Welcome back for Week 16 of the 2014 SuperContest. I have reached a point where I am just counting the days until the season ends. I “bounced back” with a 2-2-1 week, and am just looking to finish with a winning streak. The joy of gambling is wonderful.
NFL picks against the spread, Week 16: All road warriors
I’m back with my Week 16 NFL picks against the spread. We are going entirely road teams this week.
The SuperContest includes more than 1,400 participants picking games each week to see who can come out on top by the end of the season. As always, our partners at OddsShark have staked me and a handful of other participants in the SuperContest. You can track all of us here, and you can follow the standings here. The contest runs all season long, but starting next week, participants who registered before Labor Day (that includes me) start a mini-contest covering the best record over the final three weeks of action. Maybe that is where I will get back into the swing of things. Yeah, that's what will happen!
Here are my picks for Week 16 with home teams in caps.
Detroit Lions (-6.5) over CHICAGO BEARS: The Bears decided to bench Jay Cutler earlier in the week, moving Jimmy Clausen into the lineup. While I have no faith Clausen can do anything, I would probably have been more comfortable with Jay Cutler in the saddle, because we know he’ll just throw a ton of interceptions. Anything could happen now, and it probably would not surprise me. That being said, Detroit is 4-0-1 against the spread in their last five games against the Bears. I’ll take my chances
Baltimore Ravens (-5.5) over HOUSTON TEXANS: On the other hand, with the Texans potentially rolling out Case Keenum, I was more than happy to add this game into the mix. We know Case Keenum is bad, and I am willing to bet that the Baltimore defense does unspeakable things to the Houston offense. Houston is struggling, and Case Keenum is not the answer.
Buffalo Bills (-5.5) over OAKLAND RAIDERS: The Raiders stunned the Chiefs and 49ers, but the former win happened on a short week, and the latter win happened against a 49ers team that fell apart this season. The Bills are not a dominant team, but they have a strong defense that will make Derek Carr look bad. The Bills are 4-1 ATS in their last five games, and 4-2 ATS in their last six road games. The Raiders are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games, and I don’t see that improving against a dangerous Bills squad.
New York Giants (+4.5) over ST. LOUIS RAMS: I should probably stay away from this game given the two teams involved. And yet, this seems like the perfect game for the Rams to slip up. They have played well against good teams, and not so well against bad teams. They should do more on offense against the Giants than they did against Arizona, but they will not be able to stop Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants are also 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings with the Rams.
Atlanta Falcons (+6.5) over NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: I have been burned by the Saints in the Superdome enough this year that the time has come to fade them. This probably means they will figure out a way to win this week, but I have zero faith in them as they are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games.
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