If you want to win money betting NFL games then you need to be willing to take teams no one else wants to bet. I refer to these teams as ugly dogs and you really have to hold your nose sometimes when you bet on them, but history has shown that going against the public works. We went 0-3 last week to take the overall record for the season to 33-23-2. I advised caution a couple of weeks ago, as we had been on a really good run and it has been tough the past two weeks. We’ll look to end the season on a good note with four games. Let’s take a look at the Week 17 Ugly Dog picks.
Week 17 Ugly Dog Picks
Jacksonville Jaguars +4 vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Jaguars are not a good team and they have been a major problem for us in this column over the last month or so. Jacksonville packed it in a long time ago and even with Gardner Minshew at quarterback they have still struggled. They play an Indianapolis team that is out of playoff contention, but at least the Colts are still playing hard. There is very little to like about the Jaguars, even at home, but that is the point of this column. This one is ugly, but we’ll take Jacksonville plus the points as an ugly dog.
Washington Redskins +10.5 at Dallas Cowboys
The Redskins did play hard last week but they still lost to the Giants. This week they take on a Dallas team that has been a huge disappointment. The strange thing is that Dallas could still win the NFC East and make the playoffs if they win this game and get some help from the Giants. If the Giants beat the Eagles and the Cowboys win this game, then Dallas would win the NFC East. This game may not be easy for Dallas, as Washington has at least shown they still care. Their offense may also be better with Case Keenum under center and he figures to get the start in this one with Dwayne Haskins injured. We’ll take the Redskins as an ugly dog in this one.
Carolina Panthers +13 vs. New Orleans Saints
The Carolina Panthers are a complete mess right now and even at home they look completely overmatched in this game against the Saints. The question in this one will be how much motivation the Saints have to win. New Orleans is still in the mix for a first round bye, so they may still play their starters in this one. It may not matter who they play, as the Panthers are a disasters on both sides of the ball. Carolina is playing a rookie quarterback who has no clue and their defense has pretty much given up for the season. This one is extremely ugly, but we’ll take the big points with the Panthers.
Detroit Lions +10 vs. Green Bay Packers
Another team that has been a complete mess for much of this season is the Detroit Lions. The Lions still have talent on both sides of the ball, but they have a head coach in Matt Patricia that has no clue how to be a head coach and Detroit is stuck playing a third-string quarterback with Matthew Stafford out due to injury. The Lions are at home, but how much confidence can you have in Detroit against a superior Green Bay team? The Packers may need to win this game to wrap up the NFC North and even if they don’t need to win this game they could still be playing for a first round bye. The Lions don’t have the defense to contain the Green Bay offense, so they will have to find some offense to cover this number. This is another really ugly one, but again, that is the point. We’ll take the Lions plus the points as an ugly dog.
Check out the latest Week 17 NFL odds at BookMaker.eu.
