Another week, another slate of NFL games to look forward to. Week 17 in the NFL doesn't kick off until early Monday morning (AEDT) but as usual, Tom Kelly is back with his best bets as well as betting tips for every game below.
Week 16 was another good week, going 10-3 after missing the early games over the Christmas period. We’re now at 117-120 on the season, with two more chances to improve the ledger. With no Thursday Night/Friday morning game this week we have 14 games in the “Redzone” time slot, and two primetime games to finish the week.
NFL Week 17 Betting Tips
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Lambeau Field, Monday 12:20pm AEDT
A respectable loss to the Rams last week sees the Vikings sitting at 7-8 and effectively out of the playoffs conversation. All they can play for now is pride, as well as getting a second win for the season over one of their NFC North rivals the Packers. Getting Dalvin Cook back from the COVID list would be helpful, although Alexander Mattison is always a strong replacement. A healthier Adam Thielen would also improve the teams chances, as they’ll need to keep up with the defensive unit unlikely to slow down Aaron Rodgers & co.
The Packers are 12-3, and close to clinching the #1 seed in the NFC. Two very tight wins in the last two weeks has kept the momentum rolling, although they’ll want to avoid any hiccups coming into the postseason after already losing to the Vikings this year. The team has no major weakness, but it has been 5 weeks since the defence was able to keep an opposition under 20 points. Tightening things up on that side of the field would build massive pressure on teams trying to limit Rodgers, Adams, Jones, etc.
With more to play for and much better form, I’m happy to give away a full score and back the home team to continue building towards another shot at the Super Bowl with a big win.
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Heinz Field, Tuesday 12:15pm AEDT
The Browns are in trouble at 7-8, but are only two wins behind the AFC North leading Bengals and get to play them next week. Winning both their remaining games will at least give them a shot at winning the division, depending on how the tiebreakers fall. The biggest margin int heir last 5 games was a 6 point loss to the Ravens, with consecutive 2 point losses in the last two weeks effectively ruining a good season. The game plan has effectively been to give the ball to Nick Chubb in recent times, and they’ll need to see better play out of Baker Mayfield and his pass catchers if going deeper into the season is to become a reality.
The Steelers are 7-7-1, and could also dream of playoffs if they win both their games in what remains the tightest division in the NFL. The team remains unremarkable, with a competent defensive outfit able to do enough in most games to give Ben Roethlisberger and his somewhat clunky offense a chance to win the game. That hasn’t been the case against the better teams, with the Chiefs, Vikings, Chargers and Bengals all racking up 36+ points in the last 6 weeks. The Browns are unlikely to have that kind of firepower, so it should be a grinding affair.
In short, I trust the coaching and the running style of the Browns to get the job done in a high stakes match like this one.
Other Tips
Las Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts - Colts -6.5 ($1.90 at Sportsbet)
New York Giants at Chicago Bears - Bears -6 ($1.86 at Sportsbet)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets - Jets +13.5 ($1.86 at Sportsbet)
Atlanta Falcons at Buffalo Bills - Falcons +14.5 ($1.89 at Sportsbet)
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Football Team - Eagles -3.5 ($1.86 at Sportsbet)
Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals - Bengals +5.5 ($1.90 at Sportsbet)
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots - Jaguars +15.5 ($1.90 at Sportsbet)
Miami Dolphins at Tennessee Titans - Dolphins +3.5 ($1.86 at Sportsbet)
Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens - Ravens +3.5 ($1.89 at Sportsbet)
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers - Chargers -5.5 ($1.90 at Sportsbet)
Houston Texans at San Francisco 49ers - 49ers -12.5 ($1.90 at Sportsbet)
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys - Cowboys -5 ($1.90 at Sportsbet)
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints - Saints -6.5 ($1.85 at Sportsbet)
Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks - Seahawks -7 ($1.90 at Sportsbet)
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers - See Above
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers - See Above
