THE 10 BEST GAMES TO BET
RAVENS at GIANTS
1 p.m., Ravens by 14 ½, 43 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Giants had fight in them last week until the inevitable happened and they found a way to lose. Luckily for their financial backers, they did find a way to cover the underdog spread. Now they will be the beneficiaries of the biggest line of the NFL season. That in itself makes this a head scratcher. The Giants have lost by 15 points or more three times in their 11 defeats. The Ravens have won by 15 or more only twice in eight wins. They come out of their bye so there’s that but we just don’t see them getting super hyped to play Tommy DeVito. They’ll put it on cruise control because they can.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Giants and the under.
JETS at JAGUARS
1 p.m., Jets by 3 ½, 40 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The overwhelming tendency this season has been toward underdogs catching a FG and the hook and by that rationale alone, we have to go with the home team in this stinker of a game. The Jets played one of their best games Sunday before allowing the Dolphins to steal the SU (but not ATS) OT win. But they were a motivated team against a divisional rival. Not so here. Before last week, the Jets were 0-8-1 ATS in their previous nine games and we see them reverting to form. Believe it or not, Mac Jones has never lost to Gang Green. Not all of those Patriots teams were world beaters.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Jaguars and the under.
COWBOYS at PANTHERS
1 p.m., Panthers by 2, 43 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Panthers, who have beaten the spread four straight games, continue to play better football behind an improving Bryce Young and a defense that isn’t getting worn down by staying on the field too long. The Cowboys continue to shoot themselves in the foot. They’ll be traveling on a short week after blowing another one. There’s nothing left for Dallas to prove this season while the Panthers continue to play for next season. On top of everything else, Carolina has the QB edge. Young is better than Cooper Rush.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Panthers and the over.
BENGALS at TITANS
1 p.m., Bengals by 4 ½, 47
HANK’S HONEYS: No one has shut down Joe Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase lately and we don’t see it happening here. The Titans offense, beat up on top of everything else, simply doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with the Bengals, even if Cincy’s defense can be porous at times. All it will take is a turnover or two to turn this into a rout and we know that Will Levis is totally capable of providing them. Trend-wise, it’s no contest. The Bengals have been a lot better on the road (6-1 ATS) than at home (1-5 ATS) while the Titans are 0-6 ATS at home.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bengals and the under.
DOLPHINS at TEXANS
1 p.m., Texans by 2 ½, 47 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: C.J. Stroud has regressed and the Texans, though secure with the AFC South lead, are muddling along at best. In spite of their scare against the Jets, the Dolphins are on a playoff push with SU wins in four of their last five. Tua Tagovailoa has been playing very well since his return from that concussion. He should click with an equally hot Tyreek Hill against a Houston defense that has allowed the sixth-most yards and 19 TDs to wide receivers. The Dolphins are a decent road team when it’s not freezing outside and it won’t be here.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Dolphins and the under.
STEELERS at EAGLES
4:25 p.m., Eagles by 5 ½, 43
HANK’S HONEYS: This is far too many points to spot a Steelers team with a defense much stronger than any the Eagles have faced recently. Locker room strife is often overrated but, in this case, the infighting between Jalen Hurts and his top receiver, A.J. Brown, seems to be carrying over to the field. The Eagles are one of the few NFL franchises where this kind of thing pops up during a nine-game winning streak, but there it is. And if there’s any coach ready to take advantage, it’s Mike Tomlin. And if there’s any defense that can limit Saquon Barkley and force the Eagles a bit more to the air, it’s this one.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Steelers and the under.
BILLS at LIONS
4:25 p.m., Lions by 3 ½, 54 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: We could be seeing these two teams in New Orleans come February but clearly, the Lions are the best team in the NFL and always motivated under Dan Campbell. They probably view this as a statement game. The Bills were caught in a sandwich game against the Rams. That didn’t affect their offense but they were still riddled on D and now they face an offense that has everything going. The Lions come into the game with a mini bye and getting healthier. The number is high but it’s not the nature of either offense to shut things down.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Lions and the over.
COLTS at BRONCOS
4:25 p.m., Broncos by 4 ½, 44
HANK’S HONEYS: Hope we’re not backing the wrong horse here but the Broncos are in a tricky spot with a huge game against the Chargers coming up. The Colts, at 6-7, need the game more and they got healthier thanks to their bye. They’re not out of the playoff hunt yet (a loss here would be fatal) and they should put up enough of a fight to keep this one close. True, Anthony Richardson is wildly inconsistent but he’s got the big arm to burn the Broncos deep as Jameis Winston did before Denver’s bye. That leads us to betting the over.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Colts and the over.
PACKERS at SEAHAWKS
8:20 p.m., Packers by 3, 46 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: Green Bay has a huge rest advantage having played on Thanksgiving with the Seahawks coming off a gigantic road win in Arizona and set up for a mini letdown. This game could come down to which team runs the ball better and we favor Josh Jacobs over Kenneth Walker. The Packers, who have held opponents to 49, 39 and 111 yards over their last three games, should slow Walker somewhat while the hard-running Jacobs faces a defense that is allowing 4.7 yards per rush. Jacobs has eight rushing touchdowns over his past four games.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Packers and the over.
BEARS at VIKINGS
Monday, 8 p.m., Vikings by 7, 43 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Bears defied logic by being pounded a week after having their coach fired. That just doesn’t happen unless that team has thrown up the white flag. This isn’t the same team that took the Vikes into OT a month ago. The Bears’ defense has collapsed after an impressive start, having allowed an average of 405 yards over the last seven games, while, offensively, they are last in the league in sacks per play. The Vikings have found their footing again after a bit of a lull and their defense has been all over the field. Caleb Williams won’t know what hit him.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Vikings and the under.
LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH
BUCS at CHARGERS
4:25 p.m., Chargers by 2 ½, 46
HANK’S HONEYS: The Chargers are in a tough spot coming off that heartbreaking loss in Kansas City. Justin Herbert is dealing with a lower body injury but the Chargers should get WR Ladd McConkey back. They’ll need him. Their running game has floundered since J.K. Dobbins’ knee injury. Still, Jim Harbaugh always has his team focused. On the other side, Baker Mayfield has been sloppy lately but the Bucs seem to play their best against better opponents. We like the under considering the Bolts’ offensive injuries. Harbaugh will want to turn this into a slog.
CAN’T HELP YOURSELF?: Bucs and the under.
BEST OF THE REST
COMMANDERS at SAINTS
1 p.m., Commanders by 7 ½, 43
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Commanders and the under.
CHIEFS at BROWNS
1 p.m., Chiefs by 4 ½, 45
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Browns and the under.
PATRIOTS at CARDINALS
4:25 p.m., Cardinals by 6 ½, 46
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Cardinals and the over.
FALCONS at RAIDERS
Monday, 8:30 p.m., Falcons by 4 ½, 44
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Raiders and the over.
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WEEK’S BEST BET: Bengals. In Joe we trust.
LAST WEEK: 5-8, 6-7 over/under
OVERALL: 98-106-4, 105-101-2 over/under
BEST BETS: 7-7