INSIDE THE MATCHUPS WITH HANK GOLA

COWBOYS at GIANTS 1 p.m. Ch. 5, Cowboys, 3½, 41½

HANK’S HONEYS: This is a manageable spread for the Cowboys with Giants still in disarray following the firings of Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese. Eli’s return is nice for Eli but does anyone expect him to come out of the doldrums? Terrible offensive performance is what got him benched in the first place. Dak Prescott showed a lot of mental toughness in Cowboys’ statement win against Washington last Thursday. The Boys may not play well against the NFL’s best teams but they can handle the losers. In fact, they are 6-2 ATS in last eight games against. They need to run table to make the postseason and with 10 days to get ready for a very beatable foe, they’ll be fresh and ready to start the push. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Cowboys and the under.

JETS at BRONCOS 4:05 p.m., Ch. 2, Jets by 1, 41½

HANK’S HONEYS: To think it was the Giants who sent the Broncos on their tailspin on that Sunday night in Denver. Now the other local team can come into town to continue it. The Broncos are just awful with INT-prone Trevor Siemian at QB and showed very little fight last week in Miami. They look like a team playing out the string and waiting for their coach to get fired. The Jets may be a long shot to make the playoffs but they are playing hard for Todd Bowles and have been motivated by all the progress they have been making. Josh McCown is playing smart, clutch football, Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse have become effective downfield weapons and the running game should wear down a defense that’s just not all that into it. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Jets and the under.

PACK at BROWNS 1 p.m., Packers by 3, 40½

HANK’S HONEYS: This could be the Packers’ last game before Aaron Rodgers returns and they are going to need to beat a winless team to keep their admittedly faint playoff hopes alive. It’s going to come down to quarterback play between two turnover-prone guys. Brett Hundley showed improvement in Pittsburgh (he’s been more relaxed on the road) and put together a game-winning TD drive in OT win against the Bucs as the return of RB Aaron Jones took a lot of pressure off him. DeShone Kizer has no such help. Every time he drops back to pass, you think something bad is going to happen, even with Josh Gordon back in the lineup. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Packers and the under.

BEARS at BENGALS 1 p.m., Bengals by 6, 38½

HANK’S HONEYS: Don’t think the Bengals will respond with a big effort after the Steelers, rallying from 17-0 down, just about killed their playoff chances in that street fight that passed as a football game Monday night. They lost RB Joe Mixon and LB Vontaze Burfict to concussions and have to be as down as they could be. The Bears are full of bad news, as well. With Mitch Trubisky going through his on-the-job training, they just supplanted Bengals as league’s bottom offense. But they can run the ball with Jerome Howard and they’ve come up with some decent efforts. That could be enough to get them inside the number in what is sure to be a depressing game. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bears and the under.

RAIDERS at CHIEFS 1 p.m., Chiefs by 4, 48½

HANK’S HONEYS: It’s just about time that the Chiefs finally get their heads out of their black hole and draw a line in the sand now that they’ve stunk their way back into a first-place tie in the AFC West. They’ve got too much talent to lose week after week and they’re sick of hearing criticism of Alex Smith. Maybe the site of their hated rival on their home turf will turn this around as Andy Reid’s suspension of All Pro CB Marcus Peters sends a message to team about what is tolerated. Raiders have improved since first meeting but weren’t all that impressive beating the Eli-less Giants and offense remains inconsistent. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Chiefs and the under.

VIKES at PANTHERS 1 p.m., Vikings by 3, 40½

HANK’S HONEYS: Seems like a good spot for Vikes’ joy ride to hit a speed bump, but Panthers just haven’t been that impressive. Matchup advantages go to Minny’s running game after Panthers were rolled by Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. Vikes running game has been wearing down defenses and Case Keenum has been a model of efficiency. Not so Cam Newton, who mixes the spectacular with the headscratching. Vikings’ front seven could be the best in football and will make Newton very uncomfortable. Vikes have won five straight road games with covers in all of them. Greg Olsen and Jonathan Stewart are both iffy for Carolina with foot injuries. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Vikings and the under.

RAVENS at STEELS 8:30 p.m., Ch. 4, Steelers by 5½, 43½

HANK’S HONEYS: Steelers are playing their fourth straight night game and that can actually wear on them. It’s also a bigger game for Ravens as they try to hold onto second wild card while Steelers might actually be looking past their rival to next week’s showdown against Pats. Ravens have been better lately, winning four of last five behind defense and have won five of their last seven games at Heinz Field, covering in last year’s loss. Steelers have to come out of last week’s game against Cincy beat up and bruised and this will be another slugfest on a short week. They will be without two defensive cogs in Joe Haden and Ryan Shazier. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Ravens and the under.

NINERS at TEXANS 1 p.m., Texans by 3, 44½

HANK’S HONEYS: Finally, the Niners get some good QB play from Jimmy Garoppolo in Chicago but just can’t see them winning two straight on road, where they have averaged just 16 ppg this year. Tom Savage wasn’t bad against a good Titans defense and would have had Texans in under the number if not for a big run through the back door. He’s facing a Niner secondary that has given up a 97.1 passer rating to opposing QBs this year. DeAndre Hopkins and Jadeveon Clowney are the only elite players in the game and they both play for Houston. That should be enough to secure a home win. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Texans and the under.

PATS at DOLPHINS Mon., ESPN, 8:30 p.m., Pats by 11, 47½

HANK’S HONEYS: The rule is now in effect. Bet the Pats every week until they have clinched home field advantage. Even if you lose one week, it’s money in the long run. The Patriots are just outclassing everybody in the AFC and they won’t stop here, even if Jay Cutler has returned. Cutler is 0-3 with five INTs lifetime against Tom Brady and the Pats, having lost by 34, 29 and 28 points. It’s a bit troubling that Brady is without Gronk after the TE’s primeval moment last week. He had two TD catches in New England’s 35-17 week 12 win two weeks ago. But that shouldn’t be that big of a problem against the Dolphins defense. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Patriots and the over.

SEAHAWKS at JAGS 4:25 p.m., Jaguars by 3, 39½

HANK’S HONEYS: Jags have had problems stringing together two good wins. They are 1-5 ATS following their last six ATS victories. While Seahawks have to make the long trip caddy-corner across the country, they get a break with a 4:25 start and they are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four roadies. Seattle’s run defense is limiting teams to 98 ypg and if you take away Leonard Fournette, you put the game on Blake Bortles’ shoulders, which is never a good thing. Russell Wilson did just fine against a very good Philly pass rush. He has the legs to escape the Sacksonvillers and make plays out of the pocket. It’s crunch time in December and the Hawks are much more accustomed to these games. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Seahawks and the over.