NFC South rivals battle it out for a playoff berth Sunday as the New Orleans Saints take on the Atlanta Falcons as 5.5-point home favorites on the NFL Week 16 odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New Orleans sits atop the division standings with a 10-4 record, edging out Carolina on tiebreakers, and can claim at least a wild card spot with a win in Sunday afternoon’s Falcons vs. Saints betting matchup at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Saints have stumbled since posting eight consecutive straight-up victories, alternating between wins and losses over the past four weeks. However, New Orleans has been dominant on home turf, averaging 33 points per game in six straight wins and claiming victory by a double-digit margin on four occasions.
Sporting a 9-5 record, the Falcons control the second NFC wild card spot and can clinch a playoff spot with an outright victory that would pay out on +215 moneyline odds.
Atlanta has turned things around since ending an early-season 1-4 SU run. The Falcons have gone 5-1 SU and 4-2 against the spread in six outings since, and they also have taken three straight from the Saints, including a 20-17 win as 2.5-point home chalk two weeks ago.
The 10-4 Panthers also can lock up a playoff berth with a victory as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 10-point favorites this weekend.
Carolina currently is on a 6-1 SU and ATS run that includes four straight wins at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers face a disappointing 4-10 Buccaneers squad that has dropped four straight and is 1-8 SU and 2-5-1 ATS in eight road dates, including a pair of lopsided road losses to division rivals this season.
Over in the AFC, a tight AFC West divisional race could be settled as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Miami Dolphins as 10-point betting favorites.
The 8-6 Chiefs hold a narrow one-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Chargers but would clinch a second straight division title with a win. Kansas City has halted a 1-6 SU slide with two straight victories and has covered in five of seven home dates this season, while the Dolphins try to put the brakes on a three-game SU road slide.
Further down the standings, the Cleveland Browns have likely their last best chance to post a SU win this season as they visit the Chicago Bears as 6.5-point underdogs. The Browns are winless SU in 19 road dates and are a short -300 bet to go 0-16 this season, but they visit a Bears squad that has dropped three straight home games during a 1-6 SU run.
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