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How to watch, wager, and stream Week 17’s Saints vs. Buccaneers showdown
Here’s the big one. The New Orleans Saints (7-8) could be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) on Sunday if a couple of other games don’t break their way — too many early-season defeats to rival teams in the wild-card race have set the Saints too far behind the eight ball.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, and we’ve got everything you need to know about the game. Here’s how you can watch, wager, stream, and listen in through the radio:
What’s your final score prediction for the Jaguars’ last home game of the regular season?
The Jacksonville Jaguars play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, money line odds and over/under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet.
The game starts at 1 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBS.
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For the Jaguars, it’s a chance to finally get back in the win column after a four-game losing streak has put the team’s postseason hopes in jeopardy. Jacksonville is in a tie with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans for first in the AFC South, although the tiebreakers belong to the Jaguars.
A win against Carolina may even be enough to clinch the division provided the Jaguars get some help.
For the Panthers, attention has turned to next season amid a 2-13 year that won’t award the team a top draft pick after the team traded its selection to the Chicago Bears a year ago.
Jacksonville was a bigger favorite until Friday when quarterback Trevor Lawrence was ruled out due to a shoulder sprain. With C.J. Beathard starting instead for the Jaguars, the line shrunk and the Panthers aren’t quite a massive underdog anymore.
Carolina has some injuries of its own, although much less consequential. The team will be without cornerback Troy Hill and cornerback Jaycee Horn is questionable.
Travis Etienne has been a non-factor in the last few weeks, but there’s a good chance that changes Sunday against the Panthers. Only two teams have allowed more rushes to pick up at least 10 yards than Carolina. Jacksonville could take advantage of that with Cam Robinson set to make his return to the lineup.
In seven games with the left tackle in the game, Etienne has averaged 97.4 yards from scrimmage. In the last four games without him, Etienne averaged just 60.3 yards. The Jaguars desperately need to get their run game going and Etienne will get plenty of chances to finally break free for a big gain. Taking the running back’s longest rush to be longer than 14.5 yards is a solid bet.
Prediction: Jaguars 20, Panthers 14
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Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
NFL Week 17 best bets: One wager to make for every team (including the #Bills):
There are only two weeks left in the 2023 regular season, which means time is running out for some teams to make a playoff push. Though there are a bunch of teams that have already been eliminated from contention, several Week 17 matchups carry major postseason implications.
The week kicks off with Jets-Browns on Thursday night and because the College Football Playoff games will take place on Monday, Week 17 wraps up on Sunday night with Packers-Vikings. There is a special Saturday edition of Monday Night Football this weekend, though, with the Cowboys hosting the Lions.
As the playoffs approach, here is our penultimate edition of best bets this season.
All odds are courtesy of BetMGM.
Which Jaguars player has the best shot at finding the end zone against the Panthers?
The Jacksonville Jaguars offense was a mess in Week 16, turning the ball over four times against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and only managing to get points on the board in the last 16 minutes of a game that was already well out of hand.
Fortunately for the Jaguars, a New Year’s Eve meeting with the 2-13 Carolina Panthers offers an opportunity for a much-needed get right game.
Only two teams have allowed more points than Carolina and no team has fewer takeaways.
One of the most popular ways to bet on an NFL game is the anytime touchdown scorer prop. You bet on one player to score a touchdown, and if they do, you make money.
Sounds simple, right?
It’s not as easy as it seems, but it is rewarding when the player you bet does find the end zone – especially if he plays for your team
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With the Jaguars facing the Panthers on Sunday, we’ve highlighted one player you should bet to score a touchdown this week. Odds are courtesy of BetMGM.
Etienne, who has 10 touchdowns this season, is always the Jaguars player with the shortest odds at finding the end zone. But after finishing the last two games with 90 combined yards from scrimmage and no touchdowns, those odds present a solid value for Week 17.
While the Jaguars running game has been non-existent in December, the team will have Cam Robinson back against the Panthers, who have allowed a league-high 23 rushing touchdowns. There should be plenty of opportunities for Etienne to get his 11th touchdown of the year.
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Ranking all 32 NFL teams (including the long-shot New Orleans Saints) by playoff probability going into Week 17:
Derek Carr and Dennis Allen haven’t exactly guided the New Orleans Saints to the playoffs. They’re facing elimination from the postseason altogether on Sunday; a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would put the NFC South out of reach, and a couple of other games’ results could put the final nails in their coffin.
ESPN’s NFL Football Power Index gives the Saints a 10.9% chance of reaching the playoffs going into Week 17. If New Orleans can’t win the NFC South, they’ll need both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks to lose out in the final two weeks so they can get that seventh wild-card spot. It isn’t very likely.
