NFL Week 17 -- Are We There Yet?

[Cosmo]

Still two more weeks until the playoffs? Ugh.

Thursday night
N.Y. Jets at Cleveland (-7/34.5), PRIME

Saturday night
Detroit at Dallas (-6/53.5), ABC/ESPN

Sunday early
San Francisco (-13.5/48.5) at Washington, FOX
New England at Buffalo (-12/40.5), CBS
Atlanta at Chicago (-3/37.5), CBS
Las Vegas at Indianapolis (-3/43.5), CBS
L.A. Rams (-6/41.5) at N.Y. Giants, FOX
Arizona at Philadelphia (-10.5/48.5), FOX
New Orleans at Tampa Bay (-3/41.5), FOX
Carolina at Jacksonville (-7/37.5), CBS
Miami at Baltimore (-3.5/47.5), CBS
Tennessee at Houston (-3.5/42.5), FOX

Sunday late
Pittsburgh at Seattle (-3.5/41.5), FOX
L.A. Chargers at Denver (-5.5/39.5), CBS
Cincinnati at Kansas City (-7/44.5), CBS

Sunday night
Green Bay at Minnesota (-2/46.5), NBC

I'll just leave these here:
Playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 17 of 2023 NFL season
NFL Playoff Scenarios

* There are too many games in the Sunday early slot, but you can probably safely ignore half of them. Three double-digit lines in that window alone.
* Tampa is healthy and Baker is rolling, and I expect the Bucs will easily cover and clinch the NFC South.
* 1995 NFL expansion bowl is being played in Jacksonville.
* Detroit-Dallas is a huge show-me game for the Lions, who are almost certain to have to go on the road to win in round 2, should they survive the wild-card round.
* Curious to see how Baltimore plays after the huge win in Santa Clara. I suspect the carrot of clinching the 1 seed at home will be enough to keep them engaged.

 

[Songbird]

Baker Mayfield quietly having an excellent year. Probably the Comeback Player of the Year.

 

[da man]

Don't know that I'd bet on the Eagles with that spread.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Or the Bills.

 

[playthrough]

Not sure I'd bet the Niners with that spread either.

 

[da man]

I'm more interested to see how Miami plays. The one good team it's beaten is another team that has the same issue.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Dolphins-Ravens is the best game, which we will not get because of Pats-Bills.

 

[TigerVols]

Is this the most uninteresting NFL season in years?

 

[da man]

Dolphins-Ravens is the best game, which we will not get because of Pats-Bills.

We won't get it here because we have two "home" teams -- Atlanta and Tennessee -- and both are playing in that window.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Is this the most uninteresting NFL season in years?

I dunno. Since all the top contenders have had significant losses, even slumps, the playoffs shape up as more unpredictable than in the recent past. I mean, since 2010, you could pencil in the Patriots and then the Chiefs in the AFC title game every season, but now, every contender in both conferences has shown themselves capable of losing in the divisional round. heck, the Bills are playing the vest right now, and they might now even make the playoffs.

 

[TigerVols]

I dunno. Since all the top contenders have had significant losses, even slumps, the playoffs shape up as more unpredictable than in the recent past. I mean, since 2010, you could pencil in the Patriots and then the Chiefs in the AFC title game every season, but now, every contender in both conferences has shown themselves capable of losing in the divisional round. heck, the Bills are playing the vest right now, and they might now even make the playoffs.

Good point. I guess to me it seems like there hasn't been any interesting storylines...when your two sexiest stories are "will-he-or-wont-he-come-back-miraculously-from-Achilles-surgery-of-course-he-never-was-going-to" and "Tay-tay's in the skybox!" it's a pretty boring season.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Other storylines of note: One of history's all-time great coaches on a seat hotter than Mercury as his dynasty collapses. Year of the backup QB. The Tush Push (yeah, the Eagles used it last year, but for some reason it got more attention this season).