TNF bets: Seahawks host Rams for high-stakes NFC West clash
Buckle up for a doozy of a Thursday nighter.
The Seahawks welcome their NFC West rival Rams into town for a clash between the top two teams in the conference, and two of the top three Super Bowl favorites on theScore Bet.
Both teams hold an 11-3 record as they battle for the division title. One of these teams will likely get a bye and home-field advantage for the playoffs, while the other will play the wild-card round on the road. This is a rare Thursday night game with a ton at stake for both sides.
Let's get to our pick against the spread, touchdown scorers, and favorite player prop bets for Week 16's opener.
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π Pick: Seahawks (-1.5)
This spread originally had the Rams as 1.5-point favorites, which didn't feel like a sufficient enough shift from the closing spread in their Week 11 meeting when the Rams were 3.5-point favorites at home.
However, the spread has moved to make the Seahawks slight favorites following the news that Davante Adams is doubtful to play due to a hamstring injury. Seattle as a 1.5-point favorite feels like the right number, but the Seahawks remain the side to take.
The market may be undervaluing the Seahawks slightly after they let the Phillip Rivers-led Colts hang around last week, failing to cover as 13.5-point favorites. However, the Colts' defense is no pushover, and it was the reason why Indianapolis was able to keep it close. The Rams' defense has played well this season, but they did concede 34 points to the Lions at home last week.
I expect the Seahawks' offense to rebound after squeaking out a win in a lookahead spot last week. Both teams are well-coached, so I don't expect either side to be underprepared. But I'll happily take the home team on a short week in what should be a very close and exciting contest.
NFL news editor Brenden Deeg is our "Anytime TD Guy," providing touchdown scorer props all season long.
π Bet: Anytime TD (+115)
If you get the most productive wide receiver in the league at these odds, you have to jump on it. Smith-Njigba leads all Seahawks players in touchdowns with nine, and has a favorable matchup against a Rams defense that's allowed the third-most receptions and sixth-most yards to opposing wideouts this season.
π Bet: Anytime TD (+225)
Parkinson has been on a tear in recent weeks, recording six touchdowns in his last six games. With Davante Adams out of the picture, Parkinson should see a heavy workload inside the red zone. He leads the Rams in receiving yards inside the 20-yard line, and his 13 red-zone targets are tied with Adams for the most on the team. Seattle's biggest weakness defensively is covering tight ends, as it's surrendered the third-most receptions and fourth-most yards to the position.
π Bet: Under 45.5 rushing yards
The Seahawks are struggling to run the ball, and the Rams are elite at stopping the run. That combination does not bode well for Walker, who is splitting carries with Zach Charbonnet. Walker has 19 carries over his last two games for a combined 46 yards, and now faces a defense that held both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to under 40 yards last week.
π Bet: Over 3.5 receptions
Barner torched the Rams in Week 11, catching 10 passes for 70 yards, which is by far his best game of the season. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams both had over 130 yards receiving last week, magnifying how the Rams' secondary can be beaten. While Smith-Njigba leads the Seahawks in receptions by a wide margin (96), Barner is second with 43.
π Bet: Over 7.5 receptions
In light of the Adams injury, the Rams are left with Nacua and not much else at wide receiver. Even if Adams played, this would be an enticing total to bet. But without Adams, Nacua should see a massive target share and catch at least nine passes, something he's done six times already this season.
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