Winless Browns among underdogs on NFL week 16 betting lines

Winless Browns among underdogs on NFL week 16 betting lines

Time is running out for the Cleveland Browns (0-14) to avoid becoming the second team ever to finish the regular season winless. With two weeks to go, the Browns are 6.5-point road underdogs visiting the Chicago Bears (4-10), who sportsbooks may need to cover the spread on Sunday if sharp bettors wager against another 0-16 campaign.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Winless Browns among underdogs on NFL week 16 betting linesThe Bears have shown glimpses of success in the first season for rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and what looks to be the last year for head coach John Fox. However, Cleveland still has a decent shot to upset Chicago here and has a much tougher road matchup on deck versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. So this line could dip to six points or less knowing that history favors the Browns getting a win.

On the other side of the spectrum, the New England Patriots (11-3) host the Buffalo Bills (8-6) in a huge divisional game for both teams on Sunday. The Patriots are coming off a 27-24 road victory against the Steelers and simply need to win out in order to earn the top seed in the AFC again after taking home their ninth consecutive AFC East title.

Meanwhile, the Bills are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999 and likely face a must-win in order to get back to the postseason. New England is listed as 13-point chalk, and that line may go even higher, meaning books will need Buffalo.

Four other games featuring big home favorites that have something to play for in Week 16 will probably put books in similar situations of needing the dogs to come through and cover. Among them are the Baltimore Ravens (-14) meeting the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday followed by the Carolina Panthers (-10) taking on the Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs (-10) battling the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Then on Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles (-9) close out the week’s action by hosting the Oakland Raiders.

Two more games to monitor involve heavy road chalk, starting with the Minnesota Vikings (-9) visiting the Green Bay Packers on Saturday and ending with the Houston Texans hosting Pittsburgh (-10) on Christmas Day. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been placed on IR for the second time and will not play, so books might need them to cover here at home. The same could be said for the Texans even though Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown will be sitting out with a torn calf muscle.