The last regular season weekend is upon us and that makes me sad. I’ve enjoyed giving y’all picks this season, and I’ll continue to do so during the playoffs. This weekend has some odd lines because various teams aren’t playing their starters this weekend but I found some value anyway.
Geoff Schwartz’s best bets for Week 17 of the NFL season
Retired NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz is back with his best bets for Week 17.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints (under 44.5)
The Saints won’t be playing their starters, and the Panthers are starting a third-string quarterback. Yes, Teddy Bridgewater will be starting and looking to play well, but I don’t think Sean Payton will do much with him. In 2009, we (the Panthers) played the Saints in the exact same situation in Week 17. The Saints came to Charlotte with the No. 1 seed in their pocket and just chilled the entire game. Just ran out the clock.
I expect that to happen on Sunday. Just make sure everyone leaves healthy. The Panthers on the other hand will try to win the game, and that means the defense playing well. The last two weeks Ron Rivera has taken over the defense and they have played well, only allowing 12 points to the Saints and 24 to the Falcons.
Cleveland Browns (+6) @ Baltimore Ravens
The Browns wake up dangerous every game day since Hue Jackson left their sidelines. They are playing great football right now. Getting six points feels like stealing. I know the Ravens are the hot team right now, but their offense has totally slowed to a halt. They scored 20 on offense against Tampa and followed that up with 16 points against the Chargers. I see that trend continuing this weekend with Gregg Williams designing a defense to stop Lamar Jackson. Now, can the Browns score enough points to keep up? Yes, I think so. They might only need 14-17 points to cover the spread here, and they have enough weapons to make that happen. Also, I think the Browns will love playing the spoiler here!
