NFL Parlays

The Cardinals kept their playoff hopes alive as they beat the Patriots 30-17 last Sunday. Kyler Murray was impressive in the win as he completed 23 of his 30 passes for 224 yards but no touchdown passes. That’s because every time the Cardinals got close to the end zone, it became James Conner territory. The veteran back just signed an extension in Arizona and celebrated it by running for 110 yards on just 16 carries. On the other side of the ball, the defense held Drake Maye to just 202 yards through the air and Rhamondre Stevenson to just 69 yards on the ground. It’s been the defense that has been inconsistent at times this season which has become the main reason for Arizona’s struggles, but it was good to see the secondary step up last week. The defense gets a somewhat favorable matchup again in Week 16 against the Panthers.

Carolina was the favorite in a game for the first time since Week 15 of 2022 and it didn’t go well. The Cowboys upset the Panthers 30-14 as the secondary just couldn’t stop CeeDee Lamb through the air or Rico Dowdle on the ground. Early on in the game, it became very apparent that Cooper Rush was looking for Lamb any chance he could and that led to him having 9 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. That leads me to believe Marvin Harrison Jr. could be in for a big day against this weak Panthers secondary. Plus, Carolina has one of the worst run defenses in football. The Panthers have allowed 173 rushing yards per game which is the worst mark in the league. In fact, they allow 29.3 more rushing yards per game than the team ranked 31st. That Swiss cheese defensive line got carved up by Dowdle last week as he ran for 149 yards on 25 carries. That provides Conner with an excellent matchup on the ground. It’s a short spread so I’m willing to back the Cardinals in Carolina.

Cardinals vs Panthers prediction: Cardinals -4.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 5.

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The Detroit Lions travel to Soldier Field this Sunday to take on the Chicago Bears in the second meeting between these squads. They faced off on Thanksgiving, and although the Lions jumped out to a 16-0 halftime lead, the Bears fought back and had the chance to attempt a game-tying field goal as the clock expired. However, their disgraced head coach, Matt Eberflus, completely mismanaged the clock, and the Bears fell 23-20. He’s since been dismissed, but things haven’t improved for Chicago, as they’re 0-2 since the firing and have been outscored 68-25 against the 49ers and Vikings.

Detroit enters this matchup after suffering their second defeat of the season, 48-42, at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen further solidified himself as the MVP favorite, and Buffalo had a 35-14 3rd-quarter lead before Detroit stormed back and made it a game. Head coach Dan Campbell made a questionable call to go for an onside kick with 11 minutes left in a 10-point game, which ultimately killed the Lions’ momentum. Additionally, they lost RB David Montgomery to a knee injury, and while he’s seeking a second opinion on the injury, it looks like Detroit will likely be without him for this game and the rest of the regular season.

The Lions were 9-1 ATS before failing to cover each of their last 3 games, but they’re still 5-1 against the number on the road and have been elite under Dan Campbell after a loss. Since Week 9 of the 2022-23 season (Campbell’s second season in charge), Detroit is 8-0 following a defeat, winning by an average of 16.3 ppg. They failed to cover against the Bears in the first meeting, but I have to think Chicago has very little motivation to win this game and expect a beatdown by Detroit. 7 of the Lions’ 12 wins this year have come by a TD or more, and I expect them to get another 7+ point victory in Chicago this weekend.

Lions vs Bears prediction: Detroit -6.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 7 (-110).

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There is a lot of injury uncertainty around this game, which makes it a bit harder to handicap when diving into how the teams match up with each other. With that being said, it’s hard for me to ignore how poor the Seattle offense looked against Green Bay last Sunday, particularly on the offensive line. Geno Smith has been under duress all season long, and the dam finally broke in last week’s contest, as he was forced to leave the game with an injury. Smith’s status is uncertain for this game, and as of Thursday morning, the betting market is anticipating that Smith will not play this week, even though he did practice in limited capacity on Wednesday. The offensive line situation is one that could get even worse for the Seahawks, as starting center Olu Oluwatimi could end up missing this game, meaning that rookie Jalen Sundell would need to step up in his place. Whether Smith gets the start or Sam Howell ends up being needed off the bench, it could be a long day for this Seattle passing offense.

