The weather at the National Football League’s ten outdoor sites today is rather mild for the last Sunday in December. Snow is expected in Chicago, where the Bears host the Atlanta Falcons, and late in the game snow is in the forecast for the New England Patriots visit to the Buffalo Bills. But neither of those sites expect severe winter weather and it is cloudy and sunny at the other eight outdoor sites.
Over the first 16 weeks of the NFL season eight teams have been eliminated from postseason competition and seven have clinched a playoff spot. That leaves 17 teams vying for the remaining seven seeds in the American and National Football Conferences.
Some are in better shape than others, while a few would need victories and a lot of help to crack the playoff field. Mathematically, the Las Vegas Raiders still have a chance to win the AFC West Division and eliminate the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs from postseason play.
The Raiders are at the Indianapolis Colts today, and Indianapolis is in the hunt with eight wins and seven losses, good enough to be tied for first place with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans in the AFC South Division. A few weeks ago, it appeared Jacksonville had a shot at the top seed in the AFC, but four straight losses and the absence of their starting quarterback today, Trevor Lawrence, puts this three team race into question.
The Houston Texans, who spent the second overall pick in last year’s draft to select Ohio State signal caller C.J. Stroud, get the gifted rookie back for today’s game against the last place team in their division, the Tennessee Titans. The Houston story has been a good one for fans of the team with first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback Stroud providing plenty of entertainment, a possible playoff berth, and a bright future for a fan base that has suffered through some lean times in recent seasons.
The Buffalo Bills opened this season as one of the favorites to vie for a Super Bowl title, but after a mid-season slump that left them with as many losses as wins after twelve weeks, they have not even yet clinched a playoff spot. Today, they host the New England Patriots, who upset them ten weeks ago. According to our numbers, the Bills should get revenge for that loss and cover the huge two-touchdown point spread in the process.
The Bills are one of our rated plays today, while the public has checked in with their three favorite plays for Week 17. Topping the public preference is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2½) over the New Orleans Saints. With a win, the Buccaneers would clinch the NFC South Division while eliminating both the Saints and Atlanta Falcons.
The second most bet-on team by the public is the Los Angeles Rams (-6) over the New York Giants, and the third most popular public play is the Baltimore Ravens (-3½) over the Miami Dolphins.
As for the Qoxhi Week 17 Sunday plays they are now posted on this site, and if a Bullet Play develops in the final hour before the day’s first kickoff, that game will be added to the list of recommendations by 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time.