NFL betting tips: Detroit Lions to maul Green Bay Packers, LA Chargers to expose Kansas City Chiefs
With only five games left of the regular season, NFL action is heating up as teams vie for the remaining play-off spots.
Last week, the Chiefs failed once again to cover the spread in edging a tight win over the Las Vegas Raiders and are certain to be found out in the postseason unless they can improve rapidly.
At the same time, the Buffalo Bills continued to look like the best side in the league when stomping the San Francisco 49ers 35-10 on their way to a 10-2 record.
Sports News Blitz NFL correspondent Sam Condy is here with the top SkyBet picks ahead of gameweek 14.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Of these two sides, there is no doubt that the Lions have been the better team this season. As a result, we could be in for a one-sided game on Friday.
On offence, the Lions are first in the league for success rate in contrast to the Packers' 15th-place ranking. The story is much the same defensively, with the Detroit franchise rated third for opponent success rate while the Packers sit all the way down in 27th.
A 3.5-point spread is therefore almost too good to be true this week, especially with the Lions playing at home. This is perhaps the most confident I have been in a result all season.
Suggested bet: Detroit Lions (-3.5) @ 1/1
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Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
This is a tough game to call, especially considering the Chiefs are one of the worst 11-1 teams in NFL history. Week in, week out they have scraped razor-thin wins to amass an overall record far superior to any of their actual performances.
And while the Chief's biggest offensive threat comes on third down, the Chargers rank second in third-down defence this season, having allowed just a 33.33% opponent first-down conversion rate.
I am not saying that the Chiefs will not win — in fact, they probably will. However, based on recent performances, a 4.5-point spread is extremely optimistic.
Suggested bet: Los Angeles Chargers (+4.5) @ 4/5
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Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys
The Bengals need to start winning if they want any chance of reaching the postseason. They are now three games without a win, putting up a whopping 99 points in those fixtures but being repeatedly let down by a disorganised defence.
Luckily for them, the Cowboys leave a lot to be desired on the offensive end. Although they have won their last two, the side from Dallas averages just 20.7 points per game and Cooper Rush has been arguably the worst starting quarterback this season.
No matter how bad their defence is, the Bengals should be able to keep their play-off hopes alive this week if the Cowboys continue to lack an offensive threat.
Suggested bet: Cincinnati Bengals @ 2/5
With only a three-fold this week, the accumulator is very much on the cards. As the Bengals and Lions should both get the job done, it is down to the Chargers to hold the Chiefs.
Accumulator odds: 4.04/1
