NFL Week 17 Picks: Top Favorites and Underdogs to Bet as Season Concludes

Time to recoup those losses in the NFL picks department.

Those on the hunt for help with NFL Week 17 odds may or may not be ahead on the season. Regardless, a 16-game Sunday slate to finish off the season is a great way to make serious coin before the field of play shrinks.

The problem is Week 17 can be the most difficult of all to figure out. Will that miserable team show up to play the spoiler? Will an organization in chaos such as the San Francisco 49ers come out motivated or flat?

These issues face bettors this time of year. To make life easier on those souls who want to juggle holiday responsibilities with NFL picks, the guide below is a good place to start.

NFL Week 17 Picks Against the Spread

Matchup	Spread	Pick ATS	Reason
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens	BAL -9.5	BAL	Baltimore is alive and gets to feast on Connor Shaw under center.
Dallas Cowboys at Washington	DAL -6	DAL	Tony Romo and the Cowboys will bowl over Washington before resting starters.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans	IND -7	IND	The first encounter went 41-17. This time the Colts are angry.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans	HOU -10	HOU	See analysis below.
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs	KC -4	KC	Kansas City at home is too difficult for a struggling San Diego defense.
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins	MIA -6	MIA	Miami's defense at home will shut down anything New York attempts to do.
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings	MIN -6	MIN	Minnesota looks promising on both sides of the football and is at home.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots	NE -5	NE	Tom Brady and Co. do not need to play the whole game to take down the Bills.
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants	NYG -3	NYG	The Giants are too hot right now thanks to Odell Beckham Jr.
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NO -4	NO	The Saints are a road team as of late.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons	ATL -3.5	ATL	Atlanta outguns Carolina through the air to take the NFC South.
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers	GB -7.5	GB	Aaron Rodgers at home is too much for the Detroit defense.
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos	DEN -14	OAK	See analysis below.
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers	SF -6.5	ARI	San Francisco is down for the count in more ways than one and will not be focused.
St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks	SEA -13	STL	St. Louis has shown all season that it will not just roll over.
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -3	CIN	Cincinnati is over its prime-time issues and wants revenge against Pittsburgh.

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and accurate as of 3 p.m. ET on Dec. 26.

Favorite to Bet: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (-10)

Bob Levey/Getty Images

This is where things get murky.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have three wins on the season, but before them rests an opportunity to stamp out the last postseason hopes of the Houston Texans.

So what is it going to be?

The two met just a few weeks ago, and the Texans shut out the Jaguars in the second half on the way to a 27-13 decision. There, Jaguars rookie quarterback Blake Bortles posted a 20-of-39 effort for 205 yards with a touchdown and interception while being sacked four times.

It is hard to imagine things get much better than a 21-13 victory over Tennessee last week. Bortles threw for 115 yards and a score but did not have J.J. Watt pursuing him or a competent offense gashing his defense.

Arian Foster on his own might be the reason for such a large—and justifiable—spread.

Foster torched the Jaguars for 127 rushing yards and a score last time out. That was close to a season-high output, and it is not as if the Jacksonville defense has changed much since, having allowed more than 90 yards in each of its last two games.

This time around, Houston is at home and still alive for a playoff berth. All Foster will need to do in order to grind this out is remain healthy while his defense takes care of a Jacksonville offense that averages just 15.5 points per game.

Sometimes it really is just this easy.

Prediction: Texans 28, Jaguars 14

Underdog to Bet: Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos (-14)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Sometimes it is much more difficult than simple face value.

A bet with the Oakland Raiders in Week 17 seems akin to throwing money in a fire, sure. Nevertheless, the Raiders have now likely burnt bettors in two of the past three weeks. A Week 14, 24-13 upset of San Francisco and last week's 26-24 dismissal of Buffalo should have the attention of all.

Oakland ranks dead-last in rushing, but rookie quarterback Derek Carr continues to keep the team competitive. Against the Bills, he threw for 214 yards and a pair of scores.

To be fair, Denver ran away in 41-17 fashion in the first matchup between these two. Peyton Manning threw for 340 yards and five scores, but his recent struggles are part of the reason to worry about such a large spread.

Manning has thrown three touchdowns to six interceptions over the course of his past three outings, although the Broncos have lost just one of those games. It is important to point out that the wins came by seven and 12 points.

Not that those inside the organization are very concerned.

"The sky's not falling. We're not getting ready to get rid of our quarterback. He's fine and, we're all going to get better," coach John Fox said, per STATS LLC (via ESPN.com). "The reality is we're going to get an opportunity to compete for the Lombardi Trophy. We're in the playoffs."

That does not sound like a team all that focused on the three-win Raiders, though.

Oakland does not tout a road win on the season, and it would be foolish to bet on a first outright. Against the spread, though, the Raiders will hang tougher than most expect against a team with a struggling quarterback and its eyes already on the playoffs.

Prediction: Broncos 28, Raiders 20

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).