NFL 2024 Season - Week 17
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Articles published multiple times per week, offering insights and picks on upcoming games.
 
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Week 17
Need over Nothing
Christmas Grinch
Week 16
Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
Vintage 2018
Penix Debut
Dog Day
Playoff Position
Rest of the Story
Different Sundays
Run Some Tests
Without and With
Week 15
Two Tonight
Playoff Chances
Wild Card Challenge
Best of the Best
Next
Dire Straits
And It's Good
Bloated Lines
Week 14
Running up the Score
Challenge Me
Finding Reasons to Win
Crab Feed
Week Off
Good Enough
Buyers Regret
Pulled the Rug
Week 13
Mile High Hopes
Top and Bottom
Fourth Time the Charm
Bounce Back
Engage Spark
Line Up
Out in the Cold
Thanksgiving Visitors
Good Enough
Motivation on Steroids
Week 12
Second Best
Heavyweight Bout
QB's Ins and Outs
Everybody In
Too Easy
Walk the Plank
Hot to Trot
Try, Try, Try, Try, Try Again
Week 11
Mouse Trap
Must Game
Malfunction
Easy Does It
Old Foes
Falcons Fly into Mile High
Matter of Time
Improv
To the Brink
Week 10
Odd Man Out
Lions come Calling
Rookie versus Veteran
Call to Action
Full Reverse
When 8-0 is 4-4
Game of Contradictions
NFC West Bunch
Early Boarding
Week 9
Not Enough, Too Much
Real or Imposters
Groin Shot
Best Show
Saddle Up
Dull Edges
Telling Actions
Annihilation Formula
Week 8
No and No
Old Glory
Rookie Face Off
Adding it Up
Holding On
Jets Down
Unload and Reload
No Surprise
Career Paths
It Hurts
Week 7
Harbaugh Monday
Kids Camp
Barkley Back
Bird Battle
Mouse Time
Too Many?
Gone Shopping
Not Bad
40 for 3
Week 6
Try New
Night Vision
Trap Door
Looking Up
Wake Up Call
All Good Things
Bad Idea
Unexpected
Fire One
Week 5
Yes & Yes
Old Rivals
Rookie Sensation
So Close
Lunch in Seattle
Wake the Roosters
No Respect
Too Sweet
Turtle Flip
Week 4
Landmine
Bottoms Up
Winners and Losers
Call Me
Short Line
Reality Bites
Like Tonight
Uptick
Challenge Generates Performance
Week 3
Two Times
Reduced Value
Stars Down
The Other 21
Opportunity Knocks
Lots of Questions
Move Along People
Times Up
Week 2
Confidence Game
First and Second Picked QB's
Avoiding the Donut
Do or Die
One for the Road
Likewise
Adjustment Bureau
Down ... Not Out
Week 1
Time Marches On
Cashing the Trade
Start Here
Say What
Quick Up, Quick Down
Brazil Play Date
Top Two Open
Super Bowl Pick
Season Win Totals
Moving on Up
Breakout to Breakdown
Preseason 4
Preseason Wrap
Rookie Playoff Run
Preseason 3
Short Memory
Two In, One Up
Eagles Hunt
Winning Formula
Preseason 2
Quarterback Shuffle
One Two, or Two One
Starters Sit
Remote Control
Money be Damned
Preseason 1
One Season to the Next
Public Shift
Comets in the Night
Offseason
Mahomes Chasing History
All's Well that Ends Well
Ups and Downs
     
 
Best of Show
by Dennis Ranahan

Clear and cloudy with no undesirable weather conditions to affect play in the National Football League today.

The Kansas City Chiefs host the Buffalo Bills, there isn’t a better matchup available in football. Two exciting high scoring teams that are well coached and have star quarterbacks. If Patrick Mahomes isn’t the best quarterback in the NFL, Josh Allen is.

Both QB’s were selected in the NFL draft after other signal callers were chosen that have not done as well. Mtich Trubisky went to the Chicago Bears in front of Kansas City picking Mahomes. The Buffalo Bills didn’t select Allen until two other quarterbacks had already been chosen in the 2017 allocation of college talent. The Cleveland Browns took Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick, and the Jets followed with the third player chosen in the first round by taking Southern Cal’s Sam Darnold.

At the pro level right now no two quarterbacks are more reliable than the pair that square off today at Arrowhead Stadium.

This game is not only putting two great teams on the field, but the teams have a heated rivalry with recent regular and postseason battles. The Chiefs have won both playoff matchups since Mahomes and Allen have been leading their teams. The Bills almost got the Chiefs twice last year, dominating them at Arrowhead in October, 38-20, and scoring what appeared to be the winning touchdown with 13 seconds left in an AFC Divisional contest. That touchdown was before Mahomes pulled off the miracle after the Bills unwisely kicked the ball to a clock saving touchback.

Okay, there you have it, two outstanding teams with drama in their recent histories and Mahomes listed as a home underdog for the first time in his career. There is a reason he is an underdog, the other team appears better and has the edge of avenging last January’s stinging defeat.

It’s the Bills, and I still don’t want to bet against Mahomes against such a worthy foe, a fact we can be certain will bring out the best in Andy Reid’s field general.

While the best game on the docket is not on our list of wagering recommendations for the sixth Sunday of the regular season, four games are. They are now posted on this site. As for the public, they have checked in with their three favorite NFL plays: San Francisco 49ers (-4½) over Atlanta Falcons; Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-9½) over Pittsburgh Steelers; Los Angeles Rams (-10) over Carolina Panthers.

While our four choices for Week Six are now up on this site, if a Bullet Play develops in the final hour leading up to the day’s first kickoff, that game will be added to the list of recommendations by 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time.