NFL Week 17 Free Picks
(The Spread) – Week 17 is always a wild one in the NFL because of what’s at stake (or not at stake) for some teams. Continue reading to see who we like today in our NFL Week 17 Picks & Predictions for Sunday, January 2, 2011.
Vikings vs. Lions
The Vikings played well against the Eagles on Tuesday but they’ll be coming off short rest and a short week of preparation when they take on the Lions this Sunday. It’s difficult for teams to win on Sunday after they play on Monday night, nevertheless when they had to play on Tuesday. This will also be the second time Minnesota has to travel to play an opponent this week. Ndamukong Suh has been a beast this season and leads all defensive tackles with nine sacks. He should give Joe Webb plenty of trouble this weekend it’ll be difficult for Adrian Peterson to find running room against a stout Detroit front seven. The Lions are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games overall and 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games. According to current NFL odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com, the Lions are 3-point favorites over the Vikings on Sunday. Our pick is Detroit –3.
Steelers vs. Browns
According to latest NFL trends, the Steelers have won 13 of the last 14 in this series and 19 of the last 21 meetings. That said, the Browns did beat Pittsburgh 13-6 last year to knock the Steelers out of the playoffs. We don’t think lighting will strike twice this year, however. Peyton Hillis (the Browns’ biggest weapon offensively), was held to just 35 yards on 12 carries by Baltimore last week and could struggle again against a nasty Pittsburgh front seven. Colt McCoy threw two interceptions in his first start against Pittsburgh and could have trouble moving the ball again this Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a great game against the Panthers and while Cleveland’s secondary is somewhat overrated, Big Ben should have another decent outing. There’s just too much on the line for Pittsburgh this Sunday to take the Browns. Our pick is the Steelers –5.5.
Panthers vs. Falcons
The Falcons will hold nothing back this Sunday when they take on a Panthers team that just wants to get the season over with. That said, it’s always a risky proposition to lay a double-digit spread to any team, nobody what is or isn’t on the line for both teams. That’s why we think there’s more value in the over, which is low thanks to Carolina’s putrid offense. The Falcons will score – this we know. Their offense isn’t going to put up another dud performance like it did last week against the Saints and with so much on line, don’t expect Matt Ryan and Co. to take their foot off the gas. Don’t forget that Jonathan Stewart also ran all over the Falcons a couple of weeks ago and assuming he plays (he’s questionable), he could have another big day this Sunday. The over is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these two teams in Atlanta and 3-0-1 in the last four meetings overall. Our pick is the over 40.5.
Bills vs. Jets
Mark Sanchez may start this game but he won’t finish it. The Jets aren’t going to risk further injury to Sanchez’s sore/torn right shoulder, which means we’ll see Mark Brunell before the game is over. There’s doubt that Bills’ quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will play too, meaning this has low-scoring written all over it. The under is 4-0 in the Bills’ last four games against the AFC and 4-1 in the Bills’ last five games overall. The over has routinely hit for the Jets over the last couple of weeks, but we think that trend will stop on Sunday. This game has ugly written all over it, especially if backup quarterbacks on both sides play the majority of the game. Our pick is the under 39.5.
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!