It’s time for December football. It starts this Sunday.
That means November is over, which is good. I can’t think of a worse November than the one I’ve had picking games. It’s been horrible. My colleagues at CBSSportsHQ have started making fun of me.
Yes, it’s that bad. I went 5-8 against the spread and 7-6 straight up. That brings my season record to 80-96-3 ATS and 107-72-0 straight up.
Is it time to flip a coin to choose games? The coin would kill me.
As things stand, I’ll stick to my own assessments and hope things change. It won’t be worse. December is upon us. It’s time to make a push for the playoffs.
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Thursday, 12:30 pm Eastern Time (CBS, Supreme+)
The Bears have lost four games in a row, while the Lions have moved into first place in the NFC at this point. Playing the Lions on the road is never easy, but it’s even harder on Thanksgiving. Caleb Williams showed well last week and will also be here to keep the Bears close. The lions win it, but it’s tight.
Choose: Lions 30, Bears 27
Premium: Larry Hartstein, who is on a 98-63 streak in NFL games, loves one side of this matchup and you can find out who to root for at SportsLine.
Thursday, 4:30 pm ET (Fox, fubo free trial)
The Cowboys beat the Commanders last week, so they have some life left. The Giants have none. In a game where Cooper Rush takes on Tommy DeVito, give me the home team, even though Dallas hasn’t performed well at home this year. They find a way.
Choose: Cowboys 24, Giants 17
Premium: Larry Hartstein is also in trouble betting on Cowboys games, having won 27 of his last 37 bets involving the US team. While he is tilted down for this NFC East matchup, he shows a lot of value in the spread. To see which team you’re rooting for, head to SportsLine.
Thursday, 8:20 pm ET (NBC, fubo free trial)
The Dolphins come here playing well, especially Tua Tagovailoa. But this is a test game for him and the Dolphins. He has to show that he can beat a good team away from home. Green Bay seemed to get going on offense last week against the 49ers. I think that carries over. The packers accept it.
Choose: Packers 28, Dolphins 22
Friday, 3 p.m. Eastern Time (Amazon Prime Video)
The Raiders will start Aidan O’Connell here at quarterback after Gardner Minshew was lost for the year. That’s not a good thing against the Chiefs on the road. Kansas City hasn’t looked great this season, but this is the type of game that can get it going. Goes to.
Choose: Bosses 31, Raiders 14
Sunday, 1 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
The Falcons are coming off their bye, while the Chargers are playing a short week on the road. That’s a challenge. But the Falcons’ offense disappeared in the two games before the break. This Chargers defense will slow them down again as Justin Herbert gets the best of Atlanta’s defense.
Choose: Chargers 30, Falcons 21
Sunday, 1 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
The Bengals are bye and have to win to basically have a shot at making the playoffs. The Steelers lost to the Browns in the snow last Thursday. The defense let them down in that game and now they have Joe Burrow and company. That’s not easy. Burrow will find a way to win it.
Choose: Bengals 26, Steelers 20
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
The Jaguars are coming off a bye week with no changes to the coaching staff. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence could return for this one. But the defense has major problems. Look for CJ Stroud to shine a light on them as he gets back up and running after a so-so couple of weeks.
Choose: Texans 33, Jaguars 20
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
The Cardinals are coming off a road loss to the Seahawks, while the Vikings are at home for the first time in three weeks. Arizona’s offense seemed to struggle last week in Seattle, and now it will be challenged by Minnesota’s defense. I think the Vikings limit Kyler Murray, and the Minnesota offense will make some big plays on Justin Jefferson to win.
Choose: Vikings 31, Cardinals 21
Sunday, 1 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
The Patriots are coming off two bad losses, especially bad for the defense. But the Colts struggled on offense last week. I think that changes here as Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor have good days leading the Colts.
Choose: Colts 23, Patriots 17
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
This is a long trip for Seattle between two division games against the Cardinals. The Jets are coming off a bye week. Advantage, Jets. They haven’t played well at all, but something says they’ll come together here to find a way as Seattle heads to Arizona next week. It’s a classic sandwich game.
Choose: Jets 23, Seahawks 19
Sunday, 1 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
Suddenly, the Commanders don’t look like the same team anymore, especially on offense. The Titans are coming off an impressive road win against the Texans. The Commanders lost at home to Dallas last week. They won’t lose two games in a row, but they will be close.
Choose: Commanders 24, Titans 21
Sunday, 4:05 pm Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
The Bucs seemed to get back on track last week, but this game could be tougher than expected. The Panthers pushed the Chiefs to a loss last week. Bryce Young was better than he has been, but I think Tampa Bay’s defense will be good in this one as the Bucs start racking up wins.
Choose: Bucs 28, Panthers 17
Sunday, 4:05 pm Eastern Time (Fox, fubo free trial)
The Rams are coming off a bad loss to the Eagles, while the Saints are coming off their bye. They won two games in a row before the break to stay in the playoff race. The loser is probably done here. I think Sean McVay will get his team back on track and find a way to win behind Matt Stafford.
Choose: Rams 31, Saints 23
Sunday, 4:25 pm ET (CBS, Supreme+)
This is the game of the week, it features two dynamic offenses and both have outstanding running games. But the advantage at quarterback goes to Lamar Jackson, which will make the difference in this game. He will make some big plays with his legs and right arm to earn a shootout victory for the Ravens.
Choose: Ravens 34, Eagles 30
San Francisco 49ers against Buffalo Bills (-7)
Sunday, 8:20 pm ET (NBC, fubo free trial)
The Bills are coming off their bye, while the 49ers are playing a second straight road game. The health of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is the key here. If they play, they may stay in this game. If you don’t, it’s ugly. Either way, the Bills will win as Josh Allen fights for his MVP.
Choose: Bills 30, 49ers 20
Monday, 8:15 pm Eastern Time (ESPN, fubo free trial)
The Browns are rested after shocking the Steelers last Thursday, which should help as they play back-to-back road games. The Broncos are playing well. They are playing good defense, which will cause Jameis Winston problems here. Look for a big game for the Broncos defense.
Choose: Broncos 24, Browns 14
