Dreadfully behind thanks to my mother putting Christmas dinner smack dab in the middle of the Raiders’ weird win and then insisting the group open dozens of gifts one by one slowly so that we could get pictures.

I’m going to attempt to get caught up and take you on that journey with me. (maybe you missed more football than me thanks to the festivities)

Weekend Injuries

• Trevor Lawrence added to his laundry list of injuries with a shoulder that forced him out of the game

• Brock Purdy was held out after leaving the game with a stinger. His LT Trent Williams also suffered an injury and will have an MRI on his groin today.

• The Vikings had several injuries in their loss, but Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson leaving with ailments that looked like they would cause extended missed time is rough considering where their playoff chances are

• Robbie Chosen had his head bounce off the turf with incredible force. You could tell right away that he was going to be in the concussion protocol

• The Chiefs lost another offensive contributor when Isiah Pacheco exited with a concussion

• Courtland Sutton is concussed

• Cole Kmet hurt his knee, but the outlook seems semi-positive

• Jaylen Waddle has a high ankle sprain and will miss some time

• Cleveland might need to sign a kicker, Dustin Hopkins injured his hammy

Detroit/Dallas total shooting up

Up to 54 from 52 in the Saturday Night game. I get it, the defenses aren’t great at times, but I’m still on the wagon of this being a titch high.

Tampa Getting Love Again

Maybe some of the movement is a New Orleans fade despite the extra rest. Tampa up to a three-point favorite off an opener of -2.

Carolina

…had the best offensive game of the year and Trevor Lawrence is perpetually in doubt to play. This lookahead was -9, reopened at -6 and still took Jags money to push it out to a full TD.

Baltimore Getting Respect After Xmas Win

A full-point move for the Ravens off of the look-ahead. I guess their impressive win was better than Miami’s impressive win (it was).

GB/MIN over steam

43.5 on the look-ahead last week, 44.5 on the Sunday night opener, up to 46.5 right now. The Vikings losing a key defender in D.J. Wonnum may be perfect timing for a Green Bay offense.

Early Thoughts on Week 17

I still need to get 100% caught up on injuries, update my power numbers, look at the weather, check out the matchups and in some cases, even figure out who’s starting at QB (NYG, WAS, JAX, TEN). But, I do have some initial thoughts and since we were unable to record a Sunday recap podcast, I’ll jot ‘em down here.

• I’ll almost certainly be on the Colts -3. They’ve sorted out some of the bigger issues on defense and have a nice spot this week.

• I understand why the total is so high in Detroit/Dallas but have seen both offenses underperform at times this year and might be looking at a gross under bet there

• I’m interested in the Giants/Rams over 42, especially if we get a Tyrod Taylor start

• I’d be VERY tempted by Washington at +13 or better if we get a Brissett start

• The Vikings’ injuries have me looking at Green Bay straight-up on Sunday night. Not sure Hall vs Mullens makes a big difference for me.

• I’m curious on what the general consensus of whether C.J. Stroud plays or not. I think the price on Houston at home should be a little higher if he goes.

MVP

I’m going to sort out the other awards that are still in doubt a bit tomorrow, but last night was pretty wild.

Who knows if the voters’ actual sentiments align with the betting odds?

It did feel like all that Purdy needed to do was to finish the season without a game where he turned into a 1000-pound anchor, grinding this prolific offense to a screeching halt with a series of mistakes and blunders. The optics of him being held out late for more Darnold (despite how low the actual win probability was) weren’t great either.

I feel like leaving live odds up for MVP may be one of the biggest mistakes possible for the discourse, since the constant updates on the pricing for Purdy and Lamar likely turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy where the market movement beget more bets on Lamar placed as hedges or simply out of FOMO, furthering the cycle.

Either way, the online conversations have gotten out of hand, which is half the fun of Twitter I suppose. The victory lapping by Purdy haters was a nice gift to themselves, even if their portfolio was filled with Dak and Tyreek tickets (my MVP bets are drawing dead, but misery loves company).

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