Football Betting World’s Picks and football game final scores results for Week 17, the Final Week in the Regular Season 2012

To close the regular season we have made a number of picks to help bettors look at the facts, odds and provide a little insignt into the games to help bettors make a decision on which teams to bet and whether we think they will cover the spread.

To say this was an exciting year in football would certainly be an understatement. The League has certainly created a good schedule and having a lot of division and conference matchups late in the season made things very interesting and placed some teams in some must win situations in some of their final games.

Although there are no longer AFC teams in the hunt for the final game, there are a number of games this week that have both AFC and NFC teams in must win scenarios in order for them to hold on to their current playoff spots, or have a shot at a playoff berth if one of their division or conference rivals lose. A few of them are also fighting to hold on to the first round bye.

If you happen to visit this page before the games are over on Sunday, obviously the final scores will not be provided. We have provided a link to each pick article so you can read our thoughts on the games. We have also listed the odds on that specific game at the time the article was written.

If we see the line moving much on a game, and it is convenient we will also make note so you can see if the line has moved by much. It never hurts to check what the line is currently before placing a bet on football or any sport.

If you happen to arrive at this page before the games take place, we obviously will not have the final score listed, but feel free to add the page to your bookmarks and return later as we will update the scores after the games.

Game Picks Results

Results from our advanced game picks. We decided to provide single place to link up our advance game picks and also provided the results of the games and those picks.

This gives our visitors access to the picks, results and final scores making them easier to find.

#1
Dallas Cowboys against the Washington Redskins

As part of our weekly series of articles we have titled “Offsides”, we have chosen the game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys.

The books have the Redskins as the favorites in this game with a point spread of 3 points as of Monday night. Washington has played a great 2nd half of the season after a 3 an 6 start and I see them having a great finish. I think they will cover the spread comfortably and in fact went on record they could cover at 6 points.

Washington won this game with a final score of 28 to 18 so they certainly covered. Redskin rookie running back Alfred Morris ran for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. RG3 also ran for 63 yards and 1 touchdown. The Redskins now will host the Seahawks in the first round at home January 6th.

#2
Green Bay Packers against the Minnesota Vikings

On Monday night the oddsmakers had the Packers winning this game by 3 points. I picked them as having no problem on making that spread and extended it to allowing 5 points.

Minnesota won this game 37 to 34. Viking running back Adrian Peterson ran for 199 yards and was just 9 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single season record of 208 yards. I really thought the Packers could win and now they must face them again on January 5th in the first round.

#3
Baltimore Ravens against the Cincinnati Bengals

The bookies have this game with the Bengals winning by 3 points. I picked Cincinnati as clear winners and stated that they possibly could win by up to 6 points, however as a conservative bet I will stick with the Bengals covering the 3 points. I noticed on Thursday evening that Bet Online has moved this line skightly, and they now have the Benglas winning by 1 point. I will stay with the 3 points, I wonder if that adjustment was based on all the action on this game or if it was based more on the hype behind the Ravens.

The Cincinnati Bengals won this game with a score of 23 to 17. Make note that even though the books said 3 points I stated 6 and was correct on the points.

#4
Houston Texans against the Indianapolis Colts

As I first started researching this weeks game between the Texans and Colts I have noticed the line has moved slightly on this game. Yesterday a few books had the line at 4.5 and the next day at 6.5 points. By early evening on Tuesday, Christmas day, most of the sports bookies have the odds listed with the Texans favored to win this game by 7 points against the Colts.

I do expect this game to be a close one, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Colts actually lead the game at some point depending on who wins the toss and a few other factors. I do expect the Texans to be victorious and to cover the 7 points.

I think someone forgot to tell the Houston team to show up because they just could not put it together. The Colts certainly wanted the win and did a great job winning with a score of 28 to 16. I thought that Houston would keep their momentum going but they were unable to. Houston meets the Bengals on the 5th of January.

#5
Kansas City Chiefs against the Denver Broncos

Currently holding the 2nd seed playoff spot, AFC West Division Champions host their final game with the Kansas City Chiefs. Picked as clear favorites, the sportsbooks have set the spread on this game with the Broncos winning by 16 points. I picked them to cover this spread but that I might not bet them to cover more than 17 points.

Denver won this game with a final score of 38 to 3 so they more than covered the 16 point spread. Denver won the first round bye and will meet the lowest winning seed from next week’s wild card round on January 12th in the Divisional playoffs.

