It’s Christmas weekend, and what better way to spend the holiday — and possibly avoid your annoying family — than to watch football?
We’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on the NFL’s Week 16 slate, especially with playoff spots still hanging in the balance. And if you’re thinking about wagering a glass of eggnog or two, then you better listen to Team NESN’s advice.
Mike Cole and Ricky Doyle continued their solid stretch in the Westgate SuperContest in Week 15, going 3-2 in their against-the-spread picks as they look to finish the season strong. The duo has gone 21-9 over the last six weeks, though there’s still ground to be covered in the Team OddsShark standings.
Here’s what Mike and Ricky are pulling out of their stockings for picks this week:
Sunday, Dec. 24
Carolina Panthers (-10) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
The Atlanta Falcons’ backfield just carved up the Buccaneers for 240 yards, and Tampa Bay’s porous defense won’t find life any easier this week against Carolina’s running back committee. Cam Newton has played well lately, throwing 11 touchdowns to only one interception over his last five games, and the Panthers are doing an excellent job of taking care of the football. On top of everything, the Bucs, who are eliminated from playoff contention, have been a terrible bet this season, going 3-9-1 ATS overall and 1-5-1 ATS on the road.
Jacksonville Jaguars (-4.5) over San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m.
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Jimmy Garoppolo has been nothing short of sensational since taking over as San Francisco’s starting quarterback, winning three straight games after the 49ers began their season 1-10. But Jacksonville’s defense is unlike any beast Jimmy G has slayed before, which means this could be the week we’re reminded John Lynch still has work to do in rebuilding the Niners.
Dallas Cowboys (-4.5) over Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m.
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
The Seahawks are in a bad place after losing two straight, including a 42-7 drubbing last week against the Los Angeles Rams. The Cowboys also are getting back Ezekiel Elliott, who must be licking his chops ahead of facing Seattle’s depleted defense, which allowed 141 rushing yards to the Jaguars in Week 14 and 244 rushing yards to the Rams in Week 15.
New York Giants (+3.5) over Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m.
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Both of these teams are garbage and Vegas is expecting a low-scoring affair, in which case we’ll gladly take the points, especially with Eli Manning coming off a strong week and the Cardinals’ woeful offense turning back to Drew Stanton.
Monday, Dec. 25
Houston Texans (+9) over Pittsburgh Steelers
NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas.
The Steelers are the better team. Way better. But they’ll be without the NFL’s best wide receiver, Antonio Brown, and they have continuously played down to their competition this season, making this nine-point spread seem much larger, especially with the game being played in Houston on Christmas Day.
