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The Cincinnati Bengals are off this week, but the NFL still has plenty to offer for folks looking to make a wager. There are always a few games a week that seem like safer bets than all the others, and I’ve done my best to give you the three bets this week that you should take.
Here are the locks of the Week 6:
Detroit Lions as 4.5-point underdog against New Orleans Saints
The line opened with the Saints as a three-point favorite, but as of Thursday is has expanded to 4.5 points. This favors taking the Lions easily. They may not win this game, but it will be close.
The Saints are coming off their bye week. Before that, they had two games where they dominated the Panthers and Dolphins, so it is easy to see why they are given a little bit more than a field goal advantage, but the Saints have only scored over 20 points once this season.
The Lions have been pretty good this year. They are 3-2, but they are coming off a close loss to the Panthers last week. The reason I feel confident in them is because they score consistently. Only once this season has Matthew Stafford and company been held to under 20 points.
I could see this being a close high scoring game where each team gets close to 30 points each, but I can’t see the Saints winning by more than a field goal.
Green Bay Packers as three-point favorite over Minnesota Vikings
It is looking like the Vikings will be going with Case Keenum when they take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers this weekend. Sam Bradford sat out practice Thursday after the team tried to play him against the Bears on Monday night.
The Vikings have been a weird team. After losing Bradford it looked like they wouldn’t be able to win without him, but they have gone 2-2 (counting Keenum bringing them back against the Bears) without Bradford. The defense has been great as usual, but the team also lost rookie running back Dalvin Cook for the season.
Meanwhile, the Packers have been a buzz saw for three weeks now. They have comeback victories over the Cowboysand Bengals during that time and have scored 35 points the past two weeks. Mike Zimmer has been able to slow down Rodgers before, but it is hard to imagine the Vikings keeping up with the Packers this week.
The under for total points in the Denver Broncos versus New York Giants game
The over/under has been shrinking and shrinking as the game gets closer. Right now, as of Thursday, the line is set between 38.5 and 40 total points.
The Giants offense is about to get stomped. The Broncos have one of the best defenses in the league. New York Lost Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall for the season last week, and there is a good chance they won’t even have Sterling Shepard. Who does that leave Eli Manning with to throw to? Household names like Roger Lewis and Tavarres King will be Manning’s top targets.
The Giants have a pretty good defense as well. The team is suspending Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but the Giants haven’t allowed a team to score over 27 points all season. Aside from the Broncos 42 point outburst against the Cowboys, they haven’t scored too well this season.