Week 16 was a tough one, with several heavily backed, public underdogs coming in. Playoff situations were solidified, and some saw their postseason dreams come to an end. Here at Pro Football Network, we have already started looking at what positions we can take in the last week of the regular season. Betting on Week 17 can be tricky, with motivation and playoff seeding coming into play more than any other week. It is tough to know what is going on in these players and coaches heads, but we will put our psychologist hat on and try to figure it out! To begin with, let’s take a look at the NFL Week 17 opening lines.
NFL Week 17 Opening Lines
| Game |
|---|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Titans at Texans | HOU -1.5 |
| Browns at Bengals | CLE -3 |
| Bears at Vikings | MIN -7 |
| Colts at Jaguars | JAX -1.5 |
| Falcons at Buccaneers | TB -1.5 |
| Redskins at Cowboys | DAL -8.5 |
| Saints at Panthers | NO -10.5 |
| Eagles at Giants | PHI -4.5 |
| Steelers at Ravens | BAL -3 |
| Jets at Bills | BUF -4.5 |
| Dolphins at Patriots | NE -14.5 |
| Packers at Lions | GB -8.5 |
| Chargers at Chiefs | KC -6.5 |
| Cardinals at Rams | LAR -7.5 |
| 49ers at Seahawks | SF -1 |
| Raiders at Broncos | DEN -4.5 |
Biggest NFL Week 17 opening lines adjustment
Even though most of the games during Week 17 won’t mean much, there are a couple that will still have considerable implications in the playoff situation. The opening lines were released during some of the Week 16 games, meaning there are huge adjustments now that the games are finished. Here are a couple of the most significant changes.
Tennesse Titans at Houston Texans
NFL Week 17 opening lines: Houston -1.5, Over/Under 49
Current line: Tennessee -5, Over/Under 48
The Titans had won six of Ryan Tannehill’s first seven starts, but they’ve started to fall apart down the stretch. They’ve now lost two in a row, including Sunday’s disappointment at home to the New Orleans Saints. They cannot be blamed for the loss to the Saints, as Drew Brees is on a rampage through the NFL right now with his eyes set on a Super Bowl.
The Titans defense has really stumbled in back-to-back weeks, giving up 62 points in the two losses. They had allowed just 21.3 points per game in their previous six home games, so giving up 10 points per game above that average was not expected.
This past Saturday afternoon, the Houston Texans clinched the AFC South with their win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Titans are now in their rearview mirror, with their eyes on the playoffs. The win against Tampa Bay wasn’t pretty, with their defense allowing Jameis Winston to tear them apart downfield.
Although Houston has secured their playoff spot, they’re still potentially jockeying for position. If everything falls perfectly, they could end up as high as the No. 3 seed. At the same time, the Kansas City Chiefs – the team they’re trying to catch, are huge 7.5 point favorites at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
NFL Week 17 opening lines: Pick Em, Over/Under 47
Current line: 49ers -3, Over Under 47.5
The 49ers opened as a pick-em in this game, but that number was quickly bet up to -3. The 49ers failed to cover as 7-point favorites in Week 16, beating the Rams by only three points. They’ve struggled to cover spreads as a favorite this year, posting a 3-7 ATS mark.
This will likely be the highest-stakes game of Week 17. It may not only decide the NFC West but the conference’s No. 1 seed as well. Seattle will be coming off of a huge loss as 10-point favorites to the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray. They never looked competitive in that game, which was expected with this look-ahead spot.
The money is coming in hard on SF, and the numbers this year support it. Both these teams are equal on offense, but defensively the 49ers have been far superior. That, and the fact that San Francisco is 6-1 straight up on the road this year.
Injuries are also playing a part in this line movement. Chris Carson left the game with a hip injury in the second quarter, and his backup C.J. Prosise broke his arm moments later. Carson and Prosise are both likely done for the year. On offense, the Seahawks were extremely disappointing. They fumbled once, gave up five sacks, and Russell Wilson only managed 169 passing yards against the NFL’s 32nd ranked pass defense.
Pro Football Network’s betting ledger
Week 16 results: -10 units
YTD: +23.45 units
Before taking into account the Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, the team had a tough Week 16. For the first time all year, we lost double-digit units. We are still up nearly $600 on the year though with 23.45 units!
Best bet of the week: Our best bet of the week goes to Against the Spread podcast co-host Ryan Gosling. He was all over the Arizona Cardinals against Seattle. He took them on the spread and even recommended sprinkling some on the money line at +380!
Bad beat of the week: A tough beat for Pro Football Network’s expert handicapper Chris Smith. He expected an offensive explosion from the Kansas City Chiefs against the Chicago Bears. He took the over on the Chiefs team total at 26.5. Harrison Butker missed an extra point, and the Chiefs scored 26 points total!
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Running List of PFN Bets for This Week
Click to view the running list of our bets for this week and the 2019 NFL Season. Be sure to bookmark that page and visit it often throughout the week to stay updated on our latest moves.