#6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Atlanta Falcons

Thursday evening I see the line on this game is even at the sportsbooks that I watch closely and checking some of the 2nd tier bookies I haven’t run accross anyone that has given a spread on this game at all.

This could end up being an interesting game. I am going against the bookies on this and picking Atlanta to win by 2 points.

I picked this game wrong by going with the Falcons. Tampa won this game 22 to 17. The Buccaneers scored 2 rushing touchdowns and 1 in the air. The Falcons had the #1 seed spot reguardless of the outcome of the game and meed the lowest winning seed in the NFC Divisional Playoff round on January 13th.

#7
Arizona Cardinals against the San Francisco 49ers

On Thursday night the odds on this game at the bookies was San Francisco winning the game by 16.5 points. I think that the 49ers have a clear advantage to win and picked San Francisco to cover the spread.

San Francisco won this game with a score of 27 to 13. The 49ers will meet the highest winning seed from the wild card round on January 12th.

#8
Miami Dolphins against the New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are favorites in the game by 10 points over the Dolphins by most books. I picked the Patriots to win by 14 points.

The Patriots won this game by shutting out the Dolphins with a score of 28 to 0. They will now meet the highest winning seed from the wild card round on January 13th.

#9
St Louis Rams against the Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are the clear favorites in this game. Saturday afternoon Bet Online had them winning by 11 points. I think Seattle has a clear win and covers the points fine.

Seattle did win this game with a score of 20 to 13 but did not cover the spread and I did think they would. Seattle meets the Redskins on January 5th for one of the wild card games.

#10
Chicago Bears against the Detroit Lions

To have any shot at the playoffs, the Bears must win this game. The bookies have picked them to win by 3 points. I think they are prepared to win and will cover. In fact I am picking them to win by 5 points.

The Chicago Bears did win this game by 26 to 24 over the Detroit Lions, but they did not cover the 3 point spread which I incorrectly extended to 5 points. But the Bears will not be in the playoffs since they also needed the Vikings to lose, which did not happen either.

 

Can the Chicago Bears cover the spread against the Detroit Lions in week 17?

The Chicago Bears are in an interesting scenario. Can they win this week, and if so can they make it into a wild card playoff spot? Well I have to answer that with a maybe.

If I am correct with the predication I made here that the Green Bay Packers will win over the Minnesota Vikings then the Bears have a shot at it. In order for Chicago to earn a playoff spot, they must win this week and the Vikings must lose.

Now I honestly think the Packers will win, but Detroit stands in the way of Chicago making it to the post season. It’s ironic that the Lions actually have the number 2 ranked offense in the league and yet they have not had any playoff hopes in a number of weeks. They are in last place in the NFC North division and are at 4 wins and 11 losses.

Not only are they number 2 in offense, but their passing game is ranked number 1. This is due to the accuracy of quarterback Matthew Stafford. He has thrown for 4695 yards and 17 touchdowns, but the stat that works against the Lions are that he has also thrown 16 interceptions. A number of those picks ended in points for their opponents.

Detroit has not had a great running game this year. On the defensive side of the ball they have done ok and have earned an overall rank of 13th. They are 14th against the pass and 18th against the run. They just have had trouble winning games. On average they have earned less first downs then their opponents and have had trouble getting touchdowns.

I do think the Bears have an edge in this game, but I also think they are going to have to work at it. Chicago’s offense is only ranked 28th overall and 29th for their passing game. They do however have a 9th ranked running game and it is logical we will see their running backs getting the ball in Sunday’s game.

The Bears have a higher time of possession over their opponents and that is partially due to such a good turnover ratio as well as the fact that they have moved the ball very well on the ground this year.

With a defense that is ranked 5th overall and 6th against the passing game, it will be very interesting to see how well they do against the number 1 passer in the league. These two met earlier in the season during week 7. The Bears squeaked that one out and won the game 13 to 7. In that game Lions quarterback Stafford threw for 311 yards and I think they need to stop Stafford from doing that in this game or Chicago will just have a much larger battle on their hands.

During the second half of the season, Chicago has had a bit of trouble containing some of the more mobile quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay, Colin Kaepernick of San Francisco and Russell Wilson of Seattle. If they have the same kind of trouble with Stafford this week they are not going to the playoffs.

