We’ve got NFL this week on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It’s going to be a great weekend of football.
Let’s see what the NFL odds tell us at the best sportsbooks!
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
Sunday, December 18, 2022 – 01:00 PM EST at Caesars Superdome
Teams Analysis
The Atlanta Falcons are finally allowing Desmond Ridder to start a game. Ridder looked like the best rookie quarterback in preseason and will now get his opportunity on Sunday against the Saints. The Falcons are currently 5-8 but are underdogs against a 4-9 Saints group on the road.
This is a solid game for Ridder to show off what he’s capable of. Ridder will also have a big-time weapon in Drake London at receiver, and he’ll be supported by a couple of great runners in the backfield.
The Saints have allowed nearly 350 yards on defense, with over 220 coming in the air. But Ridder is also capable of moving around in the pocket, like Marcus Mariota, who he’s replacing.
Atlanta has also recently played better defense, holding their last two opponents to 19 points. The Falcons lost both of those games, which is one of the reasons why the Falcons have decided to make the switch.
The Saints have an above-average coverage unit and pass rush but have struggling tackling and aren’t the best against the run.
The Pick
The Falcons are even less consistent defensively but have played better recently. The offense has also scored more points than the Saints this year, despite earning only 170.7 yards passing per game.
With Ridder, that could change. Therefore, I’ll back the Falcons at +4 for my NFL picks.
NFL Pick: Falcons +4 (-110) at BetMGM
New England Patriots vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday, December 18, 2022 – 04:05 PM EST at Allegiant Stadium
Teams Analysis
The Patriots have been the better defense this season. They’ve allowed 334.7 yards per game while giving up just 18.4 points per game. New England is in the middle of a playoff race. The Raiders might’ve already played themselves out of the race, but I still like them to win this game.
Las Vegas has earned 23.7 points per game while averaging close to 375 yards per game. The offense has added close to 250 yards in the passing game, and they’ve also been great rushing the football, with Josh Jacobs having a career season.
Derek Carr has thrown 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions but still has over 3,100 yards passing this season. He’s the better passer than Mac Jones, point blank.
The Patriots are also dealing with a ton of injuries. Rhamondre Stevenson and DeVante Parker left last week’s game due to injuries. Meanwhile, due to injuries as well, Jakobi Meyers and Damien Harris weren’t available last week.
The Pick
The offense is getting beat up, and the Las Vegas defense has stepped up their game over the last month of games.
Most of the public will back Bill Belichick against his former assistant, but the Raiders have this one.
NFL Pick: Raiders ML (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
Arizona Cardinals vs. Denver Broncos
Sunday, December 18, 2022 – 04:05 PM EST at Empower Field at Mile High
Teams Analysis
The Arizona Cardinals lost Kyler Murray for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL. The defense has allowed at least 25 points in each of their last four losses. Meanwhile, the Denver defense has given up just 18.3 points per game while allowing 332.3 yards per game.
For whatever reason, the Broncos’ offense clicked last week with 28 points. It wasn’t enough against the Chiefs, who scored 34 points against one of the best defenses in the league.
But if Denver scores 28 against Arizona, they’ll win a game. At 3-10, wins have been hard to come by, but the Broncos have a much better defense. That defense will now go up against an underwhelming Colt McCoy, who is also a little banged up in the first place.
The Broncos have great coverage and pass rush. They also did well against the run, holding teams to 117.7 yards per game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have been atrocious against the run. The tackling has been miserable, and while the pass rush has done okay, the coverage can be better.
The Pick
Russell Wilson has 11 touchdowns and six interceptions throwing the ball this season. At times, this offense looks disinterested, with Wilson leading the way. But after last week’s performance, there’s got to be more confidence in that locker room with the offense.
So let’s back the Broncos at -3 here.
NFL Pick: Broncos -3 (+104) at SBK
