Posted on 12/27/2007 11:09:28 AM

NFL Betting Action – Week 17 Home Dogs

By Dave Golokhov

As Boyz II Men would sing it, “We’ve come to the end of the road” for NFL betting home dogs in the regular season. There’s one more week and this could possibly be the best week since a number of team have nothing to play for.

New England Patriots @ New York Giants

The Giants have clinched the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs, which means they are likely going to rest some players. Plaxico Burress is a good candidate considering his bum ankle has kept him out of practice almost all season. Furthermore, the Giants have a losing record at home (3-4) and for the Patriots, they will be playing this game like it’s their Super Bowl.

Pick: New England -14.5

Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Carolina Panthers are favored? The Panthers have been playing a bunch of backup quality players now face a playoff team that will be using backups. But when you look at the skill positions, it won’t be such a drop-off for Tampa Bay. The Bucs will use Luke McCown and Michael Pittman at quarterback and running back, but those players have already stepped in to start at different points this season. This figures to be a low-scoring affair and it’s unlikely the Panthers win by more than three on the road.

Pick: Tampa Bay +3

Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have proven to be surprisingly scrappy over the last two weeks and now get their hands on one of the worst defense in the NFL. Interestingly enough, just two weeks ago the Bengals were 10-point road favorite in San Francisco. Now they are laying just a field goal. There is speculation that Bill Parcells, who is now running the show in Miami, is expected to give Cam Cameron the axe shortly after the season, so I would expect his team to give one more fired up effort.

Pick: Miami +3

New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears

In a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game, it’s fairly clear that both teams have come crashing back to reality. The Bears are on their third-string quarterback while the Saints are on their third-string running back. The key here is the wind conditions at Soldier Field. If they are like they were last week, the Saints won’t be able to pass the ball. Given the fact that they are a pass-first offense, this will be an insurmountable hurdle.

Pick: Chicago +2

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens

The Steelers need a win this Sunday or a San Diego Chargers loss to ensure that they earn the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. They head to Baltimore, who has seemingly given up on the season. Baltimore has trouble generating any offense whatsoever, especially if Troy Smith is starting. With injuries mounting, the Steelers need a quality win heading into the playoffs.

Pick: Pittsburgh -4.5

Minnesota Vikings @ Denver Broncos

The Minnesota Vikings went from a five-game winning streak and looking like a scary NFC playoff team to a team who will probably be on the outside looking in. This week they head to Denver, where the Broncos will try to play spoiler. The Broncos run defense is deplorable, which means that Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor should get back in gear and take some pressure off of Tarvaris Jackson. This is a must-win for the Vikings but so was last week – they’ve shown they are not ready for primetime.

Pick: Denver +3

San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders

The San Diego Chargers are a paper tiger as most of their quality wins this year have come against losing teams. The Raiders are yet another sub-.500 squad who is probably going to get bludgeoned this Sunday. The Chargers can gain a better seeding with a win, which means they should come out in full force. Meanwhile, the Raiders are giving JaMarcus Russell his first career start. Good luck.

Pick: San Diego -8.5

Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts

The Tennessee Titans win and they are in the playoffs. All that stands in their way is the potentially Jim Sorgi-led Indianapolis Colts. The Titans should head to the playoffs in that case if Tony Dungy in fact plans to rest his starters but be careful, there was speculation that Dungy might rest Peyton Manning and other starters last week but that didn’t exactly come into play until deep into the third quarter. Tennessee typically plays the Colts tough and as long as Jeff Fisher gets his team fired up, they should pull away in the second half.

Pick: Tennessee -6

> > Check Week 17 Odds Here

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