Joe has challenged Ira Kaufman, Tampa Bay’s only Hall of Fame voter, to pick against the spread this season for a $500 prize. Every Friday, Ira types out his picks for each Sunday and Monday game. If Ira hits at 53 percent or better for the regular season, then he gets $500 in gift cards to Abe’s Place in Clearwater, home of historically amazing food and 44 craft beers on tap. Feel free to send Ira your stone cold locks on Twitter, @ikaufman76. The sage of Tampa Bay sports always appreciates a tip.

BY IRA KAUFMAN

It’s the holiday season, a time for giving.

In that spirit, NFL odds-makers are giving away lots of points this weekend. Four teams are favored by at least 10 points at home and the Falcons are just short of that spread against the Bucs on Sunday.

I’ve been giving away too many games against the spread during this wacky season, which has seen the surprising rise of the Rams, Eagles, Saints and Vikings as division leaders.

That’s no excuse for last week’s 4-8 mark or a season record of 56-87 that is unacceptable for any NFL prognosticator. There’s only six weekends remaining for redemption, so let’s get busy.

BROWNS plus 8 1-2 at BENGALS. Cleveland’s defense is decent and Cincinnati’s attack doesn’t scare anyone. A loss to a winless club could seal the fate of Marvin Lewis.

EAGLES minus 13 1-2 vs. BEARS. Chicago isn’t much of a road team and the Eagles show no signs of letting up. Mitch Trubisky is about to experience the full wrath of Philly’s swarming pass rush.

PATRIOTS minus 16 1-2 vs. DOLPHINS. Miami is in complete free fall while the Pats are gearing up for January. As expected, New England has figured out a way to mask its defensive issues. The Dolphins have not.

CHIEFS minus-10 vs. BILLS. How badly have the Chiefs struggled since that 5-0 start? KC is desperate enough to sign Darrelle Revis out of mothballs. They should take their frustrations out on the Bills.

FALCONS minus 9 1-2 vs. BUCS. If Tampa Bay can force some turnovers, the Bucs can stay close, but don’t sleep on an Atlanta pass rush keyed by former Buc Adrian Clayborn. Ryan Fitzpatrick will feel the heat on Sunday.

PANTHERS minus 4 1-2 at JETS. It was fun while it lasted for the Jets, who don’t have enough weapons to test one of the league’s stingiest defenses. Cam Newton will do enough with his arm and his legs to avoid an upset.

COLTS plus 3 1-2 vs. TITANS. On paper, this should be a mismatch, but the Titans rarely win by a comfortable margin. Tennessee had better commit some extra resources toward containing T.Y. Hilton.

49ERS plus-7 vs. SEAHAWKS. Russell Wilson is single-handedly propping up the Seahawks, who no longer feature an imposing defense. The 49ers are building a pass rush, piece by piece.

RAMS minus 2 1-2 vs. SAINTS. New Orleans pulled off a miraculous escape last week, but the Redskins don’t have the same defensive talent as the Rams. Aaron Donald figures to introduce himself to Drew Brees in rather forceful fashion.

JAGUARS minus 4 1-2 at CARDINALS. This Jacksonville defense is for real and Arizona doesn’t have much to play for beyond pride. Look for Jalen Ramsey to shadow Larry Fitzgerald all over the field.

RAIDERS minus-5 vs. BRONCOS. It’s all come apart for the Broncos, who were Super Bowl champions only two years ago. If Oakland can’t win this one at home, Jack Del Rio will find himself under siege.

STEELERS minus-14 vs. PACKERS. These two franchises once combined for a riveting Super Bowl, but times have changed. Pittsburgh is in the hunt for the AFC’s top playoff seed while Green Bay simply tries to remain competitive without Aaron Rodgers.

RAVENS minus-7 vs. TEXANS. Baltimore is angling for its fourth shutout of the season and Houston’s pedestrian offense could be the next victim. The Ravens don’t score a lot of points, so the Texans can stay close if they’re not sloppy.