Dave Gloeckner 
Are you not entertained? One of the famous quotes from Maximus in the original Gladiator is how the NFL felt following yesterday’s slate of games. The thriller in Cincinnati was one of the games of the year. And the Rams and Cardinals followed that up with a defensive battle that ended with a turnover in the endzone. For us, Saturday was a great day as well. In the NFL, the Cardinals got us in the plus money to finish with a 2-1 record on the day. On Discord, I went 4-1 in bowl games on Saturday cashing in on a big public fade with BYU. Coming off a 4-1 bowl slate on Friday, that’s now 10-3 in the past two days. Let’s keep that rolling into today’s NFL card.
As for Survivor, if you’re still alive, congrats. We gave out the Packers last week which was as easy as they come.
NFL BETS WEEK 17 (2024 SEASON RECORD: 43-43-1, game bets only)
BUFFALO BILLS -8.5 vs NY JETS
The Bills had a scare last weekend against a divisional rival. I don’t see that story repeating itself today when the Jets come to town. Buffalo can wrap up the #2 seed in the AFC with a win today, which would give them a mini-bye next week heading into the playoffs. That should be enough motivation to put on a show today at home. But if that’s not enough, they welcome their rivals from the east, who are a circus and have been looking forward to the offseason since October.
Add to that, the weather is calling for 40-mph gusts of winds in Buffalo. Meaning this could turn into a ground game. The Bills are 2nd in offensive rushing DVOA while the Jets are 29th. Plus, arm strength will also be a factor and there’s no other QB with a bigger rocket attached to his right shoulder than Josh Allen. If the script plays out how I see it, Rodgers will be sitting alone on the bench in the 2nd half starting at the clouds in the sky, thinking about his next darkness retreat or appearance on the McAfee show.
TENNESSEE TITANS +1.5 at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
This is a game that will determine the top of the NFL draft. Both teams sit at 3-12 and are likely picking in the top 10 of the 2025 draft. But one could be in the top 3 if they play their hand correctly. I’m banking that will be the Jaguars who have a dead man walking at Head Coach and are very used to picking in the top 3 (had 1st pick twice in the past 5 years).
This one is difficult to handicap, but I like the Titans because of the small edge at QB between Mason Rudolph and Mac Jones. Rudolph kept the Titans in the game last week and put up 30 points against the Colts. He was able to win critical games late last year to propel the Steelers into the playoffs. I trust him more than Jones, who put up just 14 points in Las Vegas last week and has 5 TD’s to 7 INT’s on the season.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES -7 vs DALLAS COWBOYS
The Eagles a foaming at the mouth to play this game. They are still furious at the way they allowed Washington to comeback and steal the victory from them last week in DC. While Jalen Hurts has been ruled out, the Birds still hold a huge talent edge over their bitter rivals. Kenny Pickett will be starting at QB, which is a dream for the kid who grew up in South Jersey attending Eagles games and wearing TO and Wentz jerseys. Also, the Cowboys have a big loss as Cee Dee Lamb has been ruled out. Which begs the question, how will the Boys move the ball today in Philly? With Lamb in the lineup, Dallas scored just 6 points and gained a total of 146 yards against the Eagles back in Week 10.
The Eagles also have the motivation of locking up the NFC East, and would be the first team to win back-to-back Division titles since 2004. And to do that against a team they consider their biggest rivals would be the cherry on top.
GREEN BAY PACKERS +1.5 at MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The game of the day kicks off in the 4pm window today in Minnesota. The Packers and Vikings are both locks for the playoffs. But their seed is still to be determined. While Green Bay can’t win the Division, they could move up to the top wild card with a win and some help which would give them a game against the NFC South winner instead of the Rams. Which is a big motivator. But the biggest motivation is these two teams don’t like each other. From the days of Brett Favre wearing both jerseys to Randy Moss mooning the crowd in Green Bay, these two have hated the others jersey for decades. Which means both have some added motivation to win and build momentum going into the playoffs.
In this scenario, I lean Green Bay. For one, HC Matt LeFleur knows how to win. The Packers did so at the end of the regular season last year which included a 33-10 win in Minnesota in Week 17. The Packers have a defense that can create turnovers and should be motivated as they allowed 31 points to Minnesota in their previous game this season. On offense, the Packers are multi-dimensional and able to beat you on the ground or air, ranking 3rd overall in offensive DVOA. Minnesota has been great but has struggled at time scoring TD’s, and that will be the difference tonight.
BONUS DISCORD BET (Posted by 12pm on Sunday): N/A
SURVIVOR PICK
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Joe Flacco magic. If you’re still alive, you likely don’t have any good teams remaining. So this would be a great spot to land on as the Giants are clearly tanking for the #1 pick.
Will provide a pick on Sunday’s slate
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