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Giants @ Eagles-With the Eagles out of it and the Giants playing like it's 2012, I like New York to clinch a playoff spot on Thursday Night Football.
Bengals @ Texans-With Tom Savage under center, the Texans should be much improved offensively. Unlike the Bengals, the Texans are still in the playoff hunt and are 6-1 at home this season.
Ravens @ Steelers-This should be a Christmas classic. Steelers were my pick to win the AFC at the beginning of the season, so I'll stick with them.
Falcons @ Panthers-Panthers have been a huge disappointment this season. While I didn't think they'd go 15-1 again, I thought they'd at least be playoff contenders. I see their current role as spoilers for teams in playoff contention. They beat the Skins last night and I think they'll beat the Falcons too.
Redskins @ Bears-Da Bears are playing for nothing and the Skins are fighting for the playoff lives. I'll take the Skins in a squeaker.
Vikings @ Packers -Rodgers is a man of his word, and the Vikings continue to slide even with AP back.
Cardinals @ Seahawks-Seahawks haven't really looked that impressive to me this season, but they're the only team in the NFL undefeated at home this season. That 12th man and homer refs makes all the difference. Seahawks have the division wrapped up. Their sole motivation now is getting that bye week.
Buccaneers @ Saints-Now that the Bucs have finally lost again, I take great pleasure in saying that Drew Brees will smoke a Winston this Saturday.
49ers @ Rams-49ers lose the battle of the dumpster fire. The Rams are the only team the Niners beat way back in Week 1. In fact, they shut them out. Goff will go off against the worst defense in the league. The Niners can make any QB look like a number 1 pick.
Dolphins @ Bills-Da Fins will be cold in Orchard Park, and I like the Bills in an ugly squeaker. I still think Miami will get the second wild card though.
Jets @ Patriots-Patriots win easy as they cruise to the number 1 seed.
Chargers @ Browns-OK, Browns! Here's your chance! Don't let me down! You can certainly beat a Chargers team that tends to blow games late and has nothing to play for coming cross country from San Diego where the weather is sweet to what should be a cold game. Win it as a Christmas present to your fans.
Titans @ Jaguars-A playoff contender? This is not how I remember the Titans. They will play the Texans in Week 17 at home to see who will be the representative for the mighty AFC South. Jags will present a challenge, but they've forgotten how to win.
Colts @ Raiders-Andrew Luck is trying to will the Colts into the playoffs. They beat the Vikes last week, but going to the West Coast to beat a Raiders squad jonesing for a first-round bye is too much of a tall order.
Broncos @ Chiefs-Another Christmas day dandy! Chiefs lost at home to both the Titans and Bucs by a score of 19-17. I'm inclined to believe that the score for this game will be similar to that, but I like the Chiefs to put a dagger in the Broncos playoff plans.
Lions @ Cowboys-This is one of the only instances when I pick the Lions on the road. The Cowboys don't need this. They've singlehandedly destroyed my picking record and are kind of ruining the NFL for me this season. I need the Lions to win this so that the Packers can come from 1 game behind and beat them in Week 17 to snatch the NFC North title.
Giants over Eagles- We still haven't seen the perfect game from the Giants and there are injury concerns heading into Thursday night such as Janoris Jenkins. However, Philly is out of it and I think the Giants will get by easy here.
Falcons over Panthers- The Falcons are heavily overrated and consider some of the tests they've faced in recent months. They fell down early and lost to KC after their high altitude tough OT game in Denver. They were pushed around in the trenches at Philly in a January-like game. Since their win vs a Tampa team who got healthier and better, they've beat some bad teams. Trufant is gone for the year and Julio Jones is still questionable. Carolina's defense is playing better and the offense is clicking again.
Redskins @ Bears- I'm tempted to take the Redskins off a tough Bears' division game but something's different this year from last year's Washington team. The Bears finally have something clicking with their offense and their team is playing tough. I like the Bears to get it done and bury Washington's playoff chances.
Vikings @ Packers- With the Lions facing a Dallas team ready to take care of business for one final time before the playoffs, part of GB might be looking past this one. However this is GB and Aaron Rodgers doesn't let down in do or die games in the regular season. GB will do enough to get past a falling Vikings team who is down Harrison Smith and hopes have somewhat collapsed.
