NFL Playoff Race Continues Today – December 17

The NFL playoff race is crazy this season and it continues today with 11 games on the schedule. Yesterday, the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts stayed alive in the NFL playoff race with victories. The Bengals came back and scored late on a wild touchdown catch by Tee Higgins and then beat Minnesota in overtime. The Colts fell behind Pittsburgh 13-0 in the first half but ended up winning 30-13.

The Detroit Lions moved a step closer to capturing their first division title since 1993. The Lions beat Denver, whose playoff chances took a blow with the 42-17 loss. Both the Steelers and Broncos fell out of the NFL playoff race with their losses yesterday. Heading into today’s games, the Bengals and Colts now own the No. 6 and No. 7 spots in the AFC postseason.

49ers Clinch in NFL Playoff Race

San Francisco is the only team that has clinched a playoff spot. The 49ers are 10-3 and currently own the top spot in the NFC. The Rams and Seahawks are both 6-7 but are not out of the NFL playoff race. The Rams play host to Washington today and Seattle hosts 10-3 Philadelphia tomorrow night. Seattle has beaten Philly seven times in a row.

Heading into the rest of Week 15, the Rams and Seahawks are No. 8 and No. 9 respectively, in the NFC playoff picture. They are still very much alive. The two teams share the same record with Green Bay (6-7) which is currently the seventh-place team in the NFC. The Packers play at home against Tampa Bay today.

Who’s At the Top of the NFL Playoff Race

Remember, the four division winners get the top four seeds in each conference in the NFL playoff race. As mentioned, the Niners are the top seed in the NFC. No. 2 is Dallas and the Lions are third. Heading into today, Tampa Bay (6-7) leads the NFC South and the fourth seed that comes with it. Philadelphia (10-3) was overtaken by the Cowboys for the NFC East lead last week. The Eagles are now No. 5 and Minnesota is the No. 6 seed.

In the AFC, Baltimore (10-3) is the current owner of the top seed. Miami (9-4) is No. 2 and Kansas City and Jacksonville, both with 8-5 records, are Nos. 3 and 4. Cleveland (8-5) hosts Chicago (5-8) today. A win keeps the Browns in the No. 5 spot in the NFL playoff race. We already mentioned that the sixth and seventh spots belong to yesterday’s winners – Cincy and Indy.

Speaking of Winners – The Leaderboard

There are a whole bunch of handicappers here at Sports Hub who continue to win like they are in the NFL playoff race. Every day, they chase one of the top spots on the leaderboard. Yesterday, that top spot belonged to our very own Computer Picks. We’ll break down the picks in a moment, but CP won well over $1000 yesterday. The Sports Hub Insider is back near the top of the board after leading it yesterday. Two other Sports Hub experts rounded out the top-5.

Let’s have a look.

• Computer Picks kills it: My guy Computer Picks made 60 picks yesterday. Yes, that’s right, 60! He went 37-23 and won a whopping $1170! He crushed a couple college football bowl games, the NFL, and the majority of the picks were college basketball.
• Our friends at Madjack: Madjack Sports put 12 picks in the database yesterday. Our friends went 8-4 and won $765 for their efforts. They’ve got four more picks that affect the NFL playoff race in the system for today. Over the last 30 days, Madjack Sports is up $1775.
• The Insider…again: Sports Hub Insider uses that wealth of industry knowledge to crush the books. The Insider did it again yesterday going 3-0 and winning $300. That makes it three straight days without missing a single pick. The Insider is 9-0 over the last three days with $1083 in winnings. For the month, Sports Hub Insider is up $2300 and there are more NFL and NBA picks today.
• Sports Hub experts: Two of our expert cappers rounded out the top-5. Lou Diamond went 5-0. He has two NFL picks in the system for today. Both games will play a big role in the NFL playoff race. Gino Russo was the other SportsHub expert in the top-5. Gino went 2-0 and won $200. Gino had been at the top of our 30-day leaderboard for the past several days. He was overtaken by the Sports Hub Insider who is 74-48 for the month with $2300 earned. Gino is right behind at 44-21 and $2098 in winnings.

Today’s Schedule Impacts NFL Playoff Race

A number of today’s games will have an impact on the NFL playoff race. It seems like no one wants to win the NFC South where Tampa Bay owns the top spot with a 6-7 record. The Bucs play at Green Bay today. Atlanta is also 6-7 and plays at Carolina today. New Orleans is 6-7 too and hosts the New York Giants. Get prepared for today with our Week 15 NFL picks page. Get all of our experts’ best picks. For more, visit the picks database.

There is action on the hardwood and the ice today. Don’t forget the pitch where the top international soccer leagues all have matches today. 

Here’s a look at today’s sports schedule.

1. NFL playoff race continues: Only the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers have been eliminated from playoff contention. The other 30 teams still have a shot. All three Saturday games had an impact on the NFL playoff race. It will be the same today.

2. International soccer: All of the top leagues have matches today. There are Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, and Serie A matches that are already in progress as you read this.
3. NHL: After a huge Saturday, there are just five NHL games on the schedule. Check the database for NHL picks for today’s games.
4. NBA: Not to be outdone, there are also five NBA games on tap today. Orlando plays at Boston in the second game of a back-to-back series. The Celtics won 128-111 on Friday night. 
5. NCAAB: It was a huge day in college basketball yesterday. Just ask Computer Picks. There is more today and all eyes will be on USC and Bronny James as the Trojans play at Auburn this afternoon.
6. Golf: The final round of the PGA Tour Q School has been postponed until Monday. Harrison Endycott has a two-stroke lead.

No. 1, Threes & Aaron Rodgers

The No. 1 college basketball team in the country lost yesterday. It didn’t come as a big surprise though. One NBA player hit a ton of threes yesterday and the Jets’ Aaron Rodgers might be back on the field sooner than you think.

Here’s what’s trending in sports.

• No. 3 beats No. 1: Purdue beat top-ranked Arizona 92-84 in an early season showdown of teams that could meet again come March. The Wildcats (8-1) will drop out of the No. 1 spot and No. 2 Kansas will likely take over the top spot once again. 
• It’s raining 3s: Sacramento’s Keegan Murray went off last night. He scored 47 points, a career-high, but the way he did it was almost unbelievable. Murray hit a total of 12 three-pointers. He hit 11 of those in a row! Murray ended up 12-of-15 from behind the arc and 16-of-23 total.

• Rodgers comeback: So, you probably know that Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in the first game of this season. Rodgers is likely to be cleared to play this week. That doesn’t automatically mean he’ll start at quarterback on Christmas Eve against Washington, but it’s fun to speculate. It’s also fun to know this fun fact. Given time, a torn Achilles tendon will reattach itself, but it won’t heal correctly which is why surgery is necessary.

That’s it for today. Buckle up for an interesting day of games that will affect the NFL playoff race. It should be interesting all the way to Sunday night’s Baltimore-Jacksonville game. There is plenty to wager on today. Check out what our expert handicappers are betting on today. Visit the picks database and jump on the money train. Come back tomorrow and we’ll compare notes. See you then!