National Football League

2023 NFL Week 16 odds, predictions, best bets by Chris 'The Bear' Fallica

Updated Dec. 22, 2023 3:13 p.m. ET

"Bear Bets" are real wagers that Chris "The Bear" Fallica is actually making.

For those new to this space, if you are looking for some wagers to get in on the NFL action, I have you covered. Nothing makes football better than having a few bucks on the games.

Last week, we finished 2-1-1, so let's keep that momentum going in Week 16.

Here are my best bets for this week's slate.

(All times ET Sunday)

Last Week: 2-1-1 (Season: 30-22-3)

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers (4:30 p.m. Dec. 23, NBC)

The Bengals should've lost last week. They're clearly a flawed team, and now they don't have Ja'Marr Chase, and you're laying points on the road against a really good defensive team.

Yes, the Steelers have been struggling offensively all year, and there might be some issues in the locker room. But I can't lay three points here with the Bengals not having Chase. Without him, I think the Bengals will have a hard time running the ball.

PICK: Steelers (+3) to lose by fewer than 3 points (or win outright)

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m. Dec. 24, FOX and FOX Sports app)

The Vikings did everything except win that game last week. They had way too many turnovers, and that cost them the game. And now they're catching three, and I think there's going to be a little bit of an overreaction here.

I'm thinking after last week's loss to the Bengals, the Vikings' mentality won't be in the right spot. But they've got two games against the Lions left on the schedule, and they still have a chance to make the playoffs, so there is still a lot to play for.

I think Nick Mullens did enough last week to show that he can move this offense, even though he did make a couple of poor decisions that resulted in turnovers.

Look for Minnesota to get back to winning football here against a poor Lions defense. The Vikings have an excellent chance to pull off the outright upset.

PICK: Vikings (+3) to lose by fewer than 3 points (or win outright)

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos (8:15 p.m. Dec. 24, NFL Network)

There was a stretch where the Broncos had that unbelievable turnaround — or luck. And it kind of leveled out some. But there's no way you can lay 7 points with Denver here.

The Broncos have an offense that will struggle to score against a really good Patriots defense. You saw the Patriots kinda hang around that game with Kansas City last week. Defensively, look for Belichick's team to show a lot of pride.

If the Pats can eliminate turnovers, they can certainly keep this game close. There's no reason why they can't go on the road and get a win in Denver. So I'm going to take the Patriots plus the 7 and sprinkle a little on the moneyline as well.

PICK: Patriots (+7) to lose by fewer than 7 points (or win outright)
PICK: Patriots (+270 moneyline) to win outright

Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs (1 p.m. Dec. 25, CBS)

Sure, the Kansas City offense has struggled at times this year, but the Chiefs defense is so good that I would expect them to handle the Raiders quite easily.

I remember the game in Vegas, and the Chiefs started out slowly and then wound up winning. The memory of that and how they fell behind will motivate Kansas City to play 60 complete minutes. And you also saw last week, how the Chiefs drew up some pretty good stuff to ultimately pull away from the Patriots late.

PICK: Chiefs (-10) to win by more than 10 points

Chris "The Bear" Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an "occasional" wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He's a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, "The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!" Follow him on Twitter @chrisfallica.