Sports Point Spreads

1. Cbs Sports Point Spreads
2. Sports Gambling Point Spread

Jalen Hurts did what many thought was impossible. He hosted the top team in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints, and not only did he cover the spread, he was able to win outright and give the Philadelphia Eagles a big win in his first start. Hurts' win was the big story of the week, but many bettors will points to the Ravens-Browns finish as one of the most exciting (or devastating) games of the week. The Ravens early a literal last-second cover when the Browns, down three, ran a play consisting of numerous laterals that ended in a safety. That stretched Baltimore's lead from three to five and ended up covering a -3 spread that otherwise would've pushed.

Point spread betting is the most popular form of sports betting. The vast majority of sports wagers use a point spread thanks to the popularity of football and basketball. Even though this type of betting is so popular, it may take awhile to understand. The point spread is sometimes known as an equalizer for sportsbook operators. You see sports odds in the newspaper, scrolling across the scores ticker of your favorite sports show and you see them on every stats site on the web - sometimes Las Vegas money lines or offshore sportsbook point spreads. Sports betting would be easy — or maybe just easier — if all that was required was to correctly pick the winning team. Gambling institutions, sportsbooks and bookies fall back on point spreads to make the process a little more difficult and to create the ultimate wagering challenge. The point spread is the most common way to bet on college basketball. The sportsbooks will give the supposedly stronger team a handicap in order to make things even.

As always, the results of last week's games have shifted the NFL landscape a bit, and sportsbooks spreads and bets throughout the week are beginning to show that. Of course, it's important not to overreact to surprising results, like Hurts and the Eagles beating the Saints, as some of these overreactions create good line value for savvy bettors or people playing in NFL picks against the spread office pools can exploit.

In short, recency bias has a big impact on gambling and fantasy sports, so don't fall victim to too many short-term trends.

Looking ahead to Week 15, there are, per usual, a few quarterback questions. Matthew Stafford (ribs) is banged up and may not be able to play for the Lions against the Titans. Daniel Jones (hamstring) may be out of action again after returning for one game, struggling, and aggravating his injury. Drew Brees (ribs) is the other big name to watch, as his impending return could have a big impact on the Chiefs-Saints game that looks like the game of the week. The Ravens are also dealing with a couple of injuries to starters in the secondary and have their top WR, Marquise Brown, on the COVID list. If they can't get healthy before Sunday, the line for the Ravens-Jaguars game could be impacted by those injuries/illnesses.

For more expert NFL predictions, check out Sporting News' picks straight upand against the spreadfor Week 15.

NFL odds for Week 15

Below are the latest Week 15 NFL odds, including point spreads, money lines and over-under totals for every game, according to the DraftKings sportsbook.

Cbs Sports Point Spreads

Last updated: Sunday, Dec. 20

NFL point spreads Week 15

NFL money lines Week 15

NFL over-unders Week 15

NFL best bets for Week 15

New England Patriots (+1.5) at Miami Dolphins

This game feels eerily familiar to the Patriots-Chargers game from a couple of weeks ago in which the Patriots were underdogs but won by a score of 45-0. Bill Belichick has a sparkling 20-5 record against rookie QBs and he will surely find a way to keep Tua Tagovailoa off-balance in this crucial game. Yes, the Patriots' offense hasn't been good in recent weeks, but if they can just avoid crushing turnovers -- like Cam Newton's pick-six against the Rams last week -- and if they can be more efficient in the red-zone, they should have a chance to compete with the Dolphins and potentially earn a win. It won't be a blowout like the game against the Chargers was, but history says that taking Belichick against rookie passers is a safe bet.

Seattle Seahawks (-5.5) at Washington Football Team

Washington has put together an impressive four-game winning streak, but it may well come to an end against the Seahawks. While their stellar defense led by their excellent pass rush should be able to get some pressure on Russell Wilson, Washington's offense is completely lacking and will have trouble moving the ball against the Seahawks. QB Alex Smith (calf) and RB Antonio Gibson (toe) are both banged-up and while Smith might play, it doesn't seem like Gibson will. Without Gibson, the offense scored just nine points against the 49ers, so unless they can perform much better, they'll have trouble going punch-for-punch with a Seahawks team that averages the third-most points per game in the league (30.2). The Seahawks should be able to win this game by a TD, so at a sub-six number, we'll roll with Seattle.

New Orleans Saints (+3) vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Sports Gambling Point Spread

The Saints are coming off a disappointing loss to the Eagles, but they should have a chance to bounce back in a toss-up game against the Chiefs. As good as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are playing offensively this year, they have had some outings where the offense has been slowed down and just two weeks ago, they put up their lowest point total of the season (22) against the Broncos. The Saints defense, despite having some issues with Jalen Hurts, had allowed 16 or fewer points in five straight games before facing off against the rookie in his first start. They're bound to continue playing well and if the offense can keep pace with the Chiefs, the Saints should have a chance to cover -- if not, win -- this game at home. Drew Brees' status will be something to watch here, as he could return this week though it doesn't seem likely, but in a coin-flip type game, I'll take the points all day.