Lions open as 3.5 point favorites vs Bengals in Week 16

With a 5-9 record and officially out of the playoff race, there’s not much left for the 2017 Cincinnati Bengals to play for. Despite that, the team still has two games to get through and next up will be the Detroit Lions. They’re traveling to Paul Brown Stadium with a familiar face, Marvin Jones, who’s coming off a big game against the Bears.

The Lions beat the Bears in Week 15, 20-10. Don’t forget, the Bengals just lost to the Bears at home, 33-7. Considering how poorly the Bengals have played recently, this game is almost certain to be a loss for Cincinnati.

Interestingly, the Lions opened as 3.5-point favorites at Cincinnati, which actually seems like it’s not a big enough spread. Part of that is likely because the Lions have not beaten the Bengals since 1992. That from BookMaker.eu, which has the opening lines across the NFL for Week 16.

The Bengals versus Vikings game has an under/over of 43.5 and considering the Bengals have scored a collective 34 points in their last three games, I’d imagine most of the points scored next Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium will come from the Lions. At 8-6 and with the playoffs still on the line, the Lions have a lot more to play for than the Bengals, who look like they’ve quit and lost all hope.

Week 16 Opening Odds from BookMaker.eu:

Lions at Bengals (+3.5, 43.5)

Colts at Ravens (-13.5, 41.5)

Chargers at Jets (+7, 42.5)

Rams at Titans (+7, 49)

Browns at Bears (-7, 38.5)

Broncos at Redskins (-4, 42)

Dolphins at Chiefs (-10, 45)

Bills at Patriots (-13, 47)

Jaguars at 49ers (+5.5, 42.5)

Giants at Cardinals (-4.5, 40.5)

Seahawks at Cowboys (OFF)

Steelers at Texans (OFF)

Raiders at Eagles (OFF)

Buccaneers at Panthers (OFF)

Falcons at Saints (OFF)

Vikings at Packers (OFF)

In other news, the Bears opened as seven-point favorites against winless Browns. Chicago has lost seven consecutive games when listed as the favorite, which bodes well for the Browns who are likely hoping to not record the NFL’s second-ever winless season.

And, after clinching the playoffs in Week 15, the Jaguars will have an interesting matchup this week, which should be a win. Jacksonville hasn't won a game in California since 2005 (0-6 since) and the Jags are 5.5-point chalk at San Francisco. The Jaguars are still playing for a top two seed in the AFC playoff bracket.