With Christmas Day falling on Sunday this year, the majority of the Week 16 matches in the NFL 2022 season take place on Saturday with the usual two kick off slots containing a number of important matches.
As with a usual Sunday in the NFL, we have two live games in enjoy in full in the UK along with the Red Zone coverage for those who want all of the scoring plays. The bookmakers are streaming a number of the games too.
1pm Kick Offs (6pm UK time)
Eight of the 10 matches in the early slots on Christmas Eve take place in the first part of the evening and the TV game to entertain us has plenty of playoff implications. The Cincinnati Bengals are in control of the AFC North now and they will be looking to keep their title destiny in their own hands when they head to the New England Patriots. The Patriots fell out of the wildcard spots last week and can’t afford to lose here so this should be intense and competitive. There is one divisional match in this set of games and it is big in the AFC South where the table topping Tennessee Titans look to stay in control of the division when they host the Houston Texans.
There are some big other matches at this time. The Kansas City Chiefs have the AFC West title in the bag and they host a Seattle Seahawks who are on the bubble in the NFC now. Minnesota Vikings have already wrapped up the NFC North courtesy of that incredible comeback and they will celebrate winning the title when they host the New York Giants who need to keep winning to keep their playoff hopes on track. Baltimore Ravens have slipped to second in the AFC North and they need to beat the Atlanta Falcons to stay up with the pace being set by the Bengals. The other three matches sees Carolina Panthers hosting the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears taking on the AFC East leaders Buffalo Bills who will win that division with a win at Soldier Field, and the Cleveland Browns facing the New Orleans Saints.
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4.05/4.25pm Kick Offs (9.05/9.25pm UK time)
The NFC East title is on the line in the TV game in the second of the slots on Saturday evening. Philadelphia Eagles have been the best team in the league this season and if they head to rivals Dallas Cowboys and win then not only will they be 14-1 for the year but they will wrap up the title and will have the number one seeding in the NFC wrapped up should Minnesota lose earlier in the day. Dallas Cowboys have already clinched their spot in the playoffs but will be eager to keep their title hopes alive so this feels a big game.
The San Francisco 49ers will be involved in the other game in this slot of games. They have already wrapped up the NFC West division but will be playing to try and improve on their current number three seeding. They play host to the Washington Commanders who will be looking to bounce back from their loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night. The Commanders are still in the last wildcard spot in the NFC but a defeat here would open the door to a large number of chasing sides.
Betting
Both the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints know that they are still alive in terms of a playoff spot but they head into their clash at the FirstEnergy Stadium knowing that their next defeat could be fatal to the competitiveness of their campaign. The Saints know they have to win the NFC South to get in while the Browns have to win out to have a chance of making the playoffs via a wildcard, although it has to be said it is unlikely.
Although Deshaun Watson hasn’t exactly set the world alight since he returned for the Browns, Cleveland have won three of their last four matches and are at least ending the season in positive fashion. The Saints have lost four of their last six and have only put up more than 21 points in one of those games. They are without a couple of key receivers in this match with Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave both missing. That is a concern because the New Orleans run defence has suddenly been exposed. Atlanta ran for more than 200 yards against it last week and the two prong pairing of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt is one of the best in the league. Cleveland have knocked off Tampa Bay and Baltimore in this four game burst and in home conditions, which feels significant this weekend, I expect the Browns to get the job done.
Tips
Back Cleveland Browns (-2.5) to beat New Orleans Saints for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Sky Bet
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