Santa has come early to NFL fans, bringing the gift of Saturday football games this week. Two games are scheduled for Saturday, 12 more for Sunday, and one for Monday. That is a lot of football with bye weeks in the rearview mirror. Here are some of the most important things to know before you wager on any of them.

1. The Houston Texans are the second-worst team against the spread

The Texans are tied with the Jets and one game ahead of the Dallas Cowboys for wins against the spread. Bad records against the spread mean a team is overrated. Odds makers have overrated the Texans all season. They have underperformed and are dealing with injuries and suspensions at wide receiver.

2. The Chiefs are favored by the lowest number they have been all season

The Chiefs visit the Saints in a matchup of the two top teams in our FTN Power Ratings. The Chiefs (12-1) were an underdog once in Week 3 against the Ravens. They were favored by 3.5 at Tampa a few weeks back and were favored by 5.5 at Buffalo. Every other game the spread has been a touchdown or more. The Chiefs are 6-7 ATS, but it is easier to cover a number below three than it has been to cover some of these games with a touchdown or more.

3. How bad are the New York Jets?

The Los Angeles Rams are playoff bound. The Jets are headed toward an 0-16 season. It took oddsmakers long enough to catch up with what Jets fans already knew. This team is historically bad. This week the spread is 17 points and climbing. This is the fourth game the Jets head into as double-digit underdogs. They lost those other three games by a combined score of 111-19. Those three losses were by 29, 26 and 37 points.

4. Arizona is the second-worst team to the over

The Cardinals are just 4-8-1 to the over in 2020. They face an Eagles team that is toward the lower end of the league as well, at 5-8 to the over. That ties them for the fifth-worst record against the total. Seven of the 12 games Sunday have a lower total than this one, despite both teams struggling to reach overs.

5. Dallas is the worst team in the NFL against the spread

The Cowboys have burned more bettors this year than any other team with their 3-10 record against the spread. They face an injury-ravaged 49ers team this week, but the line is moving in San Francisco’s direction. This game started with the 49ers favored by only 1.5 points on the road and is already up to a field goal. Get in now, because that should continue to climb up until kickoff.