NFL Week 17 Odds

Football bettors looking to test their mettle need to look no further than Week 17 of the NFL season.

Most sharp bettors would advise making other plans on the final Sunday of the regular season, like maybe taking in a movie or sending out written apologizes for your New Year’s Eve gong show. Week 17 is the betting equivalent to the Twilight Zone – nothing is as it seems.

There are teams like the New England Patriots, who have locked up the top seed in the AFC and play a meaningless game against the Miami Dolphins this weekend. Books are keeping the odds for that contest off the board until Bill Belichick’s plans trickle out of Foxboro. More than likely, his starters will see little if any playing time.

Then there are teams like the Indianapolis Colts, who are still casing a playoff spot in Week 17. The Colts are 9-6 and need either a win or tie over the Tennessee Titans Sunday – or a Jacksonville loss – to punch their postseason ticket for the ninth straight season. Books have set motivated Indianapolis as a 9.5-point home favorite.

On top of those situational bets, there are the NFL bottom feeders, who would rather be planning their winter getaways than taking the field for a final beating this Sunday. Squads like the Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns have no hope for the playoffs but could play spoiler to their Week 17 opponents.

The Redskins are 3.5-point pups hoping to spoil the New York Giants’ party. As well, the Browns (+6) and Bengals (+9.5) can throw a wrench into the AFC North race by upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ or Baltimore Ravens’ bid for the conference’s No. 2 seed.

And last but not least, there are games like the Sunday night showdown between the St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks. On paper, this matchup looks like a stinker, but Week 17’s contest will determine the NFC West title and which one of these squads will head to the playoffs – likely getting spanked in the divisional round. Books have set Seattle as a 1-point underdog in Qwest Field, giving great value to a driven home pup.