Whether the Bears can come out of this game with the win as well as covering the spread is a tough call. I could just say, if this happens or if that happens, but you can’t base a betting decision on that and must make a choice.

I do think that the Bears will come in to this game knowing how important it is to stop Stafford and apply enough pressure on him to keep him from having that 300 yard game. They also know that they need to run the ball effectively and turn their drives into scoring plays and convert those red zone opportunities and not squander them like they did in their matchup earlier in the year.

This game is extremely important to Chicago and I do think they will bring their “A” game and win. The bookies have the Bears as favorites in this game with a 3 point spread and I do think Chicago will cover. In fact I am picking the Bears by 5.

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Should I bet on Seattle Seahawks to cover the spread against the St Louis Rams in week 17?

After a 6 and 4 start the Seattle Seahawks knew they would have to start playing better in order to earn a spot in post season play and it appears that is just what they did. They had their regular season bye in week 11 and then met the Miami Dolphins in week 12.

It was a close game and Miami proved to be a formidable opponent. The Seahawks couldn’t seem to get their ground game together in that game and lost to the Dolphins 24 to 21. But that would be the last loss they would see and they went on to win the next 4 games and clinch a playoff spot.

3 of those 4 wins were in the NFC and moved them into 2nd place in their division and earned them the 5th seed spot in the playoffs. They could earn the first round bye with a win and a loss by San Francisco, Green Bay and Washington. I don’t see all 3 of those things happening but the Seahawks certainly will make the wild card games more interesting.

The Rams come in to this game at 7-7-1 and that tie coming from their game with the NFC West leaders San Francisco. The Rams have played extremely well in the division and in fact are undefeated in the NFC West. Despite this division record and the fact that the Rams won when they met the Seahawks in week 4, I do not think they can beat Seattle the way they have been playing in the second half of the season.

The offense of St Louis is ranked 24th overall and 19th with both their air and ground game, and I just can’t see them standing up against Seattle’s 4th ranked defense. And the running game of the Seahawks has just been impressive in recent weeks.

Even though their offense is ranked 16th overall they are currently ranked 2nd on the ground. A lot of their rushing success is based on running back Marshawn Lynch in his 6th season. He has 1490 yards on 297 carries and 11 touchdowns. I do not think that the Rams will be able to contain Lynch and it would not surprise me to see him score 2 touchdowns in the game on Sunday.

Could he score more than 2? Yes. I think he could but I see Seattle working on their passing game a bit also since they do need a bit more improvement. Although their passing offense is ranked 27th, quarterback Russell Wilson has thrown 25 touchdowns which puts the Seahawks in the top 10 in scoring with the pass.

I think this game will show how and why the Seahawks have earned their playoff spot. By lunch time on Saturday afternoon, the line on this game at most of the sports books have Seattle winning this game by 11 points. With the roll that they are on I see no problem with them covering this spread at all.

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Will the New England Patriots cover the spread against the Miami Dolphins in week 17?

In an AFC East matchup the 1st and 2nd place teams meet this week. At 11 wins and 4 losses the Patriots host the Dolphins, 7-8 at Gillette Stadium in New England.

The Patriots have won 8 of their last 9 games losing to San Francisco 2 weeks ago. In that game Tom Brady threw 2 interceptions and they also had 2 fumbles both of which are very uncharacteristic for Brady and New England. The Patriots are the kind of team that will not let the loss bother them and I think they will do very well against the Dolphins.

Miami has not been able to play consistently good on either side of the ball. Often if they had a game that the offense seemed to be having a good game, their defense would fail to stop the drives of their opponents and would end up getting out scored or have much lower times of possession. In other games the defense would make some big plays and get the ball back and force turnovers but at times those were the games their offense couldn’t converting drives into scoring plays.

Ending their season in 2nd place in the division the Dolphins do not have a shot at the playoffs and at this point but they would like to get the win to end the season at 50% as well as the confidence boost they would feel personally for beating their 1st place division rivals.

I really don’t see that happening at this point in the season though. Miami’s offense is ranked 26th overall and also 26th on the pass so not the greatest numbers. They are ranked 10th on the ground however so this has usually been their strength most of the year. But they also have the 3rd highest number of rushing fumbles at 12, with 5 of those lost, so that is not a nice stat to have.

