NFL: Late afternoon NFL kickoffs (4:05 PM ET, FOX & CBS)

Two of the four late afternoon kickoffs are games that will influence the playoff picture in both conferences. In one, Denver visits Philadelphia, while in the other, the Jets look to stay in the wildcard hunt by sending the Colts to their first loss of ’

2009-12-28

Two of the four late afternoon kickoffs are games that will influence the playoff picture in both conferences. In one, Denver visits Philadelphia, while in the other, the Jets look to stay in the wildcard hunt by sending the Colts to their first loss of ’09. Here’s a look at both of those games, plus a Best Bet on one of the other late games on the NFL schedule. Get more on all four games on the LIVE ODDS, BETTING TRENDS, and TEAM STATISTICS pages of Sportsbook.com.

(121) DENVER at (122) PHILADELPHIA
After taking care of San Francisco, the Eagles continue to roll and hope to wrap the NFC East title with a win here vs. Denver. Anything but however, could set up a winner take all matchup with the Cowboys next week in Arlington. Philly has won five straight games to move to 10-4 on the season, producing 32.5 PPG during that stretch. The Eagles’ Week 17 win over the Cowboys snapped a 5-game ATS losing streak in home finales. After the shocking loss to Oakland, this game is even more important to Denver, who can keep control of its wildcard destiny with a win. The Broncos are on a 1-4 SU & ATS skid when visiting NFC foes, including a 23-17 loss in Washington in Week 10. The home team is on a 4-game SU & ATS winning streak in this head-to-head series.

(123) ST LOUIS at (124) ARIZONA
SF PS Best Bet: In looking at all of the double-digit line games for the week, I saw a few that could turn into blowout games, but none moreso than this one. The main reason is simply because of the fact that the Rams can’t score, and while they have been playing with heart of late, it’s going to take more than that here to keep up with the Arizona attack. They haven’t topped the 17-point mark in five weeks and overall are scoring just 8.6 PPG on the road. Arizona has clinched the NFC West title for the second year in a row, but don’t make the mistake of believing the Cardinals will be content with that. The StatFox Game Estimator calls for a 18-point win by the Cards and the Power Ratings say this line should be -19. I expect an easy win by the hosts. Play: Arizona -14

(127) NY JETS at (128) INDIANAPOLIS
The Colts have clinched everything, but still are aiming for a 16-0 season. The 7-7 Jets are stuck right in the thick of the AFC wildcard picture. That is the backdrop for the Week 16 meeting between the teams in Indianapolis. The hosts of course, are 14-0 after their win in Jacksonville, but have really played better on the road, going just 3-4 ATS in their seven home wins to date. However, Peyton Manning & Co. are on a nice run of 20-8 ATS in home games vs. good defenses yielding <=17 PPG. New York allows just 16.2 PPG, and comes in on a 4-game winning streak in which it has allowed just 9 PPG. The Jets will close their season vs. two teams that have combined for a 23-5 record, but may have caught a break with those teams in starter-resting mode.

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