After five consecutive wins, the Green Bay Packers (9-6) are headed for Detroit to knock on the door in search of the NFC North title.
Matt Youmans
It’s seldom wise to bet against Nick Saban in a big game. But the line on the Peach Bowl has dipped to Alabama minus-13½ against Washington.
Dallas (12-2) has clinched the top seed in the NFC. Detroit (9-5) can lock up at least a wild-card spot by beating the Cowboys on Monday night.
A rematch of the past two NBA Finals highlights Sunday’s five-game schedule. Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors are 2½-point favorites at Cleveland.
The Colts, a mysteriously popular bet to win the Super Bowl, were eliminated from playoff contention in a 33-25 loss to the Oakland Raiders.
The underdog Ravens have had the best of this AFC North rivalry recently, winning four in a row and six of the past seven meetings with Pittsburgh.
UCLA, 13-0 and ranked No. 2, represents the biggest surprise of the college basketball season. The Bruins’ odds to win the national championship were posted at 50-1 in early November.
Three popular favorites (New England, Oakland and Pittsburgh) and one trendy underdog (Tampa Bay) paid off the betting public in NFL Week 15.
The Raiders, 10-3 and smelling a playoff spot for the first time in 14 years, are 3-point favorites at San Diego. Philip Rivers and the Chargers (5-8) are fading again.
Joe Flacco and the Ravens are 7-point underdogs at New England on Monday. Baltimore has won and covered four of its past five games.
The most intriguing pre-Christmas matchup is in the Las Vegas Bowl, which pits Houston against San Diego State on Dec. 17. The Cougars lost their coach. The Aztecs have running back Donnel Pumphrey.
Derek Carr’s two touchdown passes in the second half rallied the Oakland Raiders, popular 3-point favorites, to a 38-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
The Cardinals, who rank No. 1 in the NFL in total defense, can bounce back and cover Sunday as 2½-point favorites over the Washington Redskins.
It’s a big weekend for quarterback Deshaun Watson, who can lead Clemson back to the College Football Playoff and make his case for the Heisman Trophy.
On a Sunday when favorites won 10 of 12 games, bookmakers needed the underdog New York Jets to cover against New England to avoid disaster.
