THE BEST GAMES TO BET
PANTHERS at BUCS
Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Bucs by 2 ½, 44
HANK’S HONEYS: The Bucs have been trying to prove what a lousy team they are week after week, losing eight straight ATS, and yet they’re still being favored. Baker Mayfield is obviously not himself and the Tampa Bay defense keeps getting exposed. Turnovers killed the Panthers against Seattle. Otherwise, their defense was hanging in with perhaps the top team in the conference. Bryce Young had improved over the course of the year and the combination of Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdell is as formidable as most teams have in the NFL. Carolina has been a bad road team but it’s all on the line here.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Panthers and the under.
SEAHAWKS at 49ERS
Saturday, 8 p.m., Seahawks by 1 ½, 49 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: Brock Purdy has been sensational lately but his past three performances came against the Bears, Colts and Titans. The Seahawks, however, have the defense to slow down the high-flying Niners, with the most pressures in the NFL and a top-three run defense. The availability of OT Trent Williams and TE George Kittle will be key in that respect. If they’re out, even Kyle Shanahan will have trouble coming up with a game plan. The Niners’ D, meanwhile, can’t seem to stop anyone. Their lack of a pass rush means that Sam Darnold, one of the worst QBs under pressure, will have all evening to find Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Seahawks and the under.
COWBOYS at GIANTS
1 p.m., Cowboys by 5 ½, 52 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: Throw out the Giants’ win over the hapless Raiders, who basically tanked it by shutting down Maxx Crosby before the game. We’re back to reality here and that is that the Cowboys, who have scored 30 or more points in eight of their 16 games, will roll all over a defense that has allowed 27 or more points in seven of its 16 games. While Mike Kafka is a lame duck coach in his final game, Brian Schottenheimer is determined to build momentum heading into the next season. Let’s not forget, too, that Dak Prescott will be shooting for his 15th straight SU win over his favorite opponent. Right now, the Cowboys are simply the better team.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Cowboys and the under.
JETS at BILLS
4:25 p.m., Bills by 7, 39 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Bills figure to rest several starters, especially the ailing ones. Josh Allen might take one snap to keep his streak alive but it likely will be Mitch Trubisky behind center most of the game — and who knows about James Cook? We do know about Brady Cook and he’s not as good as Trubisky. We also know that the Jets have turtled. Aaron Glenn can backtrack from his post-game comments all he wants, but he wasn’t wrong. Take the Jets at your own peril. We can’t trust them, even against the Buffalo JV.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bills and the under.
DOLPHINS at PATRIOTS
1 p.m., Pats by 12, 45 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: It’s a lot of points, for sure, but the motivation is all with New England. The Patriots can still get the No. 1 seed so they’ll be playing all their guys, leaving Drake Maye to pick up where he left off against the hapless Jets. The Dolphins got their win last week, but they might be a little less enthusiastic about playing in frigid Foxboro, given their history. Quinn Ewers will be making his first cold-weather start while the Patriots’ defense returns DT Milton Williams. Take a look at the over, as well. Eight of the Pats’ last 10 games have gone that way.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Patriots and the over.
BROWNS at BENGALS
1 p.m., Bengals by 7 ½, 44 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: As good as the Browns defense is, they’re not going to shut down Joe Burrow. As bad as the Bengals defense is, Shedeur Sanders isn’t going to win a shootout against said Burrow. Cleveland had its Super Bowl win last week against the hated Steelers, winning the only way the Browns can, in a low scoring game. They’ve scored 36 points in three weeks and they’re playing without their biggest offensive threat, Quinshon Judkins. While this is still a rivalry, there has to be some form of letdown. The Bengals can’t get into the playoffs, but they’d be a threat if they were.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bengals and the under.
SAINTS at FALCONS
1 p.m., Falcons by 3, 43 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: Kellen Moore has put together one of the best coaching performances of the year in turning the Saints into a respectable team. Tyler Shough has vastly improved since his first start against the Falcons, teaming with Chris Olave to form an efficient passing combination. The Falcons, who are coming off a nationally televised upset of the Rams, haven’t responded well after big wins and will be on a short week. The Saints, meanwhile, have had their eye on next year and should be motivated to close out the season strong with a fifth straight victory. Their run defense matches up pretty well against Bijan Robinson, forcing Kirk Cousins to carry more of the offense.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Saints and the over.
COLTS at TEXANS
1 p.m., Texans by 10 ½, 40 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Colts have decided to take a look at Riley Leonard against perhaps the league’s best defense which will make it a challenge to crack double digits. The Texans don’t blitz all that much, so they should be able to stack things against Jonathan Taylor with their talented D-line rotation to force Leonard to challenge their shutdown CB tandem. Houston’s offense is always a concern, but the Colts are hurting in the secondary and in their interior line. It’s going to be hard to get up for one last game after the season had started with so much promise.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Texans and the under.
COMMANDERS at EAGLES
4:25 p.m., Eagles by 7, 42 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: It’s actually a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game, although you wouldn’t know it. The Commanders’ season fell apart weeks ago and the Eagles are expected to rest their starters. Washington’s offense looked somewhat competent against the Cowboys on Christmas with third-stringer Josh Johnson at the controls. Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel will pose matchup problems for the Philly backups and put enough points on the board to keep this one close.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Commanders and the over
LIONS at BEARS
4:25 p.m., Bears by 2 ½, 49 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Bears are on a short week after an absolute war in San Francisco, while the Lions have extra prep time. The flu is going around the Bears locker room and their entire WR corps is banged up. The Bears can still wrap up the No. 2 seed, but the big prize, the NFC North, is secure. Yet, Ben Johnson is playing his starters in an effort to create momentum going into Wild Card week. The Lions defense can’t stop anybody right now and Caleb Williams has been hot. The cold weather won’t help the Lions get up for a meaningless game after being one of the season’s biggest disappointments. And wouldn’t Johnson enjoy a bit of payback for having his former boss run up the score on him in the first meeting?
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bears and the over.
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LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH
RAVENS at STEELERS
8:20 p.m., Ravens by 3 ½, 42 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: This is a clear under given the history between these two rivals and how this game figures to be played with the Ravens leaning on Derrick Henry and the Steelers without DK Metcalf. Lamar Jackson is going to give it a go, but he hasn’t been 100% all year and it’s showed. As for the side, the matchups favor the Ravens. Aaron Rodgers lit up the Ravens in the first meeting but that was all Metcalf. The Ravens can stop the run so other options are limited. Pittsburgh’s run defense has been a liability so stopping Henry will be a chore. Nevertheless, matchups don’t seem to matter when these two get together. It’s always a fiercely played, tight game. That hook makes you want to bite on the dog.
CAN’T HELP YOURSELF?: Steelers and the under.
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BEST OF THE REST
TITANS at JAGUARS
1 p.m., Jags by 13, 45
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Titans and the over.
PACKERS at VIKINGS
1 p.m., Vikings by 6 ½, 37 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Packers and the under.
CARDINALS at RAMS
4:25 p.m., Rams by 7 ½, 46 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Rams and the over.
CHIEFS at RAIDERS
4:25 p.m., Chiefs by 5 ½, 35 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Chiefs and the under.
CHARGERS at BRONCOS
4:25 p.m., Broncos by 12 ½, 39
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Chargers and the over.
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WEEK’S BEST BET: Seahawks. Better D wins.
LAST WEEK: 10-6; OVER/UNDER: 10-6
OVERALL: 122-131-2; OVER/UNDER: 145-106-4
BEST BETS: 9-8
