THE 10 BEST GAMES TO BET
GIANTS at EAGLES
1 p.m., Eagles by 3, 38
HANK’S HONEYS: The Eagles are resting their starters, including Saquon Barkley, but are the Giants good enough to beat Philly’s jayvee team? Well, no. One of the Eagles’ strengths this year is their depth. One of the Giants’ weaknesses is their starting lineup. The Giants got their surprise win last week against the Colts and we just don’t see them rising up a second week in a row no matter the opposition. The Eagles will be wearing all back but it’s the Giants’ funeral.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Eagles and the over.
DOLPHINS at JETS
4:25 p.m., Dolphins by 1 ½, 39
HANK’S HONEYS: The Dolphins are still alive in the playoff hunt, needing a win. Meanwhile, we can’t even be sure that the Jets and their pouting QB will be trying. They didn’t last week. If Tua Tagovailoa can’t go with his hip injury, Tyler Huntley has been in this position before, both last week against the Browns and filling in for Lamar Jackson with the Ravens. The Dolphins have come back too far this season to let this get away from them, particularly against a divisional rival they’ve been owning lately.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Dolphins and the over.
BROWNS at RAVENS
Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Ravens by 17 ½, 42
HANK’S HONEYS: What is this spread? An early round NCAA playoff game? It’s the biggest line of the season and while the Ravens are perfectly capable of covering it, they should have this thing wrapped up long before the final gun, content to rest their starters. If this wasn’t a divisional game, we could see the Browns packing it in with the bus engines running. But it is and that will be enough motivation to play hard enough to get under this absurd number.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Browns and the over.
BENGALS at STEELERS
Saturday, 8 p.m., Bengals by 1 ½, 48
HANK’S HONEYS: The Bengals are likely to miss the playoffs but the way Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have been tearing up defenses, they shouldn’t. The Steelers have been in a tailspin for weeks and they simply don’t have enough on offense to keep up with Burrow, who has thrown at least three TDs in his last eight games. The Steelers have already clinched a playoff berth and will be playing for seeding. They have run a gauntlet of brutal matchups against the Ravens, Eagles and Chiefs, going 0-3 SU and ATS. Not only will they be less motivated, we could see them being very careful with injuries.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bengals and the over.
PANTHERS at FALCONS
1 p.m., Falcons by 7 ½, 48
HANK’S HONEYS: Most NFC South games have gone over the total this season and this should be no different given these two defenses. In fact, both teams are 9-1 to the over within the division. We’re also not going to trust the Falcons to cover more than a TD against a divisional foe, even if they need the win to have any shot at the playoffs. For once, Bryce Young is the more experienced QB. He won’t have Chuba Hubbard in the backfield but he will have time to throw and keep this reasonably close.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Panthers and the over.
JAGUARS at COLTS
1 p.m., Jags by 5 ½, 45
HANK’S HONEYS: The Colts have broke with tradition. They usually fizzle out in their season finale. They did that a week early against the Giants. The players know an organizational shakeup is looming and it’s going to be nearly impossible to get up for this one. It’s obvious the Jaguars have been playing hard down the stretch. Mac Jones has been playing as if he has something to prove and the team has rallied around him. They should take full advantage of a disorganized, disinterested Indy defense. The Jags are 1-6 on the road SU but 4-3 ATS.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Colts and the under.
BILLS at PATRIOTS
1 p.m., Bills by 2 ½, 38
HANK’S HONEYS: Jared Mayo is starting everyone, including Drake Maye. Josh Allen is making just a token start to keep his streak alive before Mitch Trubisky takes over. So why are we siding with the Bills? Because the Patriots’ defense is a sieve no matter who it is facing. And while the Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed, they remember how the Pats put a scare into them a few weeks ago. You don’t want to let that sour taste linger against a divisional foe. The Bills will take care of business with the spread under a FG.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bills and the over.
BRONCOS at CHIEFS
4:25 p.m., Broncos by 8 ½, 40
HANK’S HONEYS: Backups or not, the Chiefs have too much pride to lay down against a divisional rival, especially when they can ruin the playoff hopes of said divisional rival. Andy Reid isn’t going to change his grinding approach, putting points at a premium. And we don’t see Sean Payton opening things up with a risky game plan against a still-stout secondary. He’s going to coach to win the game. Matchup-wise, the Broncos defense has been showing a few cracks lately and Carson Wentz isn’t exactly a dud as the backup QB. Under Reid, the Chiefs are 9-1 SU in the final week of the regular season, often resting players.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Chiefs and the under.
CHARGERS at RAIDERS
4:25 p.m., Chargers by 5 ½, 41
HANK’S HONEYS: The Chargers’ offense isn’t the same without WR Ladd McConkey and he’s dealing with a toe injury that will likely sideline him looking ahead to the playoffs. The Raiders, meanwhile, are playing hard down the stretch in spite of their early elimination and there’s no reason that trend won’t continue against a divisional rival. Aidan O’Connell is playing like a quarterback with something to prove and he’s established some great chemistry with rookie TE Brock Bowers.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Raiders and the over.
VIKINGS at LIONS
8:20 p.m., Lions by 2 ½, 57
HANK’S HONEYS: The surest thing in this critical game is the over, as high as the number is. Dan Campbell knows that with his defense so hobbled, he needs to turn games into track meets and, of course, his offense is perfectly capable of complying. There will be points. There are always are. At the same time, and at the risk of underestimating the Vikings one more time, the Lions are a strong lean to cover. The Vikings rely on their blitz to create pressure. It works against most teams but the Lions aren’t most teams.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Lions and the over.
LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH
SAINTS at BUCS
1 p.m., Bucs by 14 ½, 43 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: It’s win and they’re in for the Bucs. Tampa Bay has been literally running wild with 150 or more rushing yards in five of their last six games. The Saints can’t stop the run, nor do they have the personnel to match Baker Mayfield point for point. Outside of Chris Olave, all of their skill position people are injured and Spencer Rattler can’t be counted on to get the ball to Olave. It’s a lot of points but there’s no other choice. It’s either Tampa Bay or sit this one out.
CAN’T HELP YOURSELF?: Bucs and the under.
BEST OF THE REST
COMMANDERS at COWBOYS
1 p.m., Commanders by 3, 44
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Commanders and the over.
TEXANS at TITANS
1 p.m., Titans by 1 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Texans and the under.
PACKERS at BEARS
1 p.m., Packers by 9 ½, 40
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Packers and the under.
49ERS at CARDINALS
4:25 p.m., Cardinals by 4 ½, 43
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Niners and the over.
SEAHAWKS at RAMS
4:25 p.m., Seahawks by 3, 39 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Seahawks and the over.
* * *
WEEK’S BEST BET: Bengals. Go with Joe.
LAST WEEK: 9-7, 7-9 over/under
OVERALL: 122-130-4, 125-128-3 over/under
BEST BETS: 8-9
