Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
Sitting at 14-1 as the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs, the Green Bay Packers have little motivation to play their starters for the entire game. The Packers are not willing to risk an injury to Aaron Rodgers just so they can finish 15-1 and keep Detroit out of the playoffs. The Packers know they can beat Detroit, as they did on the road on Thanksgiving, so they have nothing to prove and nothing to fear about facing the Lions in the playoffs. The Lions on the other hand, have a reason to win on Sunday. They have clinched a playoff berth for the first time in twelve years and a win against the Packers will make them the number five seed, as opposed to being number six with a loss to Green Bay. The Lions can win against the bottom half of the Packers' depth chart in Week 17 and then play the winner of the NFC East. The Lions have a much better chance of winning against the Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants than they would in a matchup against the New Orleans Saints or San Francisco 49'ers. In a game where Green Bay's starters shouldn't see the field past halftime and Detroit exponentially increasing its chances of advancing to the second round of the playoffs with a win, the Lions will win 31-27 on the road in Green Bay.
San Francisco 49'ers vs. St. Louis Rams
These two teams are on complete opposite ends of the NFL spectrum. The 49'ers have a new identity of lockdown defense and run-down-your-throat offense under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. The 49'ers are 12-3 with a chance to be the number two seed in the NFC and secure a first round bye with a win over the Rams. Thanks to Indianapolis' two-game win streak, St. Louis might be the worst team in the NFL. Injuries have limited Sam Bradford this season and despite his urge to play against San Francisco, St. Louis will keep him on a short leash in a meaningless game for the Rams. San Francisco will play their starters long enough to guarantee the win, which may only be a quarter or two. In all seriousness, there is something wrong with San Francisco if they don't win in St. Louis. Even if the first round bye wasn't on the line for the 49'ers, they would still win easily, and the number two seed is enough motivation for Frank Gore and the 49'ers defense to perform well on Sunday. San Francisco wins 38-14.
New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins
The Jets need a miracle bigger than Rex Ryan's stomach to make it to the playoffs. Not only does New York need to win, but the Jets need Cincinnati, Tennessee, and Denver/Oakland to lose as well. The second best team in the Big Apple only has control over one of those outcomes-a win against the 5-10 Miami Dolphins and I don't think the Jets can leave Miami victorious. Mark Sanchez has struggled lately, most notably in the Battle of New York where he threw nearly sixty times, completed half of them, and had three fourth quarter turnovers. Sanchez has only broken the two-hundred yard mark in half of his games and has too many giveaways this season. The Dolphins were very impressive in their first half against the New England last week, leading 17-0 at halftime. While the second half was embarrassing as they gave up the lead in the second half, Miami showed how good they can be when they play well. The Dolphins have their first pair of a 1,000 yard rusher and receiver with Reggie Bush and Brandon Marshall. Quarterback Matt Moore has almost a 6:1 touchdown to interception ratio in his last six games, with his only two interceptions in that span coming against New England. This will be a very close game, but I think the Miami Dolphins will win 27-24.
Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings
A battle of NFC North teams that are crashing and burning. The Chicago Bears, once playoff hopefuls, have lost five straight games after injuries to quarterback Jay Cutler and Matt Forte. They have fallen to 7-8 after unsuccessful starts by Caleb Hanie and Josh McCown. The Bears' D has kept them in most of their games in their stretch of losses, but Chicago can't count on the offense to put up big numbers no matter who they're playing. Minnesota's woeful 3-12 season surprisingly managed to take a turn for the worse when running back Adrian Peterson suffered a terrible knee injury. Week 17 in Minnesota will determine which team has better backups at quarterback and running back. Chicago will probably start McCown to decide if he has a future in a Bears uniform and may let rookie Nathan Enderle take his first NFL snaps. With an injury to backup running back Marion Barber, third-string running back Khalil Bell had his first career start and opened eyes with his 121 yard performance against the Packers, averaging over five yards per carry. For the Vikings, rookie Christian Ponder out of Florida State has been impressive in his first season and will most likely start against the Bears after being knocked out of the game with a concussion. In limited snaps, backup QB Joe Webb accounted for three scores and over 100 all-purpose yards. Toby Gerhart put up career best numbers last week when he ran for 109 yards on 11 carries. Another close matchup, