The rivalry between Jesse Root and I had come to an end with the H-Bomb Battle two weeks later, but there were still some things at stake as the regular season drew to a close.
Last Monday night, Jayce’s pick of the Indianapolis Colts fell to the San Francisco 49ers by 6.5 points, while the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Detroit Lions in straight games, which improved my record to 7-8-1 and dropped Jayce’s record to 5-11.
advertise
Even if he wins his last two picks to go 7-11 (.389) and I lose mine, that would put him half a game behind my 7-10-1 (.417) record.
However, we all soldiered on to the end, starting with the penultimate week of play, three games on Christmas Day and continuing with two games today, despite being ineligible for both games. I need two wins to get a record over .500.
Overall, after a 1-5 deficit in Week 15, they rebounded to 3-2 last week, bringing their overall record to 40-41-1, just under .500. Of course, we all know how difficult it is to predict Week 18 games with so many teams already out of the playoff picture and many teams resting starters heading into the playoffs. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
There are eight qualifying games (6.5 points or more) this week, and the underdogs are off to a strong 2-0-1 start on Christmas Day, with the Kansas City Chiefs (+13.5) taking on the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings (+7) beating the Detroit Lions, and the Washington Commanders (+7) taking on the Dallas Cowboys.
advertise
That left five games for Jess and me to choose from:
NFL Week 17 Big Loser Game
-
Jacksonville Jaguars (-6.5) vs. Indianapolis Colts
-
New England Patriots (-13.5) vs. New York Jets
The Seahawks-Panthers game is important for both teams, and Jesse expects the Panthers to be able to pick up the slack at home as they try to steal the NFC South title from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
My choice was a bit risky. While Jess jumped on the Philip Rivers bandwagon last week and lost (despite scoring just seven points in the fourth quarter until the 49ers scored two touchdowns), I’m rooting for Ol’ Man Rivers this week.
Here’s the thing: If the Houston Texans beat the Los Angeles Chargers today, the Colts-Jaguars game could become meaningless for the Colts’ playoff berth. This would put the Texans into the playoffs. The Chargers’ win gives the Colts the final wild-card spot in the AFC, with the Colts and Texans set to play next week.
advertise
The NFL may be quietly hoping that this game will clinch a playoff berth so that the game can be played on Sunday night, providing Rivers with one last chance to make the postseason before returning to coach the Fairhope High School football team in Alabama.
If the Colts don’t play in the playoffs on Sunday, it’s unknown how many games, if any, Rivers will play. However, I will stay on that rickety train and hope for the best later today.
By the way, if the Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers Week 18 game is going to decide the AFC North title, that game will also be a candidate for Sunday night. That could also be the case next week when the Panthers take on the Buccaneers.
Underdog picks after 16 weeks
Direct hits (complete wins) are shown in brackets.
advertise
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL Week 17 Big Losers Picks of the Week
