The Bears and 49ers are in. That’s means four NFC teams are vying for just two playoff spots with two weeks left in the NFL season.
In the AFC, the Patriots secured a spot Sunday night with a 28-24 victory over the Ravens, leaving seven teams to jostle for five spots.
The Colts are the most endangered team with a playoff chance, needing a victory tonight vs. the 49ers to stay alive (barely).
Zach Cohen previews the matchup (8:15 ET, ABC/ESPN) and offers his Best Bets.
Other opinions from VSiN’s experts:
Matt Youmans: Some will say San Francisco is heating up at the right time, but the 49ers’ four-game win streak (Arizona, Carolina, Cleveland and Tennessee) has been more about the schedule getting soft at the right time. The San Francisco defense forced no turnovers and recorded no sacks last week against the Titans.
Steve Makinen: We know that NFL home underdogs on Monday Night are on a run of 17-20 SU but 20-16-1 ATS (55.6%) dating to September 2021 and that won/lost records have mattered on MNF, as teams with the better record are 50-42 SU but just 37-53-2 ATS (41.1%) in the last 92 MNF games not matching teams with identical records.
Dave Tuley: Philip Rivers certainly showed a lot of rust in his first game back in place of Daniel Jones, and he still almost pulled off a shocking upset of the Seahawks as a 13-point underdog. He has the right to improve.
Wes Reynolds: The Colts rank 6th [in defensive against the run] and get former 49er DeForest Buckner back this week. Indianapolis held Seattle to just 50 yards on 22 carries last week.
FYI: Makinen’s Analytics Report + ChatGPT spit out the Under (46 at Circa).
Josh Appelbaum will post his MNF Sharp Report this morning.
Other MNF resources
>Fantasy Points WR/CB Matchup Tool
>DraftKings/Circa Betting Splits
VSiN Pro subscribers have access to the plays from hosts and guests on our NFL picks page.
Motown moment
The Game of the Day was definitely the Steelers’ 29-24 victory over the Lions (-7.5) for its playoff implications and its controversial ending. Former referee Gene Steratore did a better job of explaining the what happened with Detroit’s potential winning TD than the actual referee.
Dave Tuley’s ATS report: Favorites and dogs tied 6-6 SU on the day, but dogs led 8-4 ATS. Overs led 6-5-1. >>Season totals.
The biggest Week 16 injury: With the Ravens’ playoff hopes dwindling (11%), Lamar Jackson’s back injury in Sunday’s loss is probably the most significant. The Chiefs lost Gardner Minshew to an ACL injury in a 26-9 loss to the Titans. J.J. McCarthy suffered a hand injury and didn’t play in the second half of a 16-13 victory over the Giants.
Moving on to Week 17, Adam Burke breaks down the early lines based on results and injuries.
Patrick Meagher and Mike Somich do an NFL review/preview on the Sharp Money podcast.
Survivor heads into Christmas week
At least nine Circa Survivor entries vying for the $18.7 million prize will be alive into the tricky Christmas week.
There is one entry pending on the 49ers.
>Circa Million: The top 5 consensus teams went 3-2 with wins by the Bears PK, Eagles -6.5 and Patriots +3 and losses by Lions -7 & Broncos -3. Per Tuley, the top 5 mproved to 32-46-2 (41%).
Check out our contest hub for individual selections.
Early look at CFP quarterfinals
VSiN.com managing editor Adam Burke takes a look at the opening lines for the CFP quarterfinals.
He has this to say about Indiana (-6.5) vs. Alabama:
Truth be told, if we were talking about two teams that were regularly in the national landscape, this line would probably be higher. But, the Hoosiers aren’t in this spot and the Crimson Tide seem to always find themselves in marquee games. Perception bias is probably having an impact on this one.
Of course, we have more bowl action between now and the resumption of the CFP.
Tonight
Potato Bowl: Washington State (+1.5) vs. Utah State, 2 ET
>Steve Makinen‘s Best Bet on this game and others this week.
Everything else we do during bowl season is posted here.
Quick Hits
NBA: Zach Cohen‘s Best Bets and Steve Makinen‘s Analytics Report will hit around mid-morning on our NBA page. Our Opta AI NBA player props projections are here.
College Basketball: Greg “Hoops” Peterson has his Best Bets for today’s menu.
Get real-time steam alerts from the DonBest Screen. Sign up now for a 7-day free trial at go.donbest.com. Use the promo code VSIN10 for 10% off your initial subscription.
NHL: VSiN hockey analyst Jonathan Davis will post his Best Bets around mid-day.
