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NFL Week 17 Line Movement – Updated Odds, Spreads, and Betting Lines

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in NFL Football

Updated Dec 31, 2021 · 8:30 AM PST

Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
  • Week 17 of the NFL season got underway on Sunday, January 2 with 14 games on tap
  • Which betting line has moved the most since opening? What’s the smallest spread of the week?
  • All of the wagering information on every NFL game is listed below

In terms of line movement, Week 17 used to be the biggest week of the NFL season, because it was also the last week of the NFL season. With the league extending the season to 17 games plus a bye week, that’s no longer the case.

Still, as the next-to-last week of the campaign, Week 17 is still offering up plenty of intrigue. With two weeks to go, just eight of 32 NFL teams are eliminated from playoff contention.

Only two games on the docket – the New York Giants at the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions at the Seattle Seahawks – will have no bearing on the postseason picture.

In the AFC, only one division title and one playoff position out of the seven available have been clinched, that of the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs. The NFC playoff dance card is much fuller – the Dallas Cowboys (East), Green Bay Packers (North), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (South) have clinched division crowns, while the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals are assured of postseason places.

Which games are looking to be the biggest movers and shakers in NFL Week 17 line movement? Let’s look at that. First, though, check out how the NFL odds are moving for Week 17.

NFL Week 17 Odds

Matchup Opening Spread Current Spread Opening Total Current Total
Raiders vs Colts IND -8.5 IND -7 46.5 44.5
Giants vs Bears CHI -5.5 CHI -5 38 37.5
Buccaneers vs Jets TB -13 TB -13 45.5 45.5
Falcons vs Bills BUF -13.5 BUF -14.5 44.5 44
Panthers vs Saints NO -7 NO -6.5 39.5 37.5
Eagles vs Washington PHI -3 PHI -3.5 43.5 45
Chiefs vs Bengals KC -4 KC -5.5 47.5 51
Jaguars vs Patriots NE -15 NE -16.5 42 41.5
Dolphins vs Titans TEN -3.5 TEN -3.5 41 39.5
Rams vs Ravens LAR -3 LAR -4.5 45.5 46.5
Lions vs Seahawks SEA -8.5 SEA -7 42 42.5
Broncos vs Chargers LAC -5.5 LAC -6.5 45.5 46
Texans vs 49ers SF -15.5 SF -12.5 45 44
Cardinals vs Cowboys DAL -3 DAL -6 48.5 51.5
Vikings vs Packers GB -6.5 GB -7 47 46.5
Browns vs Steelers CLE -1.5 CLE -3.5 45 41

Odds as of December 30th at FanDuel

Cardinal Sins Costing Faith

Remember when the Cardinals were the talk of the NFL and Kyler Murray was MVP favorite? What was that, about three weeks ago?

Yeah, those were good times. But the train to acclaim has gone completely off the rails for the Cardinals. They’ve lost three in a row, including an embarrassing 30-12 setback at 2-11-1 Detroit. The once-mighty Arizona offense has combined to score a paltry 28 points the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys keep looking like the real deal. They put 56 points up on Washington last week for a fourth successive win. Any wonder then that Arizona has gone from a three to a 6-point underdog at Dallas?

The spread on the San Francisco 49ers-Houston Texans also shifted three points to share the biggest spread movement of Week 17. However, it’s going in the other direction. San Francisco was the 15.5 chalk in the opening line. It’s shortened to Niners -12.5.

No doubt, San Fran’s pratfall last week in Tennessee, coupled with Houston’s impressive 41-29 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, is impacting this line. Then again, maybe it’s the Grade 3 thumb sprain that figures to keep 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo out of the game. Yeah, that’s probably the real reason.

Big Ben’s Farewell Toll?

If this Monday’s game with the Cleveland Browns is in fact to be the last home game for Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger – and he’s clearly hinting toward that being the case – then the end for Big Ben is arriving in similar fashion to how it concludes for most great players.

He’s going out with a whimper, a shadow of his two-time Super Bowl-winning self. The total for this game slumped from 45 to 41 points. In truth, Pittsburgh’s best chances to score are likely to come from the occasions when Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield completes passes to the Steelers defense.

Are the Bills Back on Track?

Their offense scored 30+ points for the second straight game and they got the better of the New England Patriots at Foxborough. The Buffalo Bills are back atop the AFC East and back in the good books with the oddsmakers. Buffalo is a whopping 14.5-point home favorite over the Atlanta Falcons. That’s the largest spread among the Week 17 lines.

Last week, the Falcons were a red-zone interception thrown by Lions backup QB Tim Boyle away from losing at home to Detroit.

It’s Just Bigger In Big D

There’s just something proper about Dallas being dominant again. When it comes to the Cowboys, you want to love them, or you want to hate them. Being indifferent toward them, it doesn’t feel right.

At one point, this game with Arizona could’ve been circled on the calendar as a potential NFC Championship Game preview. Instead, at 51 points, it will settle for being the highest total offered in any Week 17 line.

Not Much Spread In the Jar

Is it time to believe in the Tennessee Titans again? They got a much-needed home win over the 49ers and are back in the driver’s seat to win the AFC South. Tennessee is getting 3.5-points against Miami Dolphins squad that’s won seven in a row. That seems like a bit much.

Sharing the mark for the smallest Week 17 spread are the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly is only getting 3.5 points facing a Washington team that was lit up for 56 last week by Dallas.

More And More There Is No Score

Totals are trending smaller as the regular season nears a finish line but to have two games set at 37.5 points tells you that these are four teams that are offensive when they have the ball, and not in a good way.

Between the Giants (30th)-Bears (28th) game and the Carolina (25)-New Orleans game, there’s three of the eight worst scoring offenses in the NFL and a Saints team down to its fourth-string QB (Ian Book).

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