Christmas Day is nearly here, which means presents, quality time with the family and, this year, a three-game NFL slate featuring some iconic rivalry clashes to kick off Week 17. The action begins at 1 p.m. ET with the Cowboys visiting the Commanders, which is followed by the Lions at Vikings at 4:30 p.m. ET before the day concludes with Broncos vs. Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. ET. The first two games will air exclusively on Netflix, while the AFC West clash airs on Prime Video for Thursday Night Football. Here, we preview all three games, share NFL betting lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook and more.
Cowboys vs. Commanders (1 p.m. ET)
The Cowboys had an ever-so-slight chance at still sneaking into the postseason entering Week 16, but those hopes quickly ended with the Eagles‘ victory over these Commanders on Saturday. Dallas instead will watch the playoffs from home this year despite having arguably the best offense in the NFL. The Commanders will also be watching games from the couch, which is a major disappointment after a run to the NFC Championship Game last season. Washington was dealt a bad case of the injury bug, namely to quarterback Jayden Daniels and star receiver Terry McLaurin, while the defense was 31st in yards allowed and 27th in points allowed.
These teams last met back in October, which resulted in a dominant 44-22 Cowboys win with Dak Prescott tossing three touchdowns and Javonte Williams rushing for 116 yards and a score. This matchup will see the Cowboys at relative full strength, but the Commanders will be without Daniels as the second-year quarterback was shut down for the remainder of the season. Marcus Mariota, who has played quite a bit with Daniels banged up this season, will once again start for Washington.
The Cowboys are favored at -7 on the road, while the total is among the highest of the week at 50.5, which should come as no surprise given these teams have struggled mightily on defense this season. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, expects Washington to keep this one close, as it has the Commanders covering in 60% of simulations. Dallas is 7-8 against the spread this year while Washington is 5-10 ATS. Cowboys games usually go Over the total, as that’s occurred 11 times in 15 contests. Washington is 8-7 to the Over.
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Lions vs. Vikings (4:30 p.m. ET)
These were the two top teams in the NFC North a year ago, but things have changed a good bit in this division. The Lions have gone from the No. 1 seed in the conference at 15-2 to 8-7 and in serious danger of missing the playoffs altogether this year. Detroit is on the outside looking in right now and needs to win out and have the Packers lose each of the final two weeks of the year. One more Lions loss or one more Packers win eliminates Detroit from postseason contention. As for the Vikings, it’s been a tough year after 2024’s 14-3 campaign, with Minnesota largely struggling in its adjustment to J.J. McCarthy under center. He’s played better of late against some poor defenses, but the Vikings will enter 2026 needing a major step forward from its quarterback.
One bright spot for McCarthy this year was leading the Vikings to an upset win over the Lions in Detroit on Nov. 2. The Vikings won that one 27-24, with McCarthy tossing two touchdown passes and rushing for another score. The Lions outgained the Vikings 305-258 but struggled mightily in the run game and lost a fumble.
Detroit is a 6-point favorite for Week 17 at DraftKings, and the total sits at 44.5. The SportsLine model has the Lions winning in the majority of simulations and covering the spread 53% of the time. The Lions are 7-8 against the spread in 2025, as are the Vikings. Lions games have gone Over the total 10 times in 15 games this season, while the Vikings are 8-7 to the Over.
Broncos vs. Chiefs (8:15 p.m. ET)
The Chiefs’ reign atop the AFC West is over. Kansas City had won the division nine years in a row, but the Chiefs won’t even make the postseason this year. Instead, the Broncos enter Week 17 at 12-3 to sit in both first place in the division and atop the AFC standings as the current No. 1 seed. Denver is looking to secure homefield advantage over these final two weeks, while three teams are right behind at 11-4, including the Chargers, who face the Broncos next week in a game that may very well decide both the AFC West and the race for the top seed in the conference.
The Broncos took down the Chiefs 22-19 on Nov. 16, but that was a very different Kansas City team. Those Chiefs still had something to play for, and they also still had Patrick Mahomes under center. The star quarterback tore his ACL two weeks ago in a loss to the Chargers, and his backup, Gardner Minshew, then tore his ACL in a Week 16 blowout loss to the Titans. The frontrunner to start this week is Chris Oladokun, a former seventh-round pick who saw his first taste of NFL action last week. Assuming Oladokun gets the nod, his first NFL start would come against the No. 5-ranked scoring defense in the NFL.
Denver is favored by 13.5 points, while the total sits at just 36.5. The SportsLine model does think the Chiefs will cover here, though, as that occurs in nearly 60% of model simulations. Neither team has impressed against the spread this season, with Denver 6-9 ATS and Kansas City 5-10. The Chiefs are 4-11 to the Over while Denver is 7-8.
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