Week 17 is finally upon us and looking forward, what an odd slate of games the NFL has given us to wrap up the 2018 calendar year. With no idea who will still be playing for what, which starters will be sitting or what shape any of these coaching staffs are in, there were no early NFL odds available for Week 17. That means you can’t do your NFL betting here ahead of time.
Of all these games, which are the ones that look the most competitive and, more importantly, are key to the playoff race and your NFL betting requirements?
The Los Angeles Rams should have clinched the NFC West weeks ago, so the only thing they’re playing for is home field advantage. Before Thanksgiving, the Rams had dropped just one game, to the New Orleans Saints, so a lot of what happens here will depend on if that advantage has held up. Regardless, Los Angeles doesn’t have a difficult match up here against the Jimmy Garoppolo-less San Francisco 49ers.
If the Saints are still holding onto an advantage, they’ll have to fight to keep it against a Carolina Panthers team that could either be battling for the NFC South title or the top Wild Card spot in the NFC. There are no prime time games and no flexing, but the Saints vs Panthers game is one of the best of the final week’s slate.
In the AFC, the battle for home field between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots will likely come down to the wire, barring something crazy happening in the preceding weeks. There’s even a chance the Pittsburgh Steelers could slip in there. Of those three teams, the Steelers are the only one playing a potential playoff team, hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots have a cake walk against the New York Jets and the Chiefs will be facing off against one of the worst teams in football, the Oakland Raiders.
If you play fantasy football, hopefully your championship game was the week before, because there’s no guarantee the best players in the league will play all, if any, of these final games. Teams like the Rams, Saints, Patriots and Steelers will absolutely rest players if they’re playing for nothing. Los Angeles is a particularly dangerous bet because they’ll know exactly what they need to do in their final game before they kick it off at 4:25 p.m. EST.
Sunday Games, Dec. 30
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: CBS
Opening Line: Ravens -5.5, 41
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: CBS
Opening Line: Bills -3.5, 38
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Line: Eagles -6.5, 41.5
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: CBS
Opening Line: N/A
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Line: Packers -7, 44
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: CBS
Opening Line: Texans -8.5, 40
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: CBS
Opening Line: N/A
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Kickoff: 1.p.m. EST
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Line: Vikings -6.5, 41
New York Jets at New England Patriots
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: CBS
Opening Line: Patriots -13, 47.5
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Line: N/A
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Line: Giants -7
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: CBS
Opening Line: Steelers -14.5, 48
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Line: Pick, 49.5
Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos
Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. EST
Broadcast: CBS
Opening Line: N/A
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. EST
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Line: Rams -9.5, 50
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. EST
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Line: N/A
