The New England Patriots travel to MetLife Stadium on Sunday to face the New York Jets in their final road game of the 2014 regular season.
The Patriots can clinch a first-round playoff bye with a win or an Indianapolis Colts loss. The line opened with New England as a 10-point favorite but has started to climb to as high as 11.5 points at some sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The total opened at 47 points.
The Patriots are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games and 9-1 straight up in their last 10 games. They have covered four of their last six road games.
The Jets are 4-9-1 ATS this season and 2-5 ATS in their last seven home games. They are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Patriots but 3-10 ATS in the last 13 games between these two in New Jersey, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
Week 16 opens with Jacksonville hosting Tennessee in a “Thursday Night Football” matchup of 2-11 teams. The Jaguars are field goal favorites and are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five home games against the Titans.
A rare pair of Saturday games follows “Thursday Night Football.” Philadelphia is a nine-point road favorite against Washington and has won four of its last six road games. San Francisco is a 2.5-point home favorite against San Diego. Both teams are struggling, with the 49ers 1-4 ATS in their last five games and the Chargers 1-8 ATS in their last nine games.
Another close spread has Dallas ranging between 2.5-point and 3-point favorites at home against Indianapolis. The Cowboys are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games. The Colts are 4-2 ATS in their last six road games and 4-1 SU in their last five road games.
The Patriots have the biggest spread to open the week and are matched by Green Bay on the road against Tampa Bay. Green Bay opened as a 10-point favorite but, like New England, has climbed as high as 11.5 points on the Week 16 NFL betting lines. The Packers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games and 1-4 ATS in their last five games at Tampa Bay.
Week 16 wraps up with two games with big playoff implications. Arizona hosts Seattle on “Sunday Night Football,” with a chance to clinch the NFC West. The Cardinals will be without quarterback Drew Stanton and are nine-point underdogs at home, but they have covered in eight of their last 10 games.
“Monday Night Football” closes out the week with Cincinnati hosting Denver. The Broncos are yet another road favorite, installed at 3.5 points, and remain among the favorites on the odds to win the Super Bowl. Denver is 11-3 SU this season but just 7-7 ATS, while Cincinnati is 9-4-1 SU and 7-6-1 ATS.
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