When we look at their defense we see a little more mid range ranking. They have an overall defense rank of 18th although they are ranked 25th against passing plays. They do have a more acceptable rank of 10th against the ground game so we will likely not see the Patriot running backs get a lot of yards up the middle.

The Patriots are favored by the books to win this game by 10 points as of Friday evening and I think this is a little conservative, so let’s take a look at why I think that.

New England has the number 1 offense ranked in the entire league. They have 4386 yards passing and are ranked 8th in the league in their air attack. and they are over 2000 yards on the ground putting them in the 4th position.

Quarterback Tom Brady is averaging over 290 yards per game and their running backs average over 130 yards per game and although the Dolphins defense may slow down their rushing a little I do not see Miami keeping Brady from finishing the season with some very healthy numbers, or from keeping him from moving his team down the field.

If you look at the Patriot’s list of injured players you will see their top receivers and tight ends on the questionable list. Names like Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, as well as others. In spite of all that the Patriots continue to win games.

I think they will finish the season with the win also. Like I stated above even though the sportsbooks have the point spread on this game with the Patriots favored to win by 10 points, my personal pick is that they could easily cover a 14 point spread.

The talent of Tom Brady and the accuracy of his passing will get the ball to his receivers and I just do not think that Miami defense will make enough big plays to force them to turn the ball over on downs enough to be effecting in stopping from converting enough scoring drives to make a difference.

I have stated in previous articles that I think that as we head into the post season the teams that will fare the best in the playoffs are those that have a more balanced attack both on the ground as well as passing and the Patriots will likely work on both of their offensive games a bit against the Dolphins, but it would also not surprise me to see at least 2 if not 3 passing touchdowns from Brady this week.

This game between the Patriots and the Dolphins is one of those betting opportunities that is a safe bet. I honestly think they can and will cover that spread, even if it would move a little tomorrow, although it likely will not.

For safe places to bet on the Patriots, Visit Bet Online.

 

Will the San Francisco 49ers cover the spread against the Arizona Cardinals in week 17?

In their final regular season game of 2012, the Arizona Cardinals meet the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

The sports books have picked the 49ers as clear winners in this football game and the point spread is one of the highest spreads of the week. The bookies have picked San Francisco to win this game by 16.5 points.

It’s interesting that the Cardinals at 5 wins and 10 losses find themselves ending the season with this record since they had a 4 and 0 start at the beginning of the season, but things just went down hill from there. After winning the first 4 games they would find themselves winning only 1 more of the next 11 games in a truly disappointing season.

The 49ers won the game 24 to 3 when these two teams met earlier in the season during week 8 at the end of October. What is interesting is that Alex Smith was the 49er starting quarterback in that game which was actually the best game he had all year. He completed 18 for 19, 94.7% for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Shortly after that game, Colin Kaepernick earned the starting position and it appears that he will keep the quarterback job.

San Francisco comes in to this game after a big loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week with a score of 42 to 13. It was that loss that dropped the 49ers to the 3rd seed spot from the 2nd seed spot and thus took away their first round bye. They could earn that spot back with a win and a loss by Green Bay.

The only win that the Cardinals have had since the end of September was 2 weeks ago against Detroit with a score of 38 to 10. In that game they intercepted Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford 3 times. Two of those interceptions were pick sixes and the third they were able to turn into a score.

Arizona currently is ranked 2nd in the league in intercepting their opponents. I think this is the biggest threat to San Francisco and has the potential to throw the 49ers off their game and take the momentum away from them.

This is an interesting pick. With the line at 16.5 points, and the fact that the defense played like they did against the Lions, I wonder if that will mean the sportsbooks will have a lot more action on the Cardinals for this game.

Even with the line where it is, and knowing that the if the Cardinal defense brings their “A” game they could be a serious threat to San Francisco’s passing game, I still have to pick the 49ers to win this game.

I also see them covering the spread. If this line moves any further than 16.5 I would withdraw that recommendation though. I would feel much more comfortable if the line was 14, but I would stick with it at 16.5 since I really think the 49ers will finish their season with a win.

For the latest odds, check out the matchup tool at Bet Online. We also have the matchup tool on our football odds page in the left navigation.

 

Will the Atlanta Falcons win the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 17?

Normally when I am checking the odds on any football game, I almost always check the line at Bet Online first. I then will often look at Sportsbetting, sometimes Bet Fred or William Hill as well.

