NFL Week 17 Preview: Grab £40 in free bets with BetMGM ahead of penultimate week

The Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars were just three of the headline makers in week 16 of the NFL, earning huge victories and giving this year’s playoffs an unfamiliar look.

We’ll get more answers this week as to who will be joining them in the race to the Super Bowl.

Suddenly, the previously-imperious looking Los Angeles Rams find themselves potentially having to settle for the fifth or sixth seed. The Green Bay Packers, after a nightmarish couple of weeks, still have work to do to confirm a wildcard spot.

While just two postseason places remain up for grabs in each conference, only the Philadelphia Eagles have wrapped up their division. All seven of the other leading teams could do the same this weekend if results play out in their favour. 

With so many high-stakes games taking place in this penultimate round of fixtures, BetMGM are offering NFL fans the chance to catch a great welcome offer. If you haven’t created an account with them before, you can do so now and secure £40 in free bets after placing a qualifying bet of at least £10. 

With Christmas Day and the Saturday night double-header adding even more primetime slots across the festive period, there will be no shortage of opportunities to use the single bets and bet builders that come as part of this bumper package.

NFL week 17 quick tips

• Back the Dallas Cowboys to overcome the seven-point spread as favourites against the Washington Commanders – 19/20 with BetMGM
• Tip the Pittsburgh Steelers to win by more than four points against the Cleveland Browns – 22/25 with BetMGM
• Take the Buffalo Bills to beat the Philadelphia Eagles by more than 2.5 points – 10/11 with BetMGM

NFL Week 17 schedule:

Thursday (Christmas Day)

• Washington Commanders v Dallas Cowboys (6:00pm)
• Minnesota Vikings v Detroit Lions (9:30pm)

Friday (Boxing Day)

• Kansas City Chiefs v Denver Broncos (1:15am)

Saturday

• Los Angeles Chargers v Houston Texans (9:30pm)

Sunday – early morning

• Green Bay Packers v Baltimore Ravens (1:00am)

Sunday – 6pm window

• Miami Dolphins v Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
• New York Jets v New England Patriots
• Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh Steelers
• Indianapolis Colts v Jacksonville Jaguars
• Tennessee Titans v New Orleans Saints
• Carolina Panthers v Seattle Seahawks 
• Cincinnati Bengals v Arizona Cardinals

Sunday – late window

• Las Vegas Raiders v New York Giants (9:05pm)
• Buffalo Bills v Philadelphia Eagles (9:25pm)

Monday

• San Francisco 49ers v Chicago Bears (1:20am)

Tuesday

• Atlanta Falcons v Los Angeles Rams (1:15am)

Texans in with a win, Chargers chasing Broncos

The first matchup after Christmas to carry huge playoff implications is the Saturday night clash between the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans. The home side have already clinched their playoff spot in defeating the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, while the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens fell to defeats. 

It was a great weekend for the Bolts who also saw the Denver Broncos surrender an eleven-game winning streak, which leaves the door ajar for Jim Harbaugh and co to pinch the AFC West and – potentially – the number 1 seed in the AFC. If they can win this game, the race for the division will go to week 18 – where they will face each other for all the marbles!

Here’s a breakdown of how the AFC West could play out this weekend – there’s only one way for the Broncos to put it to bed with a game to spare!

The AFC South has flipped on its head in recent weeks, with the Indianapolis Colts on the brink of elimination having led the entire AFC for large chunks of the season. Daniel Jones’ season-ending injury, paired with a five-game losing streak – with two of those coming to the Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars – have left them needing a miracle in the final two weeks. 

The Texans and Jags, meanwhile, have won seven and six games-in-a-row respectively with some huge victories along the way. The Jags made a statement on Sunday in ending the Broncos’ 11-game flawless sequence; the Texans have recently stunned the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.

Now, for the Texans, it is a simple win-and-in scenario. The Jaguars have already punched their ticket, and will be hoping to secure the AFC South title this weekend. That can only happen, however, if the Texans lose on Saturday night and they subsequently beat the Colts on Sunday.

Here’s every possible outcome for the AFC South race:

The bookies are predicting that the AFC West will go to the wire. With the Broncos having already likely beaten a beleaguered Chiefs side playing third-string QB Chris Oladokun on Christmas Day (early hours of Boxing Day this side of the pond), the Chargers will need to win to set up that scenario – BetMGM makes them very narrow 1.5-point favourites to do so.

While that result would keep that division wide open, it would help wrap up another – they believe the Jaguars will beat the Colts, who are praying for some magic from 44-year-old Philip Rivers.

That combination of results would see the Jags crowned AFC South champions, but would secure the Texans a spot in the postseason – which would be a franchise-record third playoff appearance in a row.

Packers limping over the line, Ravens at risk of elimination

Green Bay Packers fans may be celebrating on Christmas Day should the Detroit Lions slip up at the Minnesota Vikings. If Dan Campbell’s team bounces back from Sunday’s defeat, however, the Pack will kick off in the early hours of Sunday morning (UK time) knowing a win will get them over the line. 

The table(s) below highlight how three of the four combinations of results will work in their favour with regard to extending their season beyond 4th January. Only a win would keep them in play for the NFC North crown, but even the most ardent Cheesehead would probably concede that now.

That may sound simple, but they’ll be facing a Baltimore Ravens team who have to win to keep their own fading hopes alive – and they could be without quarterback Jordan Love and bell cow running back Josh Jacobs, both of whom suffered knocks in the damaging defeat to the Chicago Bears. 

Love was forced to exit the crucial NFC North showdown with a concussion – the Bears went on to steal the win, and pole position for the division title, in overtime. Jacobs is dealing with an injured ankle. Backup signal caller Malik Willis is questionable too after taking a hit to the shoulder after coming into the game in the second quarter.

It’s been a painful couple of weeks for the Wisconsin franchise who were emerging as Super Bowl candidates in the NFC, only to lose star defensive piece Micah Parsons to a torn ACL against the Denver Broncos – a game they also lost. The Pack have quickly become one of the most banged up teams in the league, with the likes of tight end Tucker Kraft and centre Elgton Jenkins already on IR.

Here are all the permutations surrounding this one:

The Bears will win the NFC North if they win either of their last two games, regardless of what happens at Lambeau Field.

The Ravens have no fresh injury concerns, but they’ll need all their big-name players to step up in this one after losing at home to the New England Patriots. The only way for them to now make the playoffs is to win both their remaining games and for the Pittsburgh Steelers to lose both of theirs – helpfully for John Harbaugh’s team, they’ll play each other in week 18. 

The Steelers, however, will travel to the three-win Cleveland Browns the day after this game, and could turn that final game into a dead rubber.

The bookies see no way for the Ravens to rescue themselves. They’re backing the Packers to get the job done at home – ending the Ravens’ season there and then. They’re 2.5-point favourites with BetMGM. In any case, the Steelers are also four-point favourites at the Browns.

All to play for in Charlotte

The Carolina Panthers earned a vital win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 16. A defeat against their NFC South rival would’ve all but extinguished their playoff hopes – given that their division is the weakest in the conference in terms of win totals. Finishing second to the other, therefore, won’t be good enough. 

With the Panthers now on top, there is a scenario where they can finish the job this weekend – but only one scenario, and it seems somewhat unlikely. They have to beat the Seattle Seahawks – who are eyeing up the number 1 seed in the NFC – and they have to hope the Bucs lose again, to a Miami Dolphins team with only pride to play for. 

Any other combination of results, as outlined here, will mean the return fixture (between the Panthers and Bucs, in Florida this time), will be a winner-takes-all affair:

	Buccaneers win	Buccaneers lose
Panthers win
Panthers lose

The Seahawks and Sam Darnold came up clutch in a game-of-the-year contender against the Los Angeles Rams, winning 38-37 in overtime with a two-point conversion. It moved them ahead of the Rams in the NFC West, and up to the top spot in the entire conference.

It has been an extremely competitive division, however – the San Francisco 49ers joined both in the postseason tournament with 11+ wins after they saw off the Colts on Monday Night Football. 

Given how closely matched all three are, the Seahawks only have one way of securing the title this weekend, and that is outlined here: 

	Rams win, 49ers win	Rams win, 49ers lose	Rams lose, 49ers win	Rams lose, 49ers lose
Seahawks win
Seahawks lose

The Seahawks will face the 49ers in week 18, in San Francisco. The 49ers currently have the edge in the head-to-head, having beaten them at Lumen Field back in week 1. Therefore, if both teams finish 13-4, it will be the 49ers who finish higher (due to having swept the Seahawks). 

Due to the 49ers facing the Bears this week, there isn’t yet a scenario where the Seahawks can clinch the number 1 seed – they would need the 49ers and Bears to both lose! It is looking likely, however, that whoever finishes top of the NFC West will claim it. 

The Rams are in Atlanta on Monday night, hoping to complicate matters further by beating the already-eliminated Falcons.
The in-form Seahawks are clear seven-point favourites with BetMGM to win in Charlotte, leaving the NFC South up for grabs, but moving Seattle within a win of both available prizes.

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Elsewhere in week 17 of the NFL

The New England Patriots sealed their playoff berth with a gutsy comeback win in Baltimore on Sunday Night. In doing so, they also eased fears of losing the AFC East title to the Buffalo Bills, after Josh Allen and co rallied to their come-from-behind victory against them a week ago.

Now, if the Pats win again against the lowly New York Jets, they’ll leave the Bills with no room for error. Should the Upstate New Yorkers lose either of their remaining games – or if the Pats win again in week 18 – their five-year dominance of the division since Tom Brady left Foxborough will come to an end. 

The Bills have a tough one this week too – they’re up against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The birds have already won their division but cannot take the number 1 seed.

Still, though, the second seed is well worth fighting for – this is where they landed last season, and from which they went all the way. They’d need a win, paired with a Chicago loss to have any chance of swapping places.

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