NFL Week 17 Best Bets: New York Jets vs Cleveland Browns Picks for Thursday Night Football

NFL Week 17 kicks off tonight with Breece Hall and the New York Jets traveling to Ohio to take on Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns. The Jets are simply playing for pride, but the Browns can officially clinch a playoff spot with a win and you know they would love to keep moving forward and lock in that No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. This is setting up to be quite the defensive battle as the Browns defense has been a stalwart all season long while the Jets boast one of the top pass defenses in the league. How will that affect journeyman Joe Flacco who once played for these same Jets? How does that affect how we bet this game? We'll give you our pocks against the spread and a few player props to keep you interested in the whole game, so buckle up and get ready. Let's get to it!
NFL Week 17 Thursday Night Football Best Bets: New York Jets vs Cleveland Browns
The Spread: Browns -7.5
The Browns have all the motivation on their side as they can lock up that fifth-seed in the playoffs, but this game really profiles as a strong defensive battle. Even without safety Grant Delpit, this Browns defense is fierce with Garrett, Denzel Ward and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. With Trevor Siemian under center, the Jets are going to have to rely heavily on Hall, not just running up the gut, but also in the short-passing game in an effort to neutralize the pass rush. It will be an incredible battle to watch, especially after Hall's performance last week. For the Browns, offensively, they're going to need to attack the Jets on the ground early with the hopes of setting up play-action. But will Flacco be chucking the ball all over the place? I'm not so sure. Not with these cover-corners and the fact that Amari Cooper is coming off a career-best week but has been limited by a heel injury all week. I'm taking the Browns to win this game, but I think we're looking at a close one here, so I want the points in this one. More than a touchdowns seems like a lot here.
Pick: Jets +7.5 (-110)
The Total: 34
With the game being a close one, I think we actually see a little more scoring than we would think with these two teams. There's a lot at stake for the Browns and the Jets aren't going to just roll over in this one. I'm not saying this is going to be an action-packed game that has you on the edge of your seat, but this definitely has some 23-17 vibes to me. Maybe the Browns dominate early and take their foot off the gas in this one, but the point total just seems incredibly low, especially when the over is 4-1 over the last five Browns games and 3-2 over the last five for New York.
Pick: Over 34 (-110)
Favorite Thursday Night Football Player Props:
- Joe Flacco under 36.5 pass attempts (-130)
- Amari Cooper under 57.5 receiving yards (-110)
- Breece Hall over 31.5 receiving yards (-110)
- Tyler Conklin over 3.5 receptions (+110)
**all lines & odds courtesy of BetMGM
Player News
The NFLPA released a statement in support of Executive Director Lloyd Howell.
Howell came under scrutiny after it was revealed last week that he worked part-time as a paid consultant for The Carlyle Group, which is a private equity firm. On Sunday, the NFLPA released a statement that it rejects “attempts to mischaracterize the committee’s views or divide membership” regarding this news, while adding any reports of the NFLPA calling for Howell to step down are false. It would appear Howell, who was appointed to his position in 2023, will remain in his role for the upcoming season.
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Details around Judkins’ arrest continue to emerge. On Sunday, Sergeant David Soika of the shared that upon arriving at the scene where the reported crime took place, officers determined after speaking to the victim that a battery occurred, which led to the arrest of Judkins soon after. The rookie second-rounder remained in police custody overnight and is scheduled to have an initial hearing on Sunday. As ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio points out, Judkins is sure to face scrutiny from the NFL under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy, while Florio also notes that “the baseline punishment for a battery is six games,” which can vary based on other factors. Judkins has not yet signed his rookie deal, and will likely take less guaranteed money than he hoped for following his arrest, which could cause a trickle-down effect for the 29 other rookie second-rounders who have yet to sign their deal. Judkins was expected to compete for the Browns’ RB1 spot in training camp, and while he will still get a chance to do so, fantasy managers should remain open to the possibility of a suspension being handed down at some point this season. In any case, Jerome Ford rookie Dylan Sampson would both see slight boosts to their fantasy stocks if Judkins were to miss any time.
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins has been arrested and held on domestic violence charges in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Judkins was booked on Saturday and remains in custody as of this evening. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reports Judkins’ initial court appearance will come Sunday morning. The Browns have said they are “aware and gathering more details.” Judkins’ arrest comes on the eve of training camp, and gets his professional career off to the worst possible start. A lengthy stay on the commissioner’s exempt list would be all but guaranteed if the charges stick. A suspension would then follow if he were convicted or admitted guilt. The situation should be updated on Sunday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Chargers second-round WR Tre Harris did not report with fellow rookies.
That effectively makes Harris a holdout, something that has become common practice for second-round players amidst ongoing negotiations regarding guaranteed money. 30 of the 32 second-round selections from the 2025 NFL Draft have yet to sign their rookie contracts, with Harris now the first official holdout after the Chargers’ rookie report date came and went. This appears to be nothing more than “just business,” but fantasy managers will want to track the ongoing behind-the-scenes saga unfolding this year.
Veteran DT Ndamukong Suh announced his retirement from the NFL.
Suh announced his retirement in a heartfelt post on X early Saturday morning, bringing up a conversation he had with his father before the latter’s passing as the deciding factor of his decision. “It’s time to let football go. You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter,” Suh reflects. The five-time All-Pro amassed 600 combined tackles in 199 games during his 13-year professional career, winning Super Bowl LV as a member of the Buccaneers during the 2021 season. He last played for the Eagles in 2022 before failing to catch on as a free agent the following two seasons.
ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reports Kenny Pickett “developed a strong on-field rapport” with Jerry Jeudy after training with the team’s top receiver this offseason.
At 27 years old, Pickett is the middle-aged member of the Browns’ four-person quarterback competition. Although he is perhaps the least discussed member of the bunch, Oyefusi notes, Pickett respectably went “14-10 as a starter in two seasons with the Steelers.” Developing rapport with the team’s top option could give Pickett an edge in training camp and the preseason, though Pickett is unlikely to produce even high-end QB2 results were he to win the starting job.