The NFL season comes down to the nittty-gritty of the final two weeks, with playoff berths on the line and teams trying to prolong their seasons. In some cases, teams might not be able to secure playoff spots this week, but winning can give them a good chance to nail down berths in Week 17. With that in mind, here is our NFL Week 16 Parlay.
The Favorite
Giants at Colts
Odds: Colts -9.5
The Giants were a trendy pick last week against the Tennessee Titans, but people were reminded that Eli Manning and the New York offensive line do not deserve to be trusted. The Giants’ blowout win over the Washington Redskins a week earlier was far more an indication of the extent to which the Redskins had eroded and declined, rather than a sign that the Giants were on their way up. A lot of people wanted to believe that the Giants had figured everything out, but that is clearly not the case after this past weekend against Tennessee. New York got shut out, and now the Giants have to play the team which is battling Tennessee for the AFC’s final playoff spot.
Related: NFL Betting Guide | NFL Parlay Betting
The Colts are a hot team. They won in Houston to stop the Texans’ nine-game winning streak. They shut out the Dallas Cowboys and stopped their five-game winning streak. Andrew Luck is reminding everyone that he is a winner who finds solutions to problems. The defense has stepped forward for Indianapolis on a consistent basis. Frank Reich has steadily gotten better in his first full year as a head coach. The Philadelphia Eagles’ struggles on offense this season are occurring without Reich, a key indicator of how valuable he was to the Super Bowl champions a season ago.
Everything about this matchup points to the Colts winning big.
Pick: Colts -9.5
The Underdog
Broncos at Raiders
Odds: Broncos -2.5
The Broncos suffered a fatal blow to their playoff hopes when they lost to the Cleveland Browns at home this past Saturday. Their offense managed only 16 points. Case Keenum – who has had a bad year in Denver after doing so well with Minnesota the year before – made critical mistakes once again. Near the end of the game, with Denver deep in Cleveland territory and trailing 17-13 with under five minutes left, Denver head coach Vance Joseph decided to kick a field goal on fourth down. The Broncos made the field goal … and never scored again, losing 17-16. Denver players are making no secret of their intense disagreement with Joseph’s decision. Given that the Broncos are out of the running for a playoff bid, this seems like a classic scenario in which a team quits on a coach who is about to be fired. Denver has no real incentive to win, and plenty of good reasons to lose, including getting a better draft pick. The Raiders, playing perhaps their final game in Oakland, are much more likely to play this game with passion. Oakland makes a lot of sense here.
Pick: Raiders +2.5
The Total
Bears at 49ers
Odds: 43
The Bears have a defense that keeps shutting down quality quarterbacks. The Bears smothered Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams. Then they contained Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Imagine what they will do against Nick Mullens and the San Francisco 49ers. Mullens actually had a good game this past weekend against Seattle, but Chicago’s defense is better – and healthier – than Seattle’s. Chicago’s offense isn’t terrible, but it is not producing huge point totals either. Mitchell Trubisky looks like a second-year quarterback, someone who is still learning the position. This game has the feel of a 20-13 slugfest.
Pick: Under 43
The Point Spread
Steelers at Saints
Odds: Saints -6.5
The Steelers defeated the New England Patriots, but not because of their offense. Their defense had to stand on its head to pull out a narrow win. If the Steelers score 17 points against New Orleans – just as they scored 17 versus New England – they will get crushed. The Saints have spent the entire month of December on the road – at Dallas, at Tampa Bay, at Carolina. They finally come home for their last two games of the regular season. This is a team who performs very different when they are at home, indoors and on their turf. That figures to be a big problem for a Steelers defense that has been much-maligned over the last month (apart from last week).
Pick: Saints -6.5
