Ross Williams picks out his best bets for the Week 16 action in the NFL, with one game in focus on Saturday.
NFL betting tips: Week 16
2pts Cincinnati Bengals (-3) to beat the New England Patriots at 10/11 (General)
Cincinnati Bengals @ New England Patriots
- Kick-off time: Saturday, 18:00 GMT
- TV: Sky Sports NFL
- Best bet: Cincinnati Bengals (-3) to beat the New England Patriots
Having won six games straight, the Bengals are arguably the hottest team in the NFL right now and their trajectory has Cincinnati dreaming of another Cinderella run in the post-season.
Joe Burrow has been on fire of late and with Ja’Marr Chase back in his arsenal, the Bengals have been more than a match for some prime NFL opponents in recent weeks. Tom Brady’s Buccaneers were well-handled by Cincy a week ago and at the start of December, even the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs couldn’t keep up with the men in orange and black.
There’s real belief now that an AFC North title could be just the start for the Bengals. They’re peaking at just the right time and their record against the spread is something to behold.
Heading into Christmas Eve, they’ve failed to cover on just three occasions all season and they’ve beaten the handicapper in 11 of their last 12 games.
It’s a remarkable record and I suspect it to continue this week as they head to New England.
Trips to Massachusetts can never be regarded as easy, but this is the most vulnerable version of the Patriots we’ve seen in a long, long time.
Bill Belichick’s team have lost three of their last four and the way in which last Sunday’s defeat occurred will be etched into the minds of Patriots fans for years to come. God only knows the level of wrath those four walls will have witnessed in the days since, but it’s pretty fair to say that team morale must be very low.
The Patriots need a bounce-back game, but the visit of the Bengals is not the opportunity they wanted.
Cincinnati are too hot, the Patriots are too down and I can only envisage another Bengals cover in a game that will put last season’s AFC champions one step closer to repeating a historic campaign.
Odds correct at 1700 GMT (23/12/22)
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