Bucs @ Saints- I really like the Bucs and playing in primetime at Dallas is what they needed if they want to have any kind of chance in January. Winston was inconsistent but it was a good experience for him. He was straight up awful in the beginning, rebounded enough to come back but made some mistakes in the end that he wished he had back. However this looks like a back and forth shootout and I think the Saints do what they do best at home.
Dolphins @ Bills- I'm taking the team with the homefield advantage. The Dolphins aren't a cold weather team. LeSean McCoy will wear this defense down and slow down the pace of the game. Miami has looked great offensively against the Niners, Jets & Rams but the Bills will make plays and stay on top.
Jets @ Patriots- The Patriots haven't really blown out teams without Gronkowski but this could get ugly with a Jets team that completely gave up.
Chargers @ Browns- The Chargers have suffered the worst injury luck this year but they've played hard. However this may be the best chance for the Browns to win a game this year left. I just have a feeling here.
Titans @ Jaguars- The Titans are no joke. They have some key things you need heading out of December: effective run game, a clutch QB and players in the trenches. They'll get it done against a Jacksonville team who looks like a mess offensively.
Cardinals @ Seahawks- You'd like to see Seattle tested one more time before the postseason but they'll roll past a Cardinals team who looks decimated.
Niners @ Rams- The Rams are just really bad offensively. Nobody cares about this game but I like SF to get some points early and stay ahead.
Colts @ Raiders- Derek Carr is playing with a dislocated pinky still and he obviously hasn't looked the same since he played the Bills. I still think the Raiders are the opposite from what you want in a playoff team (Just a squad that does better in high paced scoring games and prone to a lot of stupid penalties) Andrew Luck is playing very well lately and I like the elite QB here to get up early against a bad Raiders' defense.
Bengals @ Texans- The Bengals' season is somewhat of a mess. They'll keep this close but Houston should get a jolt from Tommy Savage here. This will be an interesting game. With Osweiler at the helm, the Texans are almost the same as they were when Brian Hoyer was playing in last year's playoff game. If Savage shows a lot here, this is potentially an intriguing team heading into Week 17 and maybe beyond.
Ravens @ Steelers- There's something off with the Steelers this year. They do have some quality wins (Giants, Chiefs early on) but they've given up some huge plays that raise red flags (ie Dallas). Big Ben can be dangerous but I don't trust their defense. The Ravens did have some bad losses early on but they've been a tough team in the last few months. They sort of kept it a game against Dallas and despite falling early vs NE they still kept it a game in the end. I like their defense to neutralize Bell and try and make Ben beat them. This might come down to a FG.
Broncos @ Chiefs- Denver's obviously lost a step since last year in what's supposed to be a transition year at QB and other positions but they've had a brutal schedule down the stretch here (KC, TEN, NE and now KC again). I think this game will be a lot closer but KC will rebound from last week's tough loss here.
Lions @ Cowboys- If GB wins against Minnesota, this game doesn't mean as much to Detroit. It's another great test for the Lions but odds are that the Week 17 GB/DET game will come down to one playoff spot and that's the division. Stafford will do well but this could be Dallas' last dress rehearsal in primetime until the divisional round of the playoffs. The Lions gave up a good amount on the ground to the Giants of all teams. I think Dallas will let their offense and ground attack fly in this one.
Lions @ Cowboys-This is one of the only instances when I pick the Lions on the road. The Cowboys don't need this. They've singlehandedly destroyed my picking record and are kind of ruining the NFL for me this season. I need the Lions to win this so that the Packers can come from 1 game behind and beat them in Week 17 to snatch the NFC North title.
Even if the Lions lose (assuming GB wins), Week 17 will be for the division title (barring at tie)
I found this week to be very challenging for my picks. There are multiple factors to consider and various scenarios that could change priorities as the games are being played out. Usually Week 17 is the weirdest, but there are several things that make this week challenging to pick, including the fact that most of the games are between division rivals.
Even if the Lions lose (assuming GB wins), Week 17 will be for the division title (barring at tie)
I know, but it's against my morals to pick the Cowboys. I did one week, got the pick right, and I felt dirty.
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