2024 NFL prospects: Lions back to winning ways, cover on 49ers

NFL Week 17 started with some Christmas games that left a little to be desired.

The the chiefs passed by Steelers Pretty easily, and the ravens Absolutely rolled Texans.

Will the weekend give us more excitement? Probably, yes. So let’s dive into some bets I like for some of the matchups left on the slate.

(all times ET).

Sunday, December 29

the colts @ the giant (1 p.m., FOX and FOX Sports App)

I don’t care how bad the Giants are – and they are bad – the Indianapolis Colts shouldn’t be favored by more than a touchdown against anyone in the NFL.

The Colts have seven wins. They have won two games by one point, two games by three points, one game by five and another by six. They finally won by eight points last weekend the titansBut before going on to win 38-7 they were allowing 23 straight points to win by just eight.

So even if you believe Indy wins, why would it be seven points or more?

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Such is the high conversion. He has showcased some surprising throws, and can use his legs, but he also throws crippling hurdles. He’s completed just 47% of his passes this season, and now this kid from Florida who plays in a dome is heading to windy, rainy and often miserable East Rutherford.

In other words, I don’t buy the Colts offense in this game.

Now, the Giants defense is ranked 25th in points allowed, just below the Colts defense. And speaking of the Colts’ defense, it’s not good. It ranks 23rd in points allowed and 29th on third down. It’s not a good unit and the Giants offense can’t play much worse than it did last week. It saw the falcons 14 points, so the final score looked worse than the game.

I would expect the Giants to play a little better on offense, and if Richardson can have an off game in the weather, the Giants can cover.

Pick: Giants (+7.5) to lose by less than 7.5 points, or win outright

the jet @ the bill (1 p.m., CBS)

One bet I like to make on Bills games when they are heavy favorites is picking a quarterback. Josh Allen Under his rush-front.

Allen returns the rush when the Bills are playing bad teams and/or when they are winning by a good margin. The Bills are nearly 10-point favorites against a terrible Jets team, and after a weak start against patriot Last Sunday, I would expect the Bills to do well.

So that means Allen will run the ball less.

Won by 21 points against the dolphinHe had two rushing yards. He had a lone rushing yard in a 24-point win against the Titans. He had 18 in a blowout against the 49ers.

You get the point.

So I’ll take Allen under 30.5 rushing yards.

Pick: Josh Allen under 30.5 rushing yards

Monday, December 30

lion @ 49ers (8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC)

The Lions have blown out bad football teams this season, so much so that they feel like a college team playing against FCS opponents.

They are playing another bad football team in Week 17.

The 49ers are out of playoff contention and lost to the Dolphins by 12 last weekend. They are without so many key players that they cannot compete with most teams they face. The Lions are one of the teams they shouldn’t compete with.

Also, this game is important for Detroit.

The Lions can either get a game closer to the No. 1 seed in the NFC if the vikings or the eagle Lose, or they’ll have to win to keep pace with the Vikings for their Week 18 matchup for the division and the top seed.

Will we see a super motivated Lions team?

The 49ers are also in no position to spoil. Those teams are often like the Panthers, meaning a young team that is playing good ball without a win.

49 players are injured and completely miss their targets for 2024. They are dead inside. I love the lions here.

Pick: Lions (-3.5) to win by more than 3.5 points

Geoff Schwartz is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection in his senior year. Follow him on Twitter @Geoff Schwartz.

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