Here’s where the Saints rank among the rest of the league per ESPN’s playoff percentages:
The #Bills have a big edge on the #Patriots in sportsbooks this week:
Another tough decision awaits those looking to place a wager on the Buffalo Bills ahead of their Week 17 matchup against the New England Patriots.
The Bills (9-6) host their AFC East rivals and the past week has made this choice more difficult.
Buffalo is fresh off of beating the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the spread in that one was within a half point of what it is ahead of the Bills taking on the Patriots (4-11)–according to BetMGM, Buffalo is a 12-point favorite in Week 17.
Buffalo did not come close to covering against the Bolts. It was tight all the way through and the Bills took a 24-22 win.
On the flip side, the underdog Pats beat the Denver Broncos last week. Despite New England being out of the playoffs, they’re still fighting.
Good luck making that pick. Not to mention, the first meeting between these two went the Pats’ way.
In 2023, both teams are doing pretty poorly against the spread. The Bills are 6-8-1 ATS this season, meanwhile, the Patriots are 5-10.
The points aren’t treating either team much better. Buffalo is 5-10 and New England is at 6-9.
The moneyline sits at Bills (-700) and the Patriots (+500).
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Brutally bad beat:
As the Buffalo Bills received the ball with 5:36 left in Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and trailing 22-21, the mission for James Cook prop bettors was simple.
Cook needed eight yards. His bettors had a chance.
To open the game, the line for Cook’s rushing yards prop was 70.5, and 99 percent of bets were on the over, according to BetMGM.
But then, disaster.
Cook ended up hitting 73 yards as the Bills’ final drive came to its conclusion. He got the ball one last time.
Cook lost three yards. He finished at exactly 70, which was under… and legitimately everybody placed wagers on the over:
99% of bets were on James Cook OVER 70.5 rushing yards.
Cook had 73 yards before last carry.
He loses -3 yards on last run.
Cook finishes with 70 rushing yards. 🤮 pic.twitter.com/HE3cTp4Cnu
— John Ewing (@johnewing) December 24, 2023
That is an awful beat and got worse. Had the originally-called touchdown for receiver Khalil Shakir stood, Cook would have stayed at 73.
Double ouch.
At least the Bills did win, 24-22.
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Despite a four-game losing streak, oddsmakers think the Jaguars finish December with a win.
The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t won a game since November, but oddsmakers think they have more than enough talent to get back on track against the Carolina Panthers.
On Sunday, the Jaguars lost their fourth straight game with an embarrassing, 30-12 blowout at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers also lost, but in a tight game against the Green Bay Packers that was tied in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Still, Jacksonville is 8-7 and hosting a team that is 2-13. If the Jaguars can’t get right in Week 17, they’re probably out of time.
If you’re looking for betting odds on the Jaguars’ upcoming game against the Panthers, we’ve got you covered. The following lines for the spread, money line and over/under are from BetMGM, giving you an idea of how the oddsmakers think the game will go.
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Moneyline (ML)
Against the spread (ATS)
Over/Under (O/U)
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NFL Week 16 best bets: One wager to make for every team (including the Bills):
The NFL playoffs are rapidly approaching, with only three weeks of regular-season action left. Week 16’s slate comes with a bunch of games that have playoff implications, beginning with Rams-Saints on Thursday night and concluding with Ravens-49ers on Christmas evening.
There are games on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday this week, with multiple games on each of those days except Thursday. So we’re going to have to pace ourselves from a betting perspective, knowing it’s a long weekend of games.
Below, we have one bet to make for every team this week, including player props, moneyline bets and over/under totals.
All odds are courtesy of BetMGM.
#Bills vs. #Chargers spread:
The Buffalo Bills do have some circumstances going against them in their upcoming Week 16 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
It’s a game that’s on the road and across the country.
The Bills also played on Sunday afternoon. The Chargers have been off since last week’s Thursday Night Football matchup.
But the issues going down in Los Angeles appear to be too much for oddsmakers to consider making the spread anywhere close.
Buffalo has opened as an 11.5-point favorite over Los Angeles in Week 15, according to BetMGM.
While already a high number, it could continue to rise. Not only are the Bolts without starting quarterback Justin Herbert, L.A. just fired head coach Brandon Staley.
But perhaps Los Angeles can grab a “boost” that sometimes follows a coaching change? Or least in terms of the spread, can that help L.A. cover?
So far this season, it hasn’t looked good for the Chargers. They’re 4-9-1 ATS. Meanwhile, the Bills are 6-7-1 against the spread and have covered in their past two games.
In terms of the over/under, which is set at 42.5, both teams are 4-10 overall this year.
The moneyline sits at Bills (-800) and Chargers (+550).
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