NFL Week 16: The season of giving ft. storytime

Last Sunday, during one of the wildest sports days in recent memory, a friend of mine placed her very first sports bet.

• And while it didn’t win (it was a live bet on France to win the World Cup while they were losing 2–0 to Argentina), the prospect of turning $3 into $34 had her more fired up for a soccer match than she’d ever been.

• A few hours later, on some advice from yours truly, she placed her second bet of the day on the Detroit Lions to beat the NY Jets and won.

While I know sports betting has its ups and downs, sharing those sports moments with a friend made Sunday’s roller coaster of action, from fútbol to football, that much more memorable.

• And that is why I love sports betting so much — even a buck or two takes watching a game to the next level.

Okay, let’s get into this week’s NFL slate. And we have a lot to celebrate, because I went 2-0 on my picks last week and am on a three-bet win streak, bringing my overall record to 11–11. Not too shabby.

• This week, I’m going big for the holidays with three picks on games all conveniently starting at 1 p.m. ET today. Merry Christmas (Eve), indeed.

New Orleans Saints vs. Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. ET: The Saints have been more inconsistent than my Aunt’s Christmas ham, but I’m still not convinced the Browns know how to score points with quarterback Deshaun Watson controversially back at the helm…and I know my conscience won’t allow me to bet on a Watson-led squad.

• I’ll take the Saints +2.5 here, meaning they can win or lose by 2 or fewer points for the bet to payout.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots at 1 p.m ET: I know what you’re thinking, the Bengals again!? And to that I say, absolutely yes.

• These Tiger Kings haven’t let me down for two-straight weeks, so I’m tripling-down. I’m also shocked (and appalled?) that the 6-game win streak Bengals are only three-point favorites against a very mediocre Pats team that embarassingly did this on Sunday.

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans at 1 p.m ET: With his team on the brink of missing the playoffs, I’m expecting a big game from the Titans’ steamroller of a running back, Derrick Henry.

• I’ll take King Henry to score a touchdown (a bet called anytime TD scorer, or ATTS), but FanDuel also offers odds on 2+ TD, which he’s done three times this season.

And because Christmas is the season of giving, I want to hear from you!

Use this short survey to share a sports betting story of your own, or a time when sports meant a little bit more. In my Christmas feels.