If you thought the battles on the gridiron were tough, wait until you see the internal struggles for NFL bettors this holiday weekend. 

With games spread out on Saturday and Sunday, those with NFL picks and predictions for Week 16 (and let’s not forget our fantasy football brethren) will be bouncing between sweating bets and festivities with family and friends until kickoffs conclude.

Even though sports betting is legal in most places — and not as taboo as it used to be — you may catch some sideways looks from your relatives when they ask you why you’re begging Baby Jesus for a good 2-point conversion or playing your Bubbe’s menorah like a guitar after that fourth down stop. 

I’m not going to say we, as spor…

The Philadelphia Eagles will look to put a halt to their three-game losing skid when they play host to the New York Giants as 13.5-point favorites in the latest NFL odds.

With the Eagles facing arguably the best rushing matchup of the week, should bettors assume a low passing volume from the heavy favorites and fade Jalen Hurts and his passing totals?

I break down the Week 16 odds and offer my free NFL picks for the Giants vs. Eagles on December 25. 

Be sure to also check out our favorite Giants vs. Eagles prop picks along with our Jalen Hurts spotlight!

Giants vs Eagles odds

Giants vs Eagles predictions

This is projected to be a very low-volume passing game for the Philadelphia Eagles a…

Kieran Trippier is set to join Newcastle United after a fee, reportedly an initial £12m with add-ons, was agreed with Atlético Madrid.

The England right-back has also agreed personal terms after further discussions between the club and the player’s representatives. The Premier League club are now organising Trippier’s medical before he is officially unveiled as a Newcastle player.

Trippier will become Newcastle’s first signing since the club were taken over by a Saudi-backed consortium in October. Negotiations for the 31-year-old have been taking place since December, with Atlético agreeing to sell when it became clear that Trippier wanted to leave and return to England.

Men’s transfer window January 2…

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 2nd (NB: this is not necessarily Nick Ames’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 2nd

Prospects

Nobody doubts Arsenal’s seriousness these days. For several years they had flown by the seat of their pants but their dealings this summer have been conducted with chilling efficiency.

Mikel Arteta’s top targets were identified and bedded in by the time they set sail for their pre-season tour, meaning that they should be ready to go when Nottingham Forest visit on 12 August. It is as serene a camp as anyone can remember and the luxury for Arteta is that, finally, he can…

Peace to reader A.J. Travis for suggesting Wright Thompson's ESPN story, "Shadow Boxing": The old man opens the door and shuffles into a familiar room. The air smells of stale beer and discount brand cigarette smoke. The tables are taken by men with no names. They are all friends. They are all strangers. A different journey brought each of them here, to the pool hall on NW Second Avenue, but that doesn't matter anymore. Their journeys are over. Most don't share the details, not even their last names. Some don't remember the year, or how long they've been coming here. They have no past. The old man walks clumsily to a table. He has a story. The act of telling it, of having people hear it, keeps him from disappearing forever. One night, he says, he foug…

Mike Trout’s greatness is all-encompassing and unrelenting. There are no holes to be poked in it, and no complaints to be made about how he chooses to deploy his skills every day. If you were, however, some kind of sick freak who believes that Trout could be doing more to help his team win, you might say that he should be stealing more bases. Trout would tend to agree. After leading the league with 49 steals in 2012, his stolen base numbers went on a steady yearly decline, all the way down to 11 in 2015. He vowed to swipe more bags at the start of the 2016 season and mostly followed through, taking 30. Last year, he managed to steal 22 in 114 games. So far this season, he’s maintained his commitment to reinvesting in his speed. He’s got 10 steals so far, and shouldn’t have much …