NFL best bets and predictions Week 16
It’s realistic to call Ravens-49ers a potential Super Bowl preview, and it’s probably true to say the quarterback who wins the game will be this season’s MVP. The stakes are high, so the NFL is getting it right on Christmas night by featuring the best possible matchup.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is the underdog, which is the way he wants it. Jackson, who’s an impressive 9-4 straight up and 11-2 against the spread as a ‘dog, said this to the media this week: “I believe we play better when we’re doubted, and people aren’t choosing us to win the game. I don’t want them to pick us. I like being the underdog.”
It’s tough to bet on any team to beat San Francisco, which has won six in a row by an average margin of 18.8 points.
DraftKings lists Brock Purdy as the odds-on favorite (-225) to win MVP. Purdy is a great story, the final pick of the 2022 draft rising to the top of the charts. Jackson is the second choice (+450), and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is third on the board (+800). McCaffrey leads the league in rushing yards with 1,292, and Purdy has better numbers across the board (69.8% completions, 3,795 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, seven interceptions) than the most talented quarterback on the planet, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.