NFL 2021 Week 17 betting picks & top odds – Sunday, January 02

The Miami Dolphins are underdogs in their road matchup against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday despite the fact that they’ve won seven straight games. That matchup along with the New York Giants vs. Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals games are featured in this Sunday’s NFL Week 17 best bets selections.

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New York Giants (+6) at Chicago Bears (-6)

This is the type of game that you don’t want to be watching this weekend unless you’ve got money on it. The New York Giants (4-11-0) are 0-4 straight up and against the spread over their last four games and have been outscored 112-46 over that stretch. The Chicago Bears (5-10-0) were 1-8 SU and ATS over their previous nine games before pulling off a surprising 25-24 upset as 7-point underdogs over the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday.

The idea of laying six points with a team as bad as Chicago is not a fun one. But at least the Bears have shown a pulse on offense in recent weeks with 22 points scored against the Arizona Cardinals and 30 points scored against the Green Bay Packers. New York’s current offense led by backup quarterback Mike Glennon is so bad that the Giants’ best effort probably only produces around 14 to 17 points; a total that leaves the Bears open to cover the spread with a decent game at home.

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Kansas City Chiefs (-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (+5)

The Kansas City Chiefs (11-4-0) have won eight straight games and are surging on offense with 39.3 points per game over their last three games. Joe Burrow is coming off of a historic performance throwing for 525 yards and four touchdowns in last Sunday’s 41-21 Cincinnati Bengals (9-6-0) win over the Baltimore Ravens. This Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes showdown has people thinking fireworks and the total is set quite high at 51 points.

And while a high-scoring game is certainly a possibility, this total doesn’t reflect how good these two defenses are. Kansas City’s defense has been outstanding over the team’s current eight-game win streak, allowing 10 points or fewer in four of the team’s last five games. Cincinnati has allowed 21 points or fewer in four of its last six games. This should be a competitive and fun game with some big offensive plays, but look at least one of these defenses to step up and for the total to go UNDER.

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Miami Dolphins (+3.5) at Tennessee Titans (-3.5)

The Miami Dolphins (8-7-0) became the first team in NFL history to win seven straight games in the same season that they lost seven straight games with their 20-3 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Miami’s defense has been rock-solid over the seven-game streak allowing only 13.1 points per game. The Tennessee Titans (10-5-0) pulled off a comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday but are still just 2-3 SU and ATS over their last five games.

This spread is a strange one. Tennessee has not been a very good team since Derrick Henry’s injury while the Dolphins have been playing like a legitimate contender for the last two months. Miami has been an underdog twice during this current win streak, beating the Carolina Panthers 33-10 as a 1.5-point underdog and the Baltimore Ravens 22-10 as an 8.5-point underdog. Even if the Dolphins lose, their strong defense is liable to keep the score close. We’ll happily take the points here.

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