NFL Week 17 Survivor Pool Picks (Patriots, AFC North Team Highlight Top Predictions)

The SI Betting team breaks down who they're picking in Survivor for Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season.

The New England Patriots and quarterback Drake Maye are major favorites in Week 17. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

There are just two weeks left in the 2025 NFL regular season, which means Survivor Pools are winding down and many likely have already been decided.

But, if you’re still alive and looking to secure the pot in your pool, the SI Betting team has you covered. We’re still making Survivor picks for the rest of the regular season, even though both Peter Dewey and Iain MacMillan didn’t make it all the way to the end before losing a matchup.

Week 17 features a bunch of games early in the week, including three Christmas Day matchups (Thursday) and two games on Saturday with major playoff implications. 

There are a ton of big favorites in Week 17, including the New England Patriots, who are 13.5-point favorites against the New York Jets. One of our editors is eyeing them as a pick for this week after saving them all season long. 

Before we get into those selections, let’s recap the picks from Week 16’s action!

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

NFL Week 16 Survivor Picks Recap

• Iain MacMillan: New Orleans Saints (W)
• Peter Dewey: San Francisco 49ers (W)

Week 16 of the 2025 season brought some positive returns in Survivor, as MacMillan nailed a pick for the New Orleans Saints, who blew out the New York Jets.

Plus, Dewey picked the 49ers, who scored 48 points in a dominant win over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night.

Now, the focus turns to the second-to-last week of the regular season, where there may be some value in going further down the board than usual for one of these picks.  

NFL Week 17 Survivor Pool Picks

Cincinnati Bengals

You likely still have the Cincinnati Bengals left to use in your Survivor Pool considering Joe Burrow missed the large majority of the season, turning them into a terrible football team for 10 or so weeks, which means now is the best time possible to opt in for the Bengals in the penultimate week of Survivor. 

Cincinnati just steamrolled the Miami Dolphins and now they return home to take on the Arizona Cardinals, who have lost seven straight games. 

It's clear the Bengals are still playing their best despite being eliminated from postseason contention, so you can feel confident backing them to beat the lowly Cardinals on Sunday. – Iain MacMillan

New England Patriots

Somehow, I saved the New England Patriots all the way until Week 17, but it wasn’t the smartest thing since I lost earlier in the campaign.

Still, if you have them alive in Week 17, this is a no-brainer pick based on the rest of the slate.

New England’s win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16 may have clinched a playoff spot, but with the Denver Broncos losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England is in play for the No. 1 seed if it wins out and Denver loses one of its final two games.

Drake Maye has been playing at an MVP level, and the Patriots should have no problem against a Jets team that has been starting Brady Cook and getting absolutely shellacked in recent weeks.

New York now ranks 28th in the NFL in EPA/Play on defense and 29th in EPA/Play on offense. That’s not going to cut it against a Patriots team that has been one of the best in the league all season, especially against inferior competition. – Peter Dewey

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