The 2016 NFL season doesnt slow down for anything, even christmas! Week 16 has some great matchups. Baltimore at Pittsburgh should be a classic on Christmas Day. Lets finish off the year with some winners in our NFL Week 16 Preview and Betting Tips.
NFL Week 16 Betting Tips
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (Friday 23rd December 12:25pm)
This Thursday Night Football game will mean much more to the New York Giants than it will to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants haven’t been to the playoffs since 2011 and a win against Philly would guarantee them a spot.
The Eagles put up a good fight against Baltimore last week but at the end of the day they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. This won’t be a walkover or an easy win for the Giants as the Eagles are a proud team and would love to spoil their NFC East rivals.
It’s going to be very cold at Lincoln Financial Field and a low scoring game is on the cards. The Giants Offense is not very impressive. They average 320 total yards of Offense (ranked 27th) and 19.4 points per game (ranked 24th). Instead the Giants rely heavily on the defense. They have allowed just 13 points in their last two games.
Prediction: New York 21 Philadelphia 10
Tip: Total Game Score Under 42.0 - $1.88 at Sportsbet
Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans (Sunday 25th December 12:25pm)
For all of you mad NFL fans there will be twelve games for you to watch (& punt) on Christmas day. Starting from 5:00am and ending at 12:25pm. In the late game the Houston Texans will host the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium in a very important game for the Texans.
After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-20 the Bengals are now eliminated from playoff contention. A devastating result for a team that had Superbowl aspirations.
The Houston Texans are tied with the Tennessee Titans at (8-6) and with the AFC wildcard race so tight, both teams cannot afford a loss in the final two weeks of the season.
The biggest story in Houston was the benching of quarterback Brock Osweiler. Head coach Bill O Brian has named back up QB Tom Savage as the starter. Savage looked good against the Jaguars completing 23 of 36 passes with no turnovers.
Lucky for Savage he has one of the best defenses in the league to lean on. The Texans are allowing just 306.5 total yards of offense (ranked 1st). These teams have played each other seven times in nine years and the Texans have won six of them.
Prediction: Cincinnati 20 Houston 24
Tip: Houston Texans to win - $1.88 at Sportsbet
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (Monday 26th December 8:30am)
The ‘Christmas Day’ game in America looks like a classic showdown between two old AFC North rivals. The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are bitter rivals and have played in some classic football games in December and this game should be no different. A win for either team will likely earn a third seed in the AFC playoffs which would also mean a home game. So, there is plenty at stake.
Baltimore has owned Pittsburgh in recent history, winning the last four games (including two games at Heinz Field). Earlier this season Baltimore won 21-14 against Pittsburgh and if there was ever a ‘revenge situation’ this is it!
Pittsburgh have won their last five games in a row and they now look like a real threat heading into the playoffs. They have a very disruptive front seven that are allowing just 89.1 yards of rushing per game (ranked 5th). At their best these two defenses would cancel each other out, but it’s the big three on the Pittsburgh offense that can’t be matched. Roethlisberger, Bell and Brown are arguably the best offensive combo in the league.
Prediction: Baltimore 17 Pittsburgh 24
Tip: Pittsburgh at the line (-5.0) - $1.92 at Sportsbet
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys (Tuesday 27th December 12:30pm)
Two NFL division leaders will meet for Monday Night Football. The Detroit Lions are a game clear of a surging Green Bay Packers. Dallas are two games clear of New York in the East but still need another win to clinch the division and home field in the playoffs.
The Detroit Lions destiny is still very unknown. At the moment, they have nine wins and sit atop the NFC North but in two weeks’ time they could miss out on the playoffs completely. They have the toughest (final three games) schedule of any team. It started with New York last week (loss) they have Dallas this week and they will face the Green Bay Packers in week 17. Unfortunately, its set up for more classic Detroit heartache.
Dallas bounced right back after suffering their second loss of the season. Dak Prescott was almost perfect, going 32/36 with 279 yards and no turnovers. This should finally put to sleep any doubt about the starting quarterback position. The job is Dak’s!
Ezekiel Elliot (behind that O-Line) continues to dominate. He rushed for 159 yards and leads the league in rushing by a country mile (1551 yards). Again, I believe Dallas will control the time of possession, but it should ultimately be a close game.
Prediction: Detroit 20 Dallas 26
Tip: Detroit Lions +6.5 / Over 41.5 - $2.50 at Sportsbet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
