Week 17 NFL Odds & Betting Lines
Written December 23, 2008 by Steve Janus
Things get kicked off for Week 17 in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders at the Tampa Bay Bucs. Tampa is in a must-win situation, however, even if they walk away victorious, they still need a Dallas loss to end up in the playoffs this year. The Bucs are 13 point favorites over Oakland and the total is set at 39 points.
Detroit tries to avoid becoming the first 0-16 in NFL history this week at the Packers. Green Bay is a 9 point favorite and the total for the game is 43 points.
The Eagles are a 1.5 point favorite in Philly over the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday, with the over/under for the game set at 43 points. Philadelphia is likely going to miss out on the playoffs, though they could still manage a trip if everything happens just right, starting with a win over Dallas. Dallas is in a similar situation, though slightly better than the Eagles, but they still need to win this game to potentially play in the post-season.
The Giants have everything locked up as far as the playoffs go. They’ll play this week at Minnesota, who is still trying to make sure they make it to post season play. Minnesota is favored by 6.5 points as oddsmakers expect that New York will be resting most of their starters this week.
The Panthers are guaranteed a playoff spot and the Saints are guaranteed to be sitting at home. The most intriguing story here is that Drew Brees needs 402 yards to break the 24-year-old single-season passing record held by Dan Marino. While it doesn’t seem very likely, I’d imagine the Saints will be throwing the ball down field often on Sunday. Carolina is favored by 3 in the game and the total is 53 points.
The Falcons earned a playoff spot with their Monday Night Football win over the Vikings. On Sunday this week they play the woeful St. Louis Rams in Atlanta. The Falcons have been made 15 point favorites and the total for the game is set for 44.5 points.
Two of the worst teams in the NFL meet in the final week of the season with the 3-11-1 Cincinnati Bengals taking on the 2-13 Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals are 3 point favorites at home and the total is 38 points, but does anyone even care?
With a win in Baltimore over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Baltimore Ravens will be in the playoffs. No complicated scenarios here, just win and they’re in! Oddsmakers think the Ravens are more than capable of pulling out this victory as they’ve made Baltimore 12.5 point favorites over the Jags. The total for the game is now 36 points.
The Colts and Titans are both in the playoffs. Tennessee locked up home field advantage for the playoffs and a first-round bye with a win over Pitt last week, so what do these two teams really have to play for? Not an awful lot, which means you’ll probably see a lot of backups come in around the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Tennessee is favored by 3 in the game over Indianapolis with the total points set at 38.
The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t really do anything to improve their playoff situation this week. They’ve got a first-round bye and are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. They’ll host the Cleveland Browns this week, who were long ago eliminated from playoff consideration. Pitts is a 10.5 point favorite with the total set at just 32 points.
The Jet’s playoffs situation went from good to bad as they lost to the Seahawks last Sunday. Now the Jets need to win over Miami this week and have either the Patriots or Ravens to earn a playoff spot. The Jets are 2.5 point favorites over the Dolphins and the total is set at 42 points.
The Patriots need to win over Buffalo this week and they need the Jets to beat the Dolphins if they are going to make the playoffs. New England is favored by 6.5 at Buffalo with the over/under at 42.5 points.
Arizona locked up their playoff birth a long time ago, but they could really use a momentum swing heading into the post season. They’ll play Seattle in Arizona this week with the Cardinals as 6 point favorites and the total set for 45.5 points.
Washington’s playoff hopes are gone now. This week they play a meaningless game in San Francisco against a 49ers team that has improved over the past several weeks. San Francisco is a 3 point favorite with the point total set for 37.
This week’s biggest game might be between the Chargers and the Broncos.  Whoever wins this game gets a pass to the playoffs. The loser stays home. The Chargers are 8.5 point favorites in San Diego over the Broncos with the total set at 50 points.
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Armanti Edwards for Heisman next year and starting QB for da Bears!
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I wouldn’t bet on the Jets next week. Both Jets and Miami are hungry to entend their season but I don’t see Jets getting it done. For the same reason Fave has retired at the end of the past ?how many again? seasons he runs out of steem and doesn’t want to play anymore. 3-13 to the back ups for Seattle, enough said.
I can’t believe they’re a favorite to Miami especially after the past 4 weeks.
Giants will win. Regardless of who they’re playing their backups are what the giants consider good enough to back up their starters, which in my opinion are the best team in the league, when they want to be. They’ll want to shine because they dont get much time to play and need to prove they’re worth resigning or possibly start somewhere else.
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Bob,
Edwards certainly has great numbers, but there’s a lot to overcome by playing in FCS (formerly Division I-AA) as opposed to bigger schools. Over the past several years the Heisman has turned into less of an award for the best player in football, to more of a contest to see which school can come up with the best marketing campaign for their quarterback. Frankly, I don’t see how Appalachian State can compete with the likes of a Florida or Texas in that regard. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for giving these guys the credit they deserve, it’s just too difficult in my opinion.
I’m not sold on Armanti’s value as an NFL quarterback, though I’d have to agree that he’d be an upgrade for the Bears!
All the best!
Steve
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Bob,
The Jets are tricky. I’ve been a big Miami supporter this year, but this spot scares me for them on the road. New York actually does have a good defense, when they show up, and the running game, not Favre, is what could win this game for them. I haven’t really decided on who I will be taking in the game, it might be a pass as it could easily go either way in my opinion! But, you are right, the last 4 weeks for the Jets have been EMBARASSING!
I wouldn’t jump on the Giants bandwagon this week. I think they proved two weeks ago against the Cowboys just how important Brandon Jacobs is to this team. I don’t doubt their talent on the bench, but I think if the Giants are smart (and I think they are) they will rest Jacobs. They obviously don’t want to lose the game, as momentum is a big factor in the NFL, especially headed into the playoffs, but the Vikings have too much to lose. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants proved me wrong, and I still have plenty of research to do on the games, but that is my first impression of the game.
Thanks!
Steve
Giants will win. Regardless of who they’re playing their backups are what the giants consider good enough to back up their starters, which in my opinion are the best team in the league, when they want to be. They’ll want to shine because they dont get much time to play and need to prove they’re worth resigning or possibly start somewhere else.
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I sure hope the Rams can get it together in the off season because they sure suck. The front office better get their heads out of their butt and get some good young player for the offensive line so Bulger and Jackson can get back on track and do what they need to do, WIN! Hire a new coash whos not affraid to knock some heads in and turn these guys in to WINNERS again!
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big b -
I couldn’t agree with your more on the Rams! I’m not sure where Jim Zygmunt (GM) went wrong along the way, but it’s probably a good thing that he’s stepping down. The offensive line is certainly where they need help, though the problems are plentiful on the defensive side of the ball as well. I think they do still have some seriously talented skill players, Steven Jackson being at the top of that list, but they’ll need a good draft and possibly some off-season signings if they don’t want 2009 to be another “rebuilding year”. Did you have someone in mind that you’d like to see coach these guys? I haven’t looked into it much, but it’s obvious they need a change in a big way.
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