NFL Week 17 big underdog picks of the week

The competition between Jess Root and me has been clinched with two weeks tdog o go in the H-Bomb big underbattle, but there are still things at stake heading toward the end of the regular season.

With Jess losing with his pick of the Indianapolis Colts to cover the 6.5 points last Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers delivering a direct hit with their outright victory over the Detroit Lions, that increased my record to 7-8-1 and dropped Jess to 5-11.

Advertisement

Even if he wins his last two picks to get to 7-11 (.389) and I lose mine, that would leave him one-half game behind my record of 7-10-1 (.417).

But, we are both in it to the end, starting with this penultimate week of games that began with three on Christmas Day and continues with two games today although neither are eligible. I need two wins to finish with a record over .500.

Overall, after a 1-5 underdog record in Week 15, last week was a bounce-back to 3-2, to put the overall record at 40-41-1, just shy of .500. Of course, we all know how difficult it can be to predict games in Week 18 when so many teams are out of the playoffs and many teams that are in rest their starters before the playoffs. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

This week, there were eight eligible games (6.5 points or more) and the underdogs got off to a good start with a 2-0-1 record on Christmas as the Kansas City Chiefs (plus 13.5) covered against the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings (plus 7) won over the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders (plus 7) pushed against the Dallas Cowboys.

Advertisement

That leaves five games for Jess and me to choose from:

NFL Week 17 big underdog game

• Jacksonville Jaguars (-6.5) at Indianapolis Colts

• New England Patriots (-13.5) at New York Jets

The Seahawks-Panthers game is important for both teams, and Jess likes the Panthers to cover at home as they try to wrestle the NFC South title away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

My choice is a bit dicey. While Jess was on the Philip Rivers bandwagon last week and lost (although it was a 7-point game in the fourth quarter until the 49ers scored two touchdowns), I’m supporting Ol’ Man Rivers this week.

The issue is this: The Colts-Jaguars game could be rendered meaningless regarding a playoff spot for the Colts if the Houston Texans defeat the Los Angeles Chargers today. That would put the Texans in the playoffs. A Chargers win keeps the Colts alive for the final wild-card spot in the AFC and the Colts and Texans play next week.

Advertisement

The NFL is likely quietly hoping for that game to have a playoff spot at stake so it can be on Sunday night and provide one last shot for Rivers to be in the post-season before heading back to coaching high school football in Fairhope, Alabama.

If the Colts don’t have a playoff appearance on the line Sunday, it’s unknown how much Rivers will play, if at all. However, I’ll stay on board that teetering train and hope for the best later today.

One aside is that the Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers Week 18 game would also be a candidate for Sunday night if the game would decide the AFC North champion. That could also be the case for the Panthers game against the Bucs next week.

Underdog pick standings after 16 weeks

Direct hits (outright wins) are in parentheses.

Advertisement

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL Week 17 big underdog picks of the week