Checking the line on this game on Thursday evening gives me some interesting results. Currently the odds have this game at even with no point spread. This could end up being a very interesting game.

The Atlanta Falcons come in to this game after having already clinched the NFC South Division Title, the first round bye and home field advantage for the playoffs. Tampa Bay is currently tied for 2nd place in the division with the Panthers, but with a win could end the season in 2nd, or tied for 2nd with the Saints depending on how they play Sunday. In either case the Buccaneers are out of it for post season play.

This does not mean that Tampa will not try to win, and in fact I think they will make the game very interesting. Looking at the overall ranks of their offenses they are a close match with the Falcons ranked 7th and the Buc’s ranked 10th.

Atlanta earns that rank mostly from their 5th ranked passing game and 28th ranked rushing game. Tampa is ranked 9th for their passing game and 16th on the ground. As far as defense the Flacons are ranked 23rd overall with a 23rd rank against the pass and 20th against the run. Tampa on the other hand has a 29th rank on defense with the worst defense against the pass at 32nd but the number one ranked defense against the run.

These two teams met in Tampa during week 12 and the Falcons won that game, but only by 1 point. This tight of a matchup is part of why there is no spread currently, and the Falcons could have their hands full in a number of areas.

If Tampa can improve their pass coverage a bit in this game, the Falcons may find it a bit more difficult to score then in their previous game with them.

Falcon wide receiver Roddy White did not practice this week, and although he has missed other practices and still played due to a knee injury, it is unknown if he will play against the Buc’s. Quarterback Matt Ryan does have other receivers to go to, but White, with 1309 yards and averaging 15 yards per reception, will be missed if he is not on the field. Ryan will likely run a lot of plays throwing to Julio Jones, with 1142 yards also averaging 15 yards per reception.

Interestingly, both Ryan and Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman have only been sacked 26 times this year which is tied for 4th lowest in the season. One would hope that Tampa concentrates on their coverage in the secondary and try and stop the short pass plays and screens since this is one place where the Buccaneers have been lacking.

Obviously with as accurate of an arm as Ryan has, they can’t play without rushing him at all, but I would think they need to pay close attention to the secondary, or they could possibly lose a handle on the game very quickly.

In their previous game in week 12, Ryan threw 26 for 32 and 353 yards and was sacked once for 8 yards. Tampa’s Freeman threw 19 for 30 and 256 yards and was sacked twice for 8 yards. Atlanta won that game 24 to 23 and it was the closest game they played the entire year.

It’s interesting that the line on this game is currently even and the books are not giving a clear edge to either team. I will however go out on a limb and give the edge to Atlanta. I think the Falcons can win this game by 2 points.

Whether you like the edge that I give them or if you want a straight bet on this game, or maybe you want to place a bet on a different game with a larger spread, I suggest you take a look at the sports betting on football available at Bet Online. They have great odds and offer a number of deposit options for sports bettors world wide.

 

Will the Denver Broncos win the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in week 17?

In an AFC West matchup, the Kansas City Chiefs with 2 wins and 13 losses meet the Division Champions Denver Broncos with a 12 an 3 record. They met earlier in the season during week 12, the Broncos won that game with a score of 17 to 9.

Denver comes in to this game on a 10 game winning streak so to state they are on a roll or that they have any momentum would be a silly understatement. Although some analysts might disagree with me, I personally think that they are not only one of the best teams in the AFC but I think they are possibly the best team in the entire league this year.

The reason I feel that way is centered on the sheer talent, intelligence and leadership of their quarterback Peyton Manning. He is one of the best backs in the league and has been completing 68% of his passes and has thrown for 4355 yards and 34 touchdowns.

In addition to his passing ability, he reads a defensive line as well or better than any other quarterback in the NFL. He is known for calling an audible and changing plays at the line of scrimmage because something he sees or senses makes him realize that he needs to make a play adjustment.

Denver is one of the best in the league with 1st down conversions as well as yards gained. Although the Broncos offensive success based heavily on their passing game, they have been increasing their use of running plays, however when they are able to move the ball down field as well as they are in the air they are sure to concentrate on that the most.

What is the point spread in this football game?

Late on Tuesday night upon checking the sportsbooks I see the oddsmakers have quite a large point spread on this game. The line is floating from 16 to 17 points on this Broncos game. I must say I do have a lot of faith that Denver will win.

