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In Week 17, favorites went 14-2 straight up (SU). The Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants were the 2 underdogs to pick up outright victories.
The Jaguars (+1) posted a 20-13 home win against the Tennessee Titans, while the biggest surprise came when the Giants (+7.5) posted a 45-33 home win against the Indianapolis Colts.
After 3 consecutive weeks of no eliminations, 6 people were shown the door in the USA TODAY NFL Survivor Pool contest with the Colts loss. Just 9 entries — out of 10,357 — remain, hoping to win the $5,000 prize.
Breaking down the pool’s Week 17 selections, the Buffalo Bills helped 3 people advance (40-14 win vs. New York Jets), while 2 moved on with the LA Rams (13-9 win vs. Arizona Cardinals) and 2 advanced thanks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (48-14 vs. Carolina Panthers). The Baltimore Ravens (31-2 vs. Houston Texans) and the Seattle Seahawks (6-3 vs. Chicago Bears) helped 1 entry apiece.
Unfortunately, we had the Colts as our top option. Our second choice was the Rams, who eked out the 4-point victory over the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.
The final week of the regular season has 4 teams favored by double digits — all at home. The Ravens (-20) are the biggest favorites of the season when they host the Cleveland Browns Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The other big Week 18 favorites are the Buccaneers (-14 vs. New Orleans Saints), the Green Bay Packers (-10 vs. Bears) and the Denver Broncos (-10.5 vs. Kansas City Chiefs).
Follow the USA TODAY NFL Survivor Pool.
– Both games Sunday and ET.
The pick: Green Bay Packers
Who they play: Home vs. Chicago Bears – 1 p.m. (FOX)
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NFL odds. Lines last updated Friday at 2:29 p.m. ET.
- Line: Packers -10 / Moneyline (ML): Packers -500 | Bears +375
The Packers (11-5) host the Bears (4-12) as Green Bay jockeys for playoff seeding. The Bears have long since checked out, and interim coach Thomas Brown hasn’t been able to give the team any kind of a spark since Matt Eberflus was dismissed after the Thanksgiving Day clock debacle.
It won’t be easy. Chicago played very well in the first meeting vs. Green Bay back on Nov. 17 at Soldier Field. The Packers blocked a 46-yard FG attempt at the buzzer to hold on for a 20-19 victory — Green Bay was a 6-point road favorite. Packers QB Jordan Love threw for 261 yards and a TD, while running for the game-winning score with 2:59 to go.
GREEN BAY IS MY FAVORITE SURVIVOR PLAY OF WEEK 18.
FOOTBALL NEVER STOPS
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No. 2 option: Denver Broncos
Who they play: Home vs. Kansas City Chiefs – 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Line: Broncos -10.5 / ML: Broncos -550 | Chiefs +400
The Denver Broncos (9-7) normally would be an extremely risky play when facing the Kansas City Chiefs (15-1). However, the Chiefs have locked up the No. 1 overall seed and will be resting starters.
For the Broncos, they’re trying to hold off the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins for the final AFC playoff spot. A win, they’re in. A loss, they would need the Bengals and Dolphins to lose, too.
The Chiefs are resting QB Patrick Mahomes, making the Broncos a strong play against QB Carson Wentz and a watered-down bunch of skill-position players for the top-seeded Chiefs.
2024 survivor game log
NO. 1 OPTION
Week 1: LOSS – Patriots 16, Bengals 10
Week 2: LOSS – Falcons 22, Eagles 21
Week 3: LOSS – Panthers 36, Raiders 22
Week 4: WIN – 49ers 30, Patriots 13
Week 5: LOSS – Giants 29, Seahawks 20
Week 6: WIN – Eagles 20, Browns 16
Week 7: WIN – Commanders 40, Panthers 7
Week 8: LOSS – Browns 29, Ravens 24
Week 9: WIN – Chiefs 30, Buccaneers 24 (OT)
Week 10: WIN – Vikings 12, Jaguars 7
Week 11: WIN – Lions 52, Jaguars 6
Week 12: LOSS – Titans 32, Texans 27
Week 13: WIN – Broncos 41, Browns 32
Week 14: WIN – Buccaneers 28, Raiders 13
Week 15: WIN – Cardinals 30, Patriots 17
Week 16: WIN – Bills 24, Patriots 21
Week 17: LOSS – Giants 45, Colts 33
NO. 2 OPTION
Week 1: WIN – Saints 47, Panthers 10
Week 2: WIN – Chargers 26, Panthers 3
Week 3: LOSS – Giants 21, Browns 15
Week 4: WIN – Cowboys 20, Giants 15
Week 5: WIN – Commanders 34, Browns 13
Week 6: WIN – Falcons 38, Panthers 20
Week 7: WIN – Bills 34, Titans 10
Week 8: WIN – Lions 52, Titans 14
Week 9: WIN – Eagles 28, Jaguars 23
Week 10: WIN – Chargers 27, Titans 17
Week 11: WIN – Texans 34, Cowboys 10
Week 12: WIN – Chiefs 30, Panthers 27
Week 13: WIN – Buccaneers 26, Panthers 23 (OT)
Week 14: WIN – Steelers 27, Browns 14
Week 15: WIN – Ravens 35, Giants 14
Week 16: WIN – Packers 34, Saints 0
Week 17: WIN – Rams 13, Cardinals 9
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