NFL Week 17 Picks: Top Favorites and Underdogs to Bet as Season Concludes: Time to recoup those losses in the NFL picks department. Those on the hunt for help with NFL Week 17 odds may or may not be ahead on the season. Regardless, a 16-game Sunday slate to finish off the season is a great way to make serious coin before the field of play shrinks. The problem is Week 17 can be the most difficult of all to figure out. Will that miserable team show up to play the spoiler? Will an organization in chaos such as the San Francisco 49ers come out motivated or flat? These issues face bettors this time of year. To make life easier on those souls who want to juggle holiday responsibilities with NFL picks, the guide below is a good place to start. NFL Week 17 Picks Against the Spread Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and accurate as of 3 p.m. ET on Dec. 26. Favorite to Bet: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (-10) This is where things get murky. The Jacksonville Jaguars have three wins on the season, but before them rests an opportunity to stamp out the last postseason hopes of the Houston Texans. So what is it going to be? The two met just a few weeks ago, and the Texans shut out the Jaguars in the second half on the way to a 27-13 decision. There, Jaguars rookie quarterback Blake Bortles posted a 20-of-39 effort for 205 yards with a touchdown and interception while being sacked four times. It is hard to imagine things get much better than a 21-13 victory over Tennessee last week. Bortles threw for 115 yards and a score but did not have J.J. Watt pursuing him or a competent offense gashing his defense. Arian Foster on his own might be the reason for such a large—and justifiable—spread. Foster torched the Jaguars for 127 rushing yards and a score last time out. That was close to a season-high output, and it is not as if the Jacksonville defense has changed much since, having allowed more than 90 yards in each of its last two games. This time around, Houston is at home and still alive for a playoff berth. All Foster will need to do in order to grind this out is remain healthy while his defense takes care of a Jacksonville offense that averages just 15.5 points per game. Sometimes it really is just this easy. Prediction: Texans 28, Jaguars 14 Underdog to Bet: Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos (-14) Sometimes it is much more difficult than simple face value. A bet with the Oakland Raiders in Week 17 seems akin to throwing money in a fire, sure. Nevertheless, the Raiders have now likely burnt bettors in two of the past three weeks. A Week 14, 24-13 upset of San Francisco and last weeks 26-24 dismissal of Buffalo should have the attention of all. Oakland ranks dead-last in rushing, but rookie quarterback Derek Carr continues to keep the team competitive. Against the Bills, he threw for 214 yards and a pair of scores. To be fair, Denver ran away in 41-17 fashion in the first matchup between these two. Peyton Manning threw for 340 yards and five scores, but his recent struggles are part of the reason to worry about such a large spread. Manning has thrown three touchdowns to six interceptions over the course of his past three outings, although the Broncos have lost just one of those games. It is important to point out that the wins came by seven and 12 points. Not that those inside the organization are very concerned. The skys not falling. Were not getting ready to get rid of our quarterback. Hes fine and, were all going to get better, coach John Fox said, per STATS LLC (via ESPN). The reality is were going to get an opportunity to compete for the Lombardi Trophy. Were in the playoffs. That does not sound like a team all that focused on the three-win Raiders, though. Oakland does not tout a road win on the season, and it would be foolish to bet on a first outright. Against the spread, though, the Raiders will hang tougher than most expect against a team with a struggling quarterback and its eyes already on the playoffs. Prediction: Broncos 28, Raiders 20 Stats courtesy of NFL. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #NFL #NFLPredictions #Opinion
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 23:48:29 +0000
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