and the under.
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WEEK’S BEST BET: Steelers. The curtain falls.
LAST WEEK: 6-9 ATS, 6-8-1 OVER/UNDER
OVERALL: 112-138-5 ATS, 129-123-3 OVER/UNDER
BEST BETS: 10-7
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Originally published at Tribune News Service