The final week of the 2018-19 NFL season is finally upon us and there are some massive games with playoff connotations in Week 16. Tough week for us in Week 16, hitting on just 1 of 4 tips and missing a couple by a small margin. We’ll look to bounce back in Week 17 as we take a look at the most important games of the weekend and give our tips below.
NFL Week 17 Betting Tips
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (Monday 12.20pm AEDT)
Arguably the biggest game of the weekend in terms of what's at stake sees the Colts facing off against division rivals in the Titans. It’s a simple equation for the two teams, whoever wins will make the playoffs and whoever loses will miss out. Both teams can also move into the top four seeds with a win and a Houston Texans loss to the Jaguars.
The Colts have won their last three games in a row, beating out some decent opposition in the Texans and Cowboys in that span. They have lost just one match in their last nine games and are one of the hottest offensive teams in the league at the moment. The Colts average 26.7 points per game so far this season, good for 7th in the league while starting quarterback Andrew Luck has been on a tear recently, averaging 306 passing yards over his last six games.
After a rough patch through the middle of the season, the Titans have won their last four games on the trot and albeit against some lacklustre opponents in the likes of the Jets, Jaguars, Giants and Redskins. The Titans have the home field advantage here but it's hard to look past the Colts offence, we think Luck leads them to a road win here.
Cincinatti Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (Monday 8.25am AEDT)
After losing four of their last five games, the Steelers now find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They are still in the hunt for the No.4 seed, and can overtake the Baltimore Ravens with a win over the Bengals this week and a Ravens loss to the Browns.
After many picked them to be in the playoff race at the start of the year, Cincinatti have had a season to forget, winning just six games nad just one of their last seven. They were comfortably beaten by the Browns in Week 16 and are statistically one of the worst defences in the league. They allow 29.3 points per game, which is the highest mark in the NFL and have allowed 30+ points on six occasions.
Regardless of what happens in the Baltimore game, there’s no way the Steelers will lose this game at home with so much riding on it, not to a Bengals team that has been poor in the back half of the season. They should be extremely stingy on defence, unders look the pick here.
Total points UNDER 45.5
$1.91
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (Monday 8.25am AEDT)
The Eagles are in a similar position to the Steelers, they need to beat the Redskins and hope the Cowboys lose to the New York Giants if they want to make the playoffs this season. After a up and down season from starting quarterback Carson Wentz, an injury forced him to the sidelines and forced Nick Foles back into the limelight.
Foles has led the team to two big wins over the Rams and Texans in the last two weeks to keep the Eagles playoffs hopes alive, but they’ll need something miraculous to happen in the Giants beating the Cowboys on Sunday.
The Cowboys are still struggling to score consistently without their starting quarterback in Alex Smith and have no reason to win this game. We think the Eagles cover here in a must win game on the road.
