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
Browns LG Joel Bitonio (back) did not practice Thursday.
Bitonio has now missed back-to-back days to start the week with this new back listing. It’s possible he misses Cleveland’s Week 3 game against the Packers on Sunday, but linemen usually get more leeway on not practicing, particular veterans like Bitonio, when they are hurt. We’d be unsurprised if he was listed with a questionable tag on Friday.
Ravens CB Nate Wiggins (undisclosed) was not seen practicing on Thursday.
Wiggins returned an interception for 61 yards in Week 2 against the Browns, prompting an exuberant response from teammate, CB Chidobe Awuzie, who “jumped on Wiggins’ back and accidentally took him to the ground.” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley said, “Wiggins did not appear to be full strength the rest of the game,” and began exhibiting a limp in-game after that. Ravens OLB Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) could miss multiple games and DT Nnamdi Madubuike (ankle) is also hurt. Neither player practiced on Thursday. Madubuike leads the team with 10 quarterback pressures and two sacks. They face the Lions on Monday night.
Ravens TE Isaiah Likely (foot) was seen practicing on Thursday.
This is fantastic news. Likely returned to practice last Friday, practicing in a limited capacity, but he was ultimately unable to suit up for Week 2 against the Browns. His continued participation indicates he remains setback-free. Late last week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport speculated that Likely could play in Week 3 against the Lions on Monday night. The game’s late kickoff makes banking on Likely a bit risky, but the fact that he is participating in this week’s first practice, which is often a day of rest for injured players, is promising. The Ravens chose not to put Likely on injured reserve to begin the year, which indicates they expect him to return before Week 5. He is currently on track to do so.
Seahawks signed OG Shane Lemieux, formerly of the Saints.
Lemieux played in six games with the Saints last year, earning a 42.1 PFF pass-blocking grade and a 58.8 PFF run-blocking grade. He allowed 10 quarterback pressures in those appearances, tying for the second-most among Saints offensive linemen during that span. Lemieux is now on the Seahawks’ practice squad. It is unclear whether he will be called up to the active roster.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Joe Burrow (foot) is expected to undergo surgery on Friday.
Rapoport noted that the procedure could be pushed back if the swelling in Burrow’s foot doesn’t allow him to go under the knife. Burrow is facing a three-month recovery, meaning the Bengals are going to be without their star quarterback for most of the season. It’s possible Burrow is ready right at three months and is able to return for a playoff push, but that hinges on both his health and the team staying in the hunt with Jake Browning under center. For fantasy purposes, managers can proceed under the assumption that Burrow is done for the year. Browning is a must-add in all Superflex and 2QB formats.
Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury said Jayden Daniels (knee) is “preparing mentally” on Thursday, but Marcus Mariota “is taking the reps.”
It’s a long-winded way of saying Daniels won’t practice on Thursday. Head coach Dan Quinn said earlier this week that Daniels won’t practice until Friday at the earliest, so his absence today doesn’t come as much of a surprise. All signs point to Mariota getting the start in Week 3, but the Commanders are at least leaving the light on for Daniels right now. Daniels will be all but guaranteed to miss Sunday’s game versus the Raiders if he doesn’t return to practice tomorrow.