As for the Vikings, Minnesota hasn’t exactly faced a murderers’ row of opponents in recent weeks. However, Minnesota’s coaching staff is one of the best in the league for a reason, as Kevin O’Connell and company continue to get the most out of Sam Darnold and this offense. Aaron Jones is coming off back-to-back rock-solid performances, and he’ll be going up against a Seahawks run defense that struggled mightily to stop Josh Jacobs and the Packers a week ago. Justin Jefferson has 3 touchdowns over the last 2 weeks, and he’ll instantly create matchup problems for this Seattle secondary. I don’t expect a ton of points from either side in this one, but my lean would still be on the road favorites to cover the short number here.

Vikings vs Seahawks prediction: Vikings -3 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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Last week was a nightmare for Will Levis. The Titans quarterback completed just 8 of his 12 passes for 89 yards with 3 interceptions. He kept finding open guys, but they weren’t always on his team. He was benched for Mason Rudolph after his 3rd pick and Rudolph looked extremely sharp in the second half. He finished 21/26 for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns, which brought the Titans back into the game. With that said, Levis had caused too much damage to complete the comeback. There were questions after the loss about which quarterback would start in Week 16 and Brian Callahan didn’t take long to announce that it would be Rudolph. Right now, the Titans appear to have a better chance to win with the veteran quarterback under center. With Rudolph back, Tony Pollard in the backfield, and Calvin Ridley as the main target, the Titans have potential.

The bye week appeared to do more damage than repair for the Colts. Indy went into the bye fresh off a 25-24 victory over the Patriots and came out of the bye looking flat. They lost 31-13 to the Broncos in Denver and Anthony Richardson looked terrible. He completed just 17 of his 38 passes to go with 2 interceptions. His accuracy has always been a topic for debate and it hasn’t appeared to improve yet. I’m expecting Richardson to have a hard time against the Titans’ defense since Tennessee’s secondary is elite. The secondary is allowing the 3rd-fewest passing yards per game this season. I’m taking a shot on the Titans with Rudolph back under center.

Both the Rams and Jets won in Week 15, but the victories couldn’t have been more different. The Rams beat the 49ers 12-6 in what might be the most boring Thursday Night Football game of the year and the Jets made a second-half comeback against Mac Jones and the Jaguars. But make no mistake – these teams are headed in opposite directions. The Rams are 8-6 and have proven to have one of the most dangerous offenses in the game. Between Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford has plenty of offensive weapons to choose from. It’s hard to imagine a defense that just allowed 25 points to Mac Jones and the Jags will be able to contain Stafford and the best receiving duo in football.

New York’s win snapped a 4-game losing streak and earned their 4th victory of the season. The entire year has been a disappointment for the Jets and there seems to be a lot of rift between Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson. Maybe that’s because Davante Adams recorded 9 catches for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns and Wilson hauled in just 3 catches for 56 yards. Adams has completely stolen Rodgers’ attention from Wilson. Plus, Breece Hall still doesn’t look 100% healthy. I was baffled to see the spread as just a field goal, so I’m taking an alternate spread to get the best value for the Rams.

Sunday Night Football will feature Baker Mayfield against Cooper Rush. If you like points, this game should be perfect for you. The Buccaneers have been one of the biggest surprises of the season as they are 8-6 and right in the thick of the playoff hunt. It’s even more impressive considering Mayfield was without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for several weeks and had to make do with Cade Otton being the #1 option. But now that Evans is back, the Bucs’ offense has become extremely balanced. Otton has earned Mayfield’s trust, Rachaad White remains a valuable receiving back and Bucky Irving has blossomed into a true RB1 in the last few weeks. That led them to score 40 points against an elite Chargers defense last week. I love this matchup for Mayfield on Sunday night.

It feels weird to say, but the Cowboys actually upset the Panthers last week. Carolina was the favorite in a game for the first time since Week 15 of the 2022 season, and in classic Panther fashion, they blew it. Bryce Young was terrorized in the pocket as he threw 2 interceptions and was sacked 6 times. Plus, the offense lost 2 fumbles. On offense, the Cowboys looked much more fluid. Rush was targeting CeeDee Lamb whenever he could and Rico Dowdle went crazy on the ground for 149 rushing yards. But remember — the Panthers’ defense is one of the worst units in football. I’m expecting a much better defensive performance from the Bucs as they win this primetime game by at least a touchdown.