This might actually be one of those games that end up in a big blowout, but I would certainly be very apprehensive placing a bet on this game if the line would be higher. It’s not that I think that Denver couldn’t make the points, but when you choose a game to bet on, you have to make smart betting choices.

To make this bet at 16 points you are betting they will win by more than 2 touchdowns. Yes I do think that the Denver Broncos will cover this spread, but I would have to rethink my position on this game if the line moves past that 17 point mark.

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The more research you can do before placing a bet the more intelligent betting decisions you can make. If you would like to have another view of this game, take a look at an article written by our friends over at Minimum Deposit Betting. Kansas City Chiefs against Denver Broncos week 17 2012

 

Will the Houston Texans win the game against the Indianapolis Colts in week 17?

Another great matchup of two AFC South teams. The Division Champions Houston Texans meet the 2nd place team Indianapolis Colts.

The Texans at 10 and 5 travel to Indianapolis for their final regular season game with the 9 and 5 Colts. Each of these teams has clinched their playoff berth. Houston finds themselves in a must win position in order to help them hold on to the first round bye. They could lose that #1 seed spot if they lose and New England as well as Denver wins.

There are also a few other scenarios in which the Texans could drop at least one seed spot, but each one will only take place with a Houston loss. The Colts will hold on to a wild card spot win or lose, but what is to be determined is which teams will meet in what positions based upon the outcomes of the final games.

These two met in a game just two weeks ago. Houston won that game with a score of 29 to 17. Houston quarterback Matt Schaub threw for 261 yards and Adrian Foster ran for 165 yards. Having played each other recently, it should come as no surprise that the sports books have picked the Texans as favorites to win this game also.

What is the point spread on this game and will Houston be able to cover?

Let’s take a closer look at the rankings of their offenses and defenses based upon how well they played this season.

The rank of the Indianapolis offense overall is 9th with their passing game ranked 7th and their ground game ranked 22nd. Houston on the other hand has an overall offense rank of 8th with their passing game ranked 15th and their running game ranked 7th.

These ranks match them up fairly evenly with the Colts being a little stronger in their passing game and the Texans having a little stronger ground game.

When we look closer at the defenses we see a similar match in rankings against offensive strengths. On the defensive side of the football the Colts are ranked 26th overall and the Texans are ranked 9th.

The key with this game will be the disparity between where the teams are strong on offense and how well their opponents can defend against that strength. Since the Colts are stronger with their air game, they will be going up against a Texan defense that is ranked 15th against the pass.

And since the Texans strength is in their running game they will be contending with a Colt defense that is ranked 30th defending the run.

Obviously it’s not only about their ranks, but how well they actually play in real world scenarios against their opponents and the plays they run. If we look at their game from a few weeks ago we see that the Texan quarterback Shaub completed 23 for 31, 74% of his passing attempts and one touchdown and Foster scored 2 touchdowns on the ground.

Looking at the odds on this game on Tuesday evening I see the line has the Texans as 7 point favorites. If Houston can play close to the level they did in their previous game I see no reason why they shouldn’t cover that spread, although I do expect this game has the potential to be a close one.

No matter how much we look at the numbers, keep in mind that the Colts will have spent a good bit of time studying replays from their previous game and will do their best not to make the same kinds of mistakes that cost them the game before.

When placing a bet on this game or any others, be sure to only make wagers which you can afford to lose if the outcome is not what you expected. Also be sure to bet only at known trusted sportsbooks. One bookie we recommend is Bet Online.

 

Will the Cincinnati Bengals make the spread against the Baltimore Ravens in week 17?

This is a very interesting AFC North matchup. The Division Champions Ravens face the 2nd place Bengals in their final game.

It’s ironic that these two teams met in the season opener also, with the Ravens winning that game 44 to 13. If we compare the way these two teams played in the beginning of the season to the way they have each played the past few weeks we see completely different stories.

Baltimore certainly had a little better start then they are playing now and Cincinnati is just the opposite. Normally the best judge of how a team is currently playing is their recent games. The Ravens have lost 3 of their last 4 games and the Bengals have won 3 of their last 4 games.

This shows a major improvement by the Bengals and they have come from behind and moved into a playoff spot that many thought they could not earn just weeks ago. On the other hand, Baltimore, after having a 9 and 2 start has been slipping this past month. Just weeks ago it appeared the Ravens would be earning a first round bye but are now in the 4th seed position. They have clinched the Division Title as well as the playoff spot.

The AFC playoff picture does not change with this weeks games as far as which teams are in or not, but depending on the outcome of this weeks games, it may affect which football teams earn the bye week. Neither of these two teams is in a position that could earn them the bye, but the outcome will affect who they meet in the wild card games.

The Ravens have a better record, can they win against the Bengals?

No I do not think that Baltimore will win this game. They have been a bit beat up and have suffered a number of injuries. They have lost line backers, defensive ends, as well as running backs and wide receivers.

The ranking of each of their offenses are fairly close. Baltimore has an overall rank of 15th with 13th for passing and 15th on the ground. Cincinnati has an overall rank of 20th with 16th for passing and 14th for rushing.

When we compare the rankings of the defenses we see a slightly different picture. Overall the Ravens defense is ranked 20th, they are ranked 17th against the pass and 24th against the ground game. The Bengals have an overall 6th ranked defense and are 10th against the passing game and 8th against the rush.

Will this be the edge that the Bengals need to conquer? I think this is part of why their overall game will be better. The Bengals have intercepted their opponents passes 13 times this year so that is a bit of a threat. But even more of a threat is the fact that they rank 2nd in sacks.

Cincinnati has sacked their opponent’s quarterback 47 times and only Denver has done this more with 48. This may be the biggest threat to Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and his offense, and with this extra pressure in the backfield he may be on the move a bit more, which he honestly has handled well a good bit of the season up until the last few weeks.

What is the line on this game?

The sports books have the odds on this game at 3 points with the Bengals as the favorites. Like others, had this game taken place last month I probably would have picked the Ravens but not now.

I do think that Baltimore will make Cincinnati work for it, but based upon the way they have played their last 4 games I think the Bengals have a very clear edge over the Ravens. Yes they beat the Giants last week, but they have not been winning games against opponents that are at the top of their game the past month.

I think that the Bengals are at the top of their game, and they may well improve that game even more this week as well as their playoff game or games. Based on this I am picking the Bengals to win this game, as well as cover the spread. In fact I think that Cincinnati could cover a spread of 4 points. I would like to extend that to 6 points, but I am forcing myself to stay conservative and bet more safely.

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Will the Green Bay Packers win the game against the Minnesota Vikings in week 17?

The Minnesota Vikings should be commended for getting to the spot they did. Although they have been in the hunt for a playoff spot for a while, a month ago they weren’t looking like they had a shot at making it to the post season. Coming in to the game this week they are currently in the number 6 seed spot in the NFC wildcard and a win against the Packers would clinch the spot.

They could actually keep the spot with a loss, but only if the Bears, Cowboys and Giants also lose this week. The Vikings have won their last 3 games and in fact their last loss, 4 weeks ago was to Green Bay. The Packers won that game 23 to 14.

Minnesota has been turning some impressive games the past few weeks and the win last week against the Houston Texans, who currently are the number 1 seed spot in the AFC with the best record in the league, was a great show of their talent.

Although it was an impressive game and they managed to stop the Texans from scoring a touchdown the entire game I do not see them being able to pull that off against NFC rivals Green Bay Packers.

I admit that Viking’s running back Adrian Peterson is one of the best if not the best in the NFL, but I also think the Packers defense will be ready for him. In last week’s game against Houston, the Texans defense was somewhat effective against Peterson and the Vikings ground game, although Minnesota won that game.

If Minnesota is on a roll, will the stop the Packers from covering the spread?

I think facing Green Bay will be a different story for the Vikings. Green Bay has won 5 of their last 6 games (one of those wins again the Vikings). Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having a great year and he is completing 67% of his passes and is averaging over 7 yards per pass.

But one thing is even more important than the great passing numbers that Rodgers has been turning in this year. That is that he is winning games. With San Francisco’s loss last week the Packers have moved into the number 2 seed spot so a win this week would earn them a first round bye and clinch at least one home game in the Divisional Round.

The Minnesota Vikings will come in to this game with a lot of heart and will play a tough game, but in the end I think the Packers will defeat them. The bookies have the line on this game at 3 points as of late Monday night. I think they will cover that and in fact I would bet on the Packers winning and would give 5 points.

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