THE BEST GAMES TO BET
EAGLES at COMMANDERS

Saturday, 1 p.m., Eagles by 6 ½, 44 ½

HANK’S HONEYS: Don’t overthink this one. The Commanders defense can’t stop the run and can’t pressure the quarterback. That should lead to chunk plays from Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts as the Eagles try to build momentum heading into the playoffs. Washington has shut down Jayden Daniels for the rest of the season, a wise decision considering that OT Laremy Tunsil is likely out for this one. Marcus Mariota is one of the worst QBs under pressure and there is no reason to have much faith in the running game.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Eagles and the under.

PACKERS at BEARS

Saturday, 5 p.m., Packers by 1 ½, 46 ½

HANK’S HONEYS: Micah Parsons’ absence is huge. The Packers won’t have the ability to rattle Caleb Williams and will be as vulnerable in the secondary as they were once Parsons went down in Denver. The news is almost as bad on the Green Bay offense where it’s doubtful Christian Watson can return from a chest injury on a short week, not to mention the iffy status of OT Zach Tom. With TE Tucker Kraft already lost, Jordan Love’s weapons are severely limited. He can lean on Josh Jacobs but Chicago’s run D, once leaky, has stepped up lately.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bears and the under.

VIKINGS at GIANTS

1 p.m., Vikings by 2 ½, 44

HANK’S HONEYS: Given how these two defenses rank in points allowed combined with a frigid forecast, the under looks like the strongest bet. But while the points may be few, we don’t see the Giants keeping up with an offense that has scored 65 points in its last two outings. J.J. McCarthy has picked it up and the Vikings have emerged from their malaise, even if their playoff chances are practically nil. The Giants, however, keep making the same mistakes common with a team playing out the string and have fallen to last in the NFL in defense and can’t stop the run. Outside of occasional highlight from Jaxson Dart and the pass rush, there’s nothing there.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Vikings and the under.

JETS at SAINTS

1 p.m., Saints by 4 ½, 40

HANK’S HONEYS: The Saints obviously have the most fight left, having one two straight. Both wins have come within the division so there’s a chance for a letdown. of course, but the Jets have been playing such lousy football, why risk your money? New Orleans has the much better defense, allowing just 17.8 ppg the last two weeks while the Jets haven’t been able to stop anybody. And even with Tyler Shough, the Saints have the edge at QB. We’re happy for Brady Cook’s parents but the kid has been thrown into an impossible situation and is making understandable rookie mistakes. His 44.3 passer rating says it all. All the Jets have is Breece Hall and he’ll be looking at stacked fronts.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Saints and the under.

BILLS at BROWNS

1 p.m., Bills by 10 ½, 42

HANK’S HONEYS: The Browns have been absolute dreck lately but they do have one thing for which to play and that is Myles’ Garrett’s sack record. Their pass rush is among the best in the league against scrambling QBs so Josh Allen may be under the gun more than he likes. He willed the Bills to a comeback victory over the Pats last week but this one could be low on motivation. It’s a terrible spot for Buffalo, an early road start in a dreary stadium against a bad opponent. Buffalo’s run defense has been getting gashed all year and the Browns have the personnel to take advantage. This just feels like a game where the Bills get in and out without covering double digits.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Browns and the under.

CHARGERS at COWBOYS

1 p.m., Cowboys by 1 ½, 49 ½

HANK’S HONEYS: It’s looking as though DT Quinnen Williams will not be coming out of concussion protocol and that could be disastrous against a Chargers team that thrives on running the football behind Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal and a strong play-action game with Justin Herbert. J.J. McCarthy’s huge day last week is an indicator that the Cowboys’ D is returning to its early-season woes. Meanwhile, this is one defense that can handle the Cowboys offense. The Cowboys would be eliminated from post-season consideration should the Eagles win Saturday.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Chargers and the under.

JAGUARS at BRONCOS

4:05 p.m., Broncos by 3, 43 ½

HANK’S HONEYS: The Jaguars may be the surprise team of the NFL and here is yet another chance to make a statement against a top opponent that might underestimate them. Inconsistent no longer, they have covered in five straight games by an average of 16.6 points and are worth a wager as long as they continue to be undervalued. Getting to Bo Nix is key. The Jags’ pass rush has been overwhelming opponents, although Denver’s O-line is stout. That said, the Jaguars can do well against a Broncos defense that may not be as good as people think. If not for Christian Watson’s injury, they lose to Green Bay. A balanced Jacksonville offense could pick up that ball.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Jaguars and the over.

STEELERS at LIONS

4:25 p.m., Lions by 7, 50

HANK’S HONEYS: This is a lot of points to spot a team that can still win its division, especially when the Detroit is obviously not the team it was last season. However, it’s also a rather meaningless game for the Steelers, on top of traveling on short week. No matter what they do over these next two games, they will at least be playing for the AFC South against the Ravens in Week 18. The Lions, however, need to run the slate to make the playoffs. They’ll be back home on their fast track with an explosive offense that matches up well against an injury-riddled D that gives up tons of yardage. Look for Jared Goff to exploit the Steelers’ man coverage and for the Detroit RBs to exploit Pittsburgh’s problems against the run.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Lions and the over.

RAIDERS at TEXANS

4:25 p.m., Texans by 14 ½, 37 ½

HANK’S HONEYS: How are the Raiders going to even break double digits against the best defense in football? They come off a game where they totaled 75 yards of offense which came out to 1.7 yards per play and this week, their league-worst O-line will be up against Houston’s league-best front. Kenny Pickett is going to be under constant siege. The Texans’ offense has improved over the season. C.J. Stroud should find plenty of success targeting Dalton Schultz, given the Raiders’ inability to cover tight ends. Yes, the line is huge but this team has packed it in.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Texans and the under.

PATRIOTS at RAVENS

Sunday, 8:15 p.m., Ravens by 2 ½, 48

HANK’S HONEYS: All the motivation is on Baltimore’s side. The Ravens can’t afford to lose any game leading up to their season finale at Pittsburgh because the division is their only ticket into the playoffs. Healthy as they’ve been all year, their defense played its best game of the season in making Joe Burrow look like Justin Fields. While the Ravens are still struggling offensively, Lamar Jackson is getting closer to 100 percent. The Patriots aren’t going to miss the playoffs but they may have blown more than a 21-point lead against the Bills. After being doubted all season, mostly because of their soft schedule, they fulfilled that narrative in allowing Josh Allen to stage the comeback. It was a deflating loss and now their youth will be tested against a team that has been there before.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Ravens and the under.

***

LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH
CHIEFS at TITANS

1 p.m., Chiefs by 3 ½, 37 ½

HANK’S HONEYS: We’ve never seen a Chiefs team play out the string and there’s no telling how they’ll react, even given the weak opponent. The Titans are terrible but they have had a few moments lately. Cam Ward’s season has been disappointing but he has played his best football recently and will be facing a very average KC pass defense that could be without CB Jaylen Watson. Gardner Minshew takes over for Patrick Mahomes and, given the Titans’ surprisingly efficient run defense led by the return of DT Jeffery Simmons, it will be on his shoulders. Minshew is the kind of gamer who can rally a team as long as there is a spark left.

CAN’T HELP YOURSELF?: Titans and the over.

***

BEST OF THE REST
BUCS at PANTHERS

1 p.m., Bucs by 3, 46

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Panthers and the under.

BENGALS at DOLPHINS

1 p.m., Dolphins by 1 ½, 50 ½

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bengals and the over.

FALCONS at CARDINALS

4:05 p.m., Falcons by 2 ½, 46

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Cardinals and the over.

4ERS at COLTS

Monday, 8:15 p.m., Niners by 5 ½, 48

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Colts and the under.

WEEK’S BEST BET: Lions. The better team that needs it more.

***

LAST WEEK: 5-11, over/under 9-7

OVERALL: 102-119-2, over/under 127-90-3

BEST BETS: 9-6