NFL Week 17 Survivor Pick Rankings: Best Bets To Win Straight Up For 2021 Pool

The 2021 NFL Week 17 schedule features several games in which the straight-up winner shouldn’t be very difficult to predict. Four teams are favored by 13 points or more. The No. 1 seed in both the NFC and AFC is favored by close to a touchdown on the road.

Here’s a ranking of the top-10 survivor pool picks for Week 17:

1) New England Patriots (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

The Jaguars are last in the NFL with 13 losses and a minus-179 point differential. Jacksonville couldn’t even beat the Texans or Jets in the last two weeks. The Patriots won’t overlook the Jaguars since they can clinch a playoff spot with a win.

2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at New York Jets)

Still in contention for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, Tampa Bay should have no trouble beating New York. The Jets haven’t beaten a team that enters Week 17 with more than four wins since Week 8.

3) San Francisco 49ers (vs. Houston Texans)

Houston’s latest two-game winning streak doesn’t mean it has all of a sudden turned things around. San Francisco has twice as many wins and remains the much better team. Davis Mills will come back down to earth against the 49ers’ defense.

4) Buffalo Bills (vs. Atlanta Falcons)

The Falcons are 0-6 against teams that ended Sunday’s schedule with a winning record. The Bills have only been defeated by one team that has a losing record. Buffalo has outscored its opponents by a league-high 163 points.

5) Indianapolis Colts (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

The Raiders have only managed to stay in the playoff race by beating backup quarterbacks in consecutive weeks. Las Vegas had lost five of its six previous games. Indianapolis’ only loss in regulation since Week 3 came at the hands of the Bucs.

6) Green Bay Packers (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

Green Bay leads the NFL with a 12-3 record. Aaron Rodgers is the MVP favorite with a 12-1 record in his last 13 starts. Since the Vikings beat the Packers 34-31 in Week 11, Minnesota has lost three of its last five games.

7) Kansas City Chiefs (at Cincinnati Bengals)

Entering Week 17 on an eight-game winning streak, Kansas City is the league’s hottest team. The Chiefs have given up more than 17 points just once since their last defeat. Cincinnati is trying to win three games in a row for the first time since 2015.

8) Philadelphia Eagles (at Washington Football Team)

Even with Washington getting most of its key players off the reserve/COVID-19 list, it’s clear Philadelphia is the better team. Washington has scored fewer than 21 points in each of its last five games, which includes a 27-17 loss in Philadelphia. The Eagles are 7-1 against sub-.500 teams.

9) Chicago Bears (vs. New York Giants)

No matter what the records say, the Giants are probably the worst team in the NFC. New York’s offense is barely functional without Daniel Jones. Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm have combined to throw for four touchdowns, nine interceptions and 4.7 yards per attempt. Chicago is 3-0 against teams that have fewer than six wins.

10) Dallas Cowboys (vs. Arizona Cardinals)

These two teams are headed in opposite directions. The Cowboys have won by an average score of 33-14 during their four-game winning streak. The Cardinals are on a three-game losing streak, scoring just 17 points per game.