NFL Picks Against the Spread 2014: Week 16

Before Week 16 of the 2014 NFL season kicks off, I thought we would have some fun by taking a look at the spreads for this week's round of games. (Click here for NFL Week 16 picks without regard to the spread.)

Here are my suggestions when trying to beat Vegas. You can find all of today's NFL betting lines and more at the SB Nation odds page. My record so far this season: 93-105-5. (Last week's picks.)

I finished above .500 last week with a 7-5-2 record. I'm proud of nailing my pick of taking the Bills outright to beat the Packers. Still having a bad season. But that won't stop me from continuing to look foolish. Let's get to the picks.

NFL WEEK 16

Saturday games: Picked the Eagles to cover -8 over Washington. Also picked the 49ers to beat the Chargers by at least one point.

Detroit Lions (-9) at Chicago Bears: The Lions haven't been road favorites this big in forever. The line opened up with Detroit as 4.5 point favorites but jumped to 9 since the Bears announced the benching of Jay Cutler in favor of Jimmy Clausen. Chicago is bad and it's hard to imagine Clausen having much more success than Cutler. Take Detroit to cover. Pick: Lions -9

New England Patriots (-11) at New York Jets: This is tougher than it looks. The Patriots should be the easy favorite but it's a division game and the Rex Ryan always seems to get his team to play tough against Bill Belichick's crew. This one has me wondering, but I'll take the road favorites here. Pick: Patriots -11

Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers (-4): I know Johnny Manziel had a rough debut but I'm not sure what the Panthers have really done to earn the respect they're getting here. I'm not sure if Cleveland will win outright but I could see this being a close game. Pick: Browns +4

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-7): The Falcons and Saints will be battling it out for control of the NFC South with just one game remaining. Atlanta beat the Saints in Week 1 but this time the game is in New Orleans. I don't trust the Saints very much but they've been better recently than the Falcons have. If Julio Jones was completely healthy, this might be a different pick. Pick: Saints -7

Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins (-7): BGN Radio's James Seltzer picked this game on the preview show this week. He's taking the Vikings outright because he thinks the Vikings play teams tough and the Dolphins haven't been as impressive recently. I won't argue with him. Here's to you, James. Pick: Vikings +7

Green Bay Packers (-12.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Green Bay looks a lot more mortal on the road than they do at home. With that said, they're coming off of a disappointing loss and don't have to worry about a trap game situation here. They should be up for this one. Pick: Packers -12.5

Baltimore Ravens (-6) at Houston Texans: The Texans are a little worse than their record indicates. The Ravens are a little better than their record indicates. Baltimore will win and cover. Pick: Ravens -6

Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3): The Steelers are in the hunt for a wild card and that's exactly what they are. It's hard to predict what you're going to get out of them from week to week. Andy Reid's Chiefs aren't the model of consistency either but I feel better about them with the points. Pick: Chiefs +3

New York Giants at St. Louis Rams (-6.5): New York's two game win streak has come against two of the worst teams in the NFL. The Rams are much better the Giants, especially with home field advantage in play. St. Louis will be able to cover. Pick: Rams -6.5

Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys (-3): The Cowboys haven't been stellar at home this season (3-4). It seems like DeMarco Murray will try to play but he won't be 100% due to a hand injury. Dallas needs this game more than the Colts really do, so that's something to consider. Much to the dismay of Eagles fans, I actually think the Cowboys will win this won and cover. Pick: Cowboys -3

Buffalo Bills (-7) at Oakland Raiders: The Bills haven't won in Oakland since the 1700's. That will change this week. Buffalo will get the best of this Oakland team. Pick: Bills -7

Seattle Seahawks (-8) at Arizona Cardinals: Ryan Lindley against Seattle's defense is the mismatch of the century. Pick: Seahawks -8

Denver Broncos (-3.5) at Cincinnati Bengals: I could see Denver managing to slip up here. The Stripes will be eager to protect their AFC North lead while playing at home. Pick: Bengals +3.5