Jim Feist

One good thing going for the Jets here on Sunday will be rain and wind. With rains expected in this game and the winds gusting to 27 mph, throwing the ball will be tough for both teams. This Jets offense scores only 14.2 ppg as it is under ideal conditions. The Jets have lost and failed to cover in five straight games, including last game vs the Falcons, 8-13, as a 2-point dog. They have also gone under in six of their last seven games. The Houston Texans improved to 7-5 with their win over the Broncos last week, 22-17, as a 3-point favorite. They look to make a playoff drive as they trail first place Jacksonville by just one game now. After today's game they will have a road game at Tennessee before returning home to face Cleveland and Tennessee and finishing at the Colts. The Texans could win the division with this schedule they have left. Your free play for Sunday is on the Houston Texans.

After leaving the last game, Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence, is questionable for today's game at Cleveland. Lawrence was limited in Friday's practice. The Jags ended up losing that game at home last week to the Bengals, 31-34, as a 10-point favorite. If Lawrence can't go then C.J. Beathard will have to start after going 9-of-10 last week for 63 yards. To make matters worse for Beathard could be the weather. It's supposed to be in the 30's in Cleveland Sunday with a chance of rain and winds that are at least 13 MPH. The Browns also have QB issues. Deshaun Watson is out for the rest of the year. Dorian Thompson-Robinson missed last week with a concussion. Thompson-Robinson could play today or it will then be veteran Joe Flacco. Either way the windy condition could make throwing a bit more difficult. I like the Browns quite a bit here at home with this excellent defense they have. Play Cleveland.

The Detroit Lions jumped out to a huge lead last week at New Orleans, but had to hold on late to get the win, 33-28 as a 4-point favorite. The Lions rushing game continues to shine with 142 last week and at least 140 in four of their last five games. The Lions have now won four of their last five games and eight of the last 10 for their 9-3 record to go along with their 8-4 ats mark. Unless the Lions completely collapse in their last five games, they should cruise to the NFC North crown. They lead 2nd place Green Bay and Minnesota by 3-games with five to play. They do face Minnesota twice yet along with Denver and Dallas. The Bears won't be going to the postseason with their 4-8 record. They are coming off a big win at Minnesota last week, 12-10 as a 3-point dog. It was just on Nov 19th that they faced the Lions in Detroit and gave them all they could handle in their loss, 26-31, covering the 8-point line. In that game they rushed for 183 yards on the Lions defense while holding the Lions to just 115 yards rushing. It will be cool in Chicago with the temps in the 30's and winds around 12 mph. That might not seem like a lot but it can hinder passing. This game looks to be controlled more on the ground and with that I'm going to take the Bears who had run all over the Lions just a few games ago. Take Chicago.

 After leaving the last game, Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence, is questionable for today's game at Cleveland. Lawrence was limited in Friday's practice. The Jags ended up losing that game at home last week to the Bengals, 31-34, as a 10-point favorite. If Lawrence can't go then C.J. Beathard will have to start after going 9-of-10 last week for 63 yards. To make matters worse for Beathard could be the weather. It's supposed to be in the 30's in Cleveland Sunday with a chance of rain and winds that are at least 13 MPH. The Browns also have QB issues. Deshaun Watson is out for the rest of the year. Dorian Thompson-Robinson missed last week with a concussion. Thompson-Robinson could play today or it will then be veteran Joe Flacco. Either way the windy condition could make throwing a bit more difficult. The weather combined with QB issues on both sides should keep this game lower scoring. I'm taking the UNDER here on Sunday.

Denver's four game win streak came to an end last week at Houston as a last second touchdown attempt came up short in their 17-22 loss as 3-point dogs. The Broncos had a good shot at the win but couldn't get the ball in the endzone as time ran out. The loss also hurts their playoff chances as they dropped to 6-6 overall and 4-7-1 ATS. They had big wins in recent weeks too with wins over the Browns, Bills and Chiefs. Denver average 21.9 ppg and allows 25.2 ppg, though they did allow 70 points in that one game at Miami to skew the average. The Broncos finish up with games at Detroit, home vs the Pats and the Chargers and then at Las Vegas. Denver could easily go 4-1 down the stretch. The Chargers are also 6-6 on the season and 4-7-1 ATS. They snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a win at the Patriots, 6-0. They had just 241 total yards and held the Pats to 257. The offense has been a bit anemic the last few weeks with just 16 total points. The offense is missing their best WR in Mike Williams who is out. Plus WR Joshua Palmer is questionable with a knee injury. The loser of this one could easily see their playoff chances go way down. I'm taking the points with the Broncos today.

The Detroit Lions jumped out to a huge lead last week at New Orleans, but had to hold on late to get the win, 33-28 as a 4-point favorite. The Lions rushing game continues to shine with 142 last week and at least 140 in four of their last five games. The Lions have now won four of their last five games and eight of the last 10 for their 9-3 record to go along with their 8-4 ats mark. Unless the Lions completely collapse in their last five games, they should cruise to the NFC North crown. They lead 2nd place Green Bay and Minnesota by 3-games with five to play. They do face Minnesota twice yet along with Denver and Dallas. The Bears won't be going to the postseason with their 4-8 record. They are coming off a big win at Minnesota last week, 12-10 as a 3-point dog. It was just on Nov 19th that they faced the Lions in Detroit and gave them all they could handle in their loss, 26-31, covering the 8-point line. In that game they rushed for 183 yards on the Lions defense while holding the Lions to just 115 yards rushing. It will be cool in Chicago with the temps in the 30's and winds around 12 mph. That might not seem like a lot but it can hinder passing. This game looks to be controlled more on the ground and with that I'm going to take the Under as both teams look to control the time of possession in this one. Play UNDER.

This time of year have to take a look at the weather reports in these Midwest and Eastern games. Today's game between the Colts and Bengals will be around 37 degrees with winds about 9-10 mph. The Colts have won four straight games both S/U and ATS as they have improved to 7-5 overall and 8-4 ATS. They also have been good on the road with a 4-1 S/U and ATS record. They have gone under in two of their last three road games. The Colts average 25 ppg and allow 24.7 ppg this season. They finish up the season with Pittsburgh, at Atlanta then home to finish vs the Raiders and Texans. They could easily run the board the rest of the way. The Bengals shocked everyone last week with their win at Jacksonville, 34-31, as a 10-point dog. Jake Browning stepped in for the injured Joe Burrows and promptly went 32-of-37 for one TD and no INT with 354 yards. The Bengals average 20.5 ppg while allowing 22.7 ppg. They have seen four of their six home games go under the total this year. I don't expect to see that big score they had last week. I'm looking for a lower scoring game this time out. Play the UNDER.

Taking a look at the Baltimore weather report sees a change of Thunderstorms and 62 degrees with winds around 7 mph. That being said, it could be a rough day for the Rams who have to make the long trek from the West Coast to the East Coast. The Rams have won three straight games to improve to 6-6 overall and 5-5-2 vs the spread. They are also 5-7 over/under on the season and average 22.3 ppg while allowing 21.1 ppg. Baltimore has won two straight and six of the last seven games. They are 9-3 S/U and 8-4 ATS with a 5-7 over/under mark. The Ravens have averaged 27 ppg while allowing just 15.6 ppg. They are coming off a win over the Chargers, 20-10 as 3-point favorites with the game going under. They held the Chargers to just 279 yards. I look for the Rams to find points tough in this contest. I'll stick to the UNDER today.

One good thing going for the Jets here on Sunday will be rain and wind. With rains expected in this game and the winds gusting to 27 mph, throwing the ball will be tough for both teams. This Jets offense scores only 14.2 ppg as it is under ideal conditions. The Jets have lost and failed to cover in five straight games, including last game vs the Falcons, 8-13, as a 2-point dog. They have also gone under in six of their last seven games. The Houston Texans improved to 7-5 with their win over the Broncos last week, 22-17, as a 3-point favorite. They look to make a playoff drive as they trail first place Jacksonville by just one game now. After today's game they will have a road game at Tennessee before returning home to face Cleveland and Tennessee and finishing at the Colts. The Texans could win the division with this schedule they have left. As for today, I'm taking the under with the conditions being blustery and the Jets already having issues scoring. Play UNDER.