Andrew Wilsher
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With the holiday season in the rearview mirror, it’s time to get down to business as we head into Week 17 of the NFL season. The week got started with the Browns securing their spot in the playoffs after beating the Jets, and now just 2 wild-card spots remain in the AFC. We’ve also got a 3-way battle breaking out for AFC South supremacy, while the Dolphins and Ravens battle it out for the #1 in that conference. With so much going on, it’s sure to be another amazing weekend of NFL action. Here at Pickswise, our handicappers have been red-hot throughout the season with their NFL best bets boasting a 49-37 record, which has delivered +17.13 units of profit! We’ve also got NFL picks for every matchup this week, but for now, let’s get the best bet from 3 of our best NFL handicappers.
Chris Farley: Houston Texans -4.5 over Tennessee Titans (-110)
The Houston Texans survived without their star and at 8-7, they have as good of a chance as any AFC South team to take home the division. That’s good news for Texans’ backers this weekend, and it’s also good news for CJ Stroud. The NFL’s rookie of the year (not official yet, but if you’re asking us) is slated to finally return after missing two weeks of action. Suffering a concussion at the end of one of Houston’s worst performances of the season against the Jets in Week 14, Stroud will surely be motivated and amped up to put the team on his back at home against a beatable opponent. Of course the Titans warrant some respect. Mike Vrabel has earned a reputation as a guy we should avoid fading as an underdog, but it really hasn’t stood up this season. Tennessee is a good home pooch (3-1-1 ATS), but they’re just 5-6-1 ATS overall. WIth nothing left to play for, the Titans would love to ruin the Texans’ surge, especially since just two weeks ago Case Keenum took it to Vrabel’s team in Nashville, beating them 19-16 in OT.
But we also like that for Houston. The Titans have yet to experience CJ Stroud in all his glory, and that should make all the difference in this contest. Sure, Vrabel is a defensive minded coach who can level up his squad’s resistance in these scenarios, but we’ve seen Stroud’s unflappable nature in big spots before. And we liked what we saw. The Titans bring in a pass-defense that allows opposing QBs to throw for 67.34% (29th) and 6.8 yards per pass (22nd), and no defense has fewer INTs. Tank Dell remains on the IR, but Nico Collins and Noah Brown, two of Stroud’s most trusted catchers, are healthy. So is their offensive line, their backfield, and a defense that’s also shown it can step up big under the leadership of Demeco Ryans, who led one of the NFL’s premier defenses before taking the head job in Houston. There’s a reason this spread has been ticking up and up, and we see only one way to look.
Be sure to check out our full Tennessee Titans vs Houston Texans predictions
The Betting Queen: Jacksonville Jaguars -6 over Carolina Panthers (-110)
The Carolina Panthers will be visiting the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and the Jaguars are coming into this one on a 4-game losing streak — their worst stretch of the year. Playing the Carolina Panthers could not have come at a better time. The Jaguars have been playing horrible and this is the game where they could finally get back on track. The Panthers themselves have been playing much better as of late and have covered the spread in back-to-back games. Bryce Young looks like he is finally settling in and he has not thrown an interception in 3 straight games. If he can continue to limit his turnovers the Panthers will have a chance to stay in close games.
The Jaguars have a good offense so it’s been surprising seeing them lose 4 games in a row and only score 19 total points in their last 2 games. They have a great offensive core behind Trevor Lawrence and he has big receivers like Calvin Ridley and Evan Ingram. They also have a great running game behind Travis Etienne. I expect them to have a huge offensive burst on Sunday and light up the scoreboard against a Panthers defense that has been inconsistent all year. The Panthers’ defense has been allowing 25 points per game all season and have given up an absurb 23 rushing touchdowns this season. The Jaguars will likely run the ball heavily and control this whole game. I know the Jaguars have not been winning but do not be scared of this spread. I like Jacksonville to win this one by at least a touchdown.
Be sure to check out our full Carolina Panthers vs Jacksonville Jaguars predictions
John Martin: Green Bay Packers +1 over Minnesota Vikings (-110)
It’s been a nightmare season at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. They lost Kirk Cousins to an Achilles injury. They acquired Josh Dobbs, rode that roller coaster for a few weeks, and then benched him. They played rookie Jaren Hall for a half before a concussion knocked him out. They tried Nick Mullens for 2 and a half weeks. Nothing ultimately went well. Now, after Mullens turned the ball over non-stop and cost the Vikings twice, they’re turning back to Hall. This number was -2 before the news and dropped to a PK after. It’s impossible to know what to expect from Hall, who has had basically no playing time other than a half besides preseason. Going back to the preseason, he simply wasn’t very impressive. And now he won’t have star tight end T.J. Hockenson to throw to underneath. This is a Packers team that won’t have Jaire Alexander, for objectively hilarious reasons, but this should be a game in which they have some success against Hall.
The Vikings took the first meeting, 24-10, back in October, but it’s fair to say these two teams are very different since then. It’s also a game that is still stuck in Green Bay’s craw, with offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich saying on Thursday: “That was a pretty ugly game for us. It was probably our lowest point, to be honest with you. And in the long run, it was probably a gut check, these young guys seeing we have to step up. We have to be better.” My expectation is that they will be. We’ll take the Packers as a pick’em, even on the road, with Jordan Love doing just enough to get the job done.
Be sure to check out our full Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings predictions
