The NFL's penultimate regular-season week on December 28 features high-stakes games that could reshape the playoff picture. With divisions like the AFC East and NFC West on the line, teams such as the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks aim to secure seeding advantages amid injury challenges.
Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season promises intensity as playoff contenders battle for positioning. The Philadelphia Eagles (10-5), fresh off scoring 60 points in their last two games, face the Buffalo Bills (11-4) at Highmark Stadium. The Bills hold a slim lead in the AFC East but need a win to stay ahead of the surging New England Patriots (12-3). Odds list Buffalo as 1.5-point favorites with a total of 44.5 points, per DraftKings. The SportsLine Projection Model simulates a close contest, projecting Bills 26, Eagles 23, and leaning toward the over at 58% probability.
In the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks (12-3) visit the Carolina Panthers, favored by 7.5 points in a matchup that could clinch the division title. Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the NFL with 1,637 receiving yards and ties for third in touchdown catches (10), making him a focal point against Carolina's defense, which has yielded 450 passing yards and four touchdowns to receivers over the past three weeks. The model predicts Seahawks 27, Panthers 20, with the over hitting nearly 60% of the time.
Eliminated teams add intrigue elsewhere. The Cincinnati Bengals (5-10) host the Arizona Cardinals (3-12), favored by 7 points in a high-scoring affair (over/under 53.5). Cincinnati's Joe Burrow threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-21 win over Miami last week, while Ja'Marr Chase had 109 receiving yards but no score. Analysts expect Chase to find the end zone against Arizona's league-worst scoring defense (31.8 points allowed per game since Week 6). The model forecasts Bengals 34, Cardinals 25.
Injuries loom large: Baltimore's Lamar Jackson is out against Green Bay, and Las Vegas placed Maxx Crosby on injured reserve, ending his season. The 2025 playoff picture shows the Packers re-entering contention and Denver Broncos pursuing the AFC's top seed. With models simulating each game 10,000 times, bettors eye value in underdogs like the Eagles (+1.5) and Titans (+2.5) versus New Orleans.
