Two weeks remain for the NFL regular season. The Los Angeles Rams have already clinched a playoff berth but saw their chances of landing the NFC’s #1 seed drop dramatically following their loss to the Seattle
Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. Now in order to regain their top spot in the conference, they must win out and see the Seahawks, 49ers, and Bears all collect one loss a each. The Bears & 49ers play each other in Week 17 and the Seahawks & 49ers play each other in Week 18, so it’s still possible. But will it happen? Here are my Week 17 picks.
Week 16 picks: 11-5, Cumulative picks: 150-88-1 (.632)
Week 17 Matchups & Predictions
(Thursday) Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Commanders, 1:00 PM EST
Christmas Day will bring a rivalry but it won’t mean much as both teams have been eliminated from the playoff race. My guess is that we will get an offensive shootout.
Pick: Cowboys win 45-38
(Thursday) Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 PM EST
The Vikings have been eliminated from the NFC playoff race but the Lions are still fighting to get in. I believe the Vikings will want to play spoiler against their NFC North foe but the Lions offense has been hot as of late.
Pick: Lions win 34-24
(Thursday) Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 PM EST
This Christmas Day evening game was supposed to have a lot of hype around it but now it’s one of the worst spreads for the week. Denver should annihilate Kansas City at Arrowhead.
Pick: Broncos win 30-3
(Saturday) Houston Texans @ Los Angeles Chargers, 4:30 PM EST
This will be the AFC game of the week as the Texans have won 7 straight and the Chargers have won 4 straight. We saw what Philadelphia’s defensive line was able to do against the Chargers injury-riddled offensive line. We can only imagine what Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter will do.
Pick: Texans win 19-16
(Saturday) Baltimore Ravens @ Green Bay Packers, 8:00 PM EST
Green Bay desperately needs a win after consecutive losses to the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears. This game will be determined by the health of Jordan Love and Lamar Jackson who were both forced out in Week 16 because of a concussion and back injuries respectively.
Pick: Packers win 24-20
Arizona Cardinals @ Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM EST
The Bengals offense should tear up the Cardinals defense with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown.
Pick: Bengals win 37-27
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns, 1:00 PM EST
I just have this eerie feeling that the Browns will upset the Steelers, setting up a huge Week 18 matchup between the Ravens and Steelers.
Pick: Browns win 20-17
New Orleans Saints @ Tennessee Titans, 1:00 PM EST
Believe it or not, the Saints have won three straight games. Do they have something with Tyler Shough?
Pick: Saints win 27-20
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 PM EST
Trevor Lawrence has been playing really good football since the Rams upended them in London. Calling him a top-5 MVP candidate is a stretch (Dan Orlovsky) but he has been night and day different than any other point in his career.
Pick: Jaguars win 27-18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Miami Dolphins, 1:00 PM EST
The Buccaneers are reeling. They don’t have to win this game if Carolina loses to Seattle. However, I think they get it done with it being an in-state game.
Pick: Buccaneers win 29-23
New England Patriots @ New York Jets, 4:05 PM EST
Snooze. Patriots with another weak opponent. Next.
Pick: Patriots win 33-13
Seattle Seahawks @ Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM EST
On a normal week, I might pick Carolina to pull off the upset. However, I think their attention will be on Week 18 (Buccaneers). Not to mention, Seattle has the advantage of preparing for 10 days.
Pick: Seahawks win 27-23
New York Giants @ Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 PM EST
Who wants the first overall pick more? The Giants are 0-8 on the road but… they get this one!
Pick: Giants win 23-16 (OT)
Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills, 4:25 PM EST
The Bills should win this game, however, I think they could be exposed by the Eagles pass rush. Josh Allen is not going to be able to run around like he normally does. Then, because the Bills defense is so bad, I think they allow the Eagles lukewarm offense to sustain drives.
Pick: Eagles win 24-20
(Sunday Night Football) Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 PM EST
Ben Johnson and Kyle Shanahan. Two coaches that love to run the ball. The 49ers have been staying under the radar for awhile but this game should give us a good reading of what kind of team they are.
Worth noting for this game: Chicago has two extra days to prepare since they played Green Bay on Saturday night and San Francisco is playing Indianapolis on Monday night in Week 16.
Also, the Bears may have learned their lesson a few weeks ago; dropping from the #1 seed into the #7 seed in a span of a week. As the #2 seed this time, they might understand the urgency in keeping their spot.
Pick: Bears win 27-24
(Monday Night Football) Los Angeles Rams @ Atlanta Falcons, 8:15 PM EST
The Rams have no one to blame other than themselves for their 16 point collapse to the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. Sean McVay had noticeable controlled anger the days after but seems excited about the team’s readiness to come out swinging over the next few weeks.
The Rams offense will likely be without Davante Adams and Kevin Dotson but that shouldn’t stop them from rolling on offense.
Pick: Rams win 38-23
As it stands, the Rams don’t get the #1 seed back in Week 17 but the 49ers lose on Christmas weekend. Silver lining I suppose.
Where do you think the Rams will be in the standings after Week 17? Comment below.
