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Subscribe to Newsweek Sports Betting 📩Welcome to an abbreviated, late-Friday afternoon look at a packed NFL Week 16 slate, starting with Eagles-Commanders and Packers-Bears on Saturday.
But before tackling the top NFL Week 16 matchups later this weekend, I’d be remiss not to mention tonight’s boxing match between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua and College Football Playoff clash between Alabama and Oklahoma.
Regardless of how you think Paul will match up against the former two-time world heavyweight champ (spoiler: no, I don’t like his chances tonight), there’s no denying that this showdown between two of the biggest names in the sport will be a tremendous spectacle.
I won’t say much about the other massive non-NFL event tonight — Alabama at Oklahoma (-1.5) in the CFP — but I’ll be fascinated to see whether the Tide can finally get their running game going against an excellent Oklahoma defense. A win by Brent Venables’ Sooners, by the way, would mark OU’s third over Kalen DeBoer’s team in the last two seasons.
Packers vs. Bears Betting Odds, Preview
- Spread: GB +1.5 (-108); CHI -1.5 (-112)
- Moneyline: GB +105; CHI -125
- Total: 46.5 (over -110; under -110)
The top two teams in the NFC North meet in primetime on Saturday night (8:20 p.m. ET on FOX), just two weeks after Green Bay (9-4-1) squeaked by Chicago (10-4), 28-21, at Lambeau in Week 14.
Unfortunately, the Packers are now a long way from full strength after losing star linebacker Micah Parsons for the rest of the season in last week’s loss to the Broncos.
Chicago, on the other hand, was dominant last Sunday, beating Cleveland 31-3 to stay on their archrival’s heels in the NFC North. Call me cliche and/or obvious, but at this point on Friday afternoon, I can’t shake the feeling that the absence of Parsons will prevent Green Bay from completing a season sweep of a team that is 10-2 over the last 12 weeks.
I also like the Bears in this spot given how well they ran the ball against Green Bay in Week 14, particularly down the stretch. Neither D’Andre Swift nor Kyle Monangai broke a single run of longer than 10 yards in that game, but they nevertheless churned out a total of 120 yards on 27 combined carries.
So, while I understand why the Packers — who have absolutely dominated this rivalry over the last two decades — will be a popular bet at plus-money, I like the Bears to pull out one of the biggest home wins in years and enter Week 17 in the driver’s seat in a division they haven’t won since 2018.
Pick: Bears -1.5 (-112 at DK)
🔥 Take Of The Week: The NFL Rulebook Needs An Update (Or Two?)
I’ve managed to incorporate a betting tip in this feature for an impressive — if I say so myself — 15-week streak, but that ends today …
Am I about to rant about …
A) whatever we’re calling Seattle’s game-tying 2-point conversion thanks to an incomplete pass fumble
B) the fact that quarterbacks (not to name any names1) draw a 15-yard penalty if they’re hit when they go from a dead sprint to a sudden slide
C) both?
The answer, of course, is “C.”
Whether you’re an aggrieved Rams or Panthers fan (or you had money on either team), or just another confused, frustrated neutral, you have to be baffled by a couple of massive calls that played a huge role in the Saints’ comeback win over the Panthers last Sunday and the Seahawks’ stunner last night.
Is there a counter-point to the argument that an incompletion fumble like the one Sam Darnold threw off of an L.A. d-lineman’s helmet should not end up working out in the offense’s favor?
And surely, quarterbacks won’t always be able to pick up 15 extra yards by pulling this move, will they??
I’m sparing everyone who’s already seen these plays more than they’d care to by linking to, instead of embedding, clips of the plays in question.
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