It may not be Thursday, Sunday, or Monday, but we will have NFL action today with the league’s Week 17 Saturday slate of games.
On Thursday, we got great Christmas Day action: the Dallas Cowboys faced off with the Washington Commanders, the Detroit Lions traveled to play the Minnesota Vikings, and the Denver Broncos went to Arrowhead to take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Today, it will be the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers, in what could be a future playoff matchup, and the Baltimore Ravens against the Green Bay Packers.
The latter of the two will see a backup quarterback battle, as both Jordan Love and Lamar Jackson are out with injuries. It will instead be Malik Willis against Tyler “Snoop” Hundley, just as the higher-ups in the NFL hoped, I’m sure.
Here, I’ll cover what you should know about these games as Week 17 continues to roll.
Houston Texans (10-5) @ Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)
3:30 CST Kick Off — LAC -1.5 – 39.5 O/U.
Major Injuries: HOU OT Trent Brown (Questionable), LAC RB Kimani Vidal (Questionable)
The Texans and Chargers will start us off at 3:30 with their matchup in Houston, and it is an important one for both sides.
For the Texans, they are aiming to continue a staggering seven-game winning streak that has put them firmly in position for a playoff spot this winter. Their season started really badly, but a monster defense has saved their chances in 2025.
Guys like Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. are aiming to continue dominating against a banged-up Chargers offensive line.
For Los Angeles, they’ve already clinched a playoff berth, their second consecutive one under former Michigan and 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. In fact, this Texans team knocked them out of the postseason just last year.
While their spot in the playoffs is confirmed, they still have a chance to catch the Broncos for first place, so there is a lot on the line for Justin Herbert & Co. today.
They enter as a very slim favorite over Houston, so this thing is just about as pure a toss-up as you’ll find in Week 17.
Baltimore Ravens (7-8) @ Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)
7:00 CST Kick Off — GB -3.0 – 38.5 O/U.
Major Injuries: BAL QB Lamar Jackson (Doubtful), GB QB Jordan Love (Out)
The story in this one, as I mentioned earlier, is the quarterbacks. Jackson, a two-time MVP, is almost certainly out, and Love, an emerging star, is as well. In fact, Green Bay’s backup isn’t even fully healthy, as Willis is also dealing with an injury.
In a nightmare scenario for Green Bay, it would be Clayton Tune filling in for him.
Both teams desperately need a win here, as Baltimore can’t absorb another loss to keep their playoff chances alive, and the Packers officially lose the division to the Chicago Bears if they drop another game this year.
The Ravens come into this game as underdogs, with the spread growing with every update on Jackson’s health. If Love were playing, this one would likely be very lopsided.
They are hoping a strong rushing attack with Hundley and Derrick Henry, with passing-game contributions from Pro Bowler Zay Flowers, can keep the offense afloat.
Green Bay is likely looking for similar, though Willis has shown serious potential in the passing game in his limited opportunities. Still, it is hard to see this one not turning into a defensive showdown, as exhibited by the low over/under for the game.
If Baltimore loses, it would be the expected result for the game and season of a team that never stayed healthy or fully clicked. That same result for the Packers would be a bit harder to swallow; this is a matchup they should win.
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