2. NFL Week 16 best bets: Seattle Seahawks -1.5
The biggest winner in the NFC playoff picture in Week 15 was Seattle, which won a tricky road game and unexpectedly gained ground in the NFC West. The Seahawks improved to 10-4 with their win and are now up a game on the Rams for first place after Los Angeles laid an egg against the Jets.
The two teams now meet in Seattle this week, with the Seahawks laying just a point and a half at home. This spread indicates that the books expect this game to be extremely tight, creating a value buy to bet on Russell Wilson at home needing just a two-point Seattle victory to cover the number.
Part of the line is undoubtedly linked to the first meeting between these clubs, which Los Angeles won behind a ferocious defensive effort to harass Wilson. D.K. Metcalf also suffered a a hamstring injury in Seattle’s win, making his availability a question mark heading into the game.
The Seahawks have simply played better football of late than the Rams and have a very small margin to protect in order to cover the spread. A win here would also wrap up the NFC West for Seattle so expect them to take care of business in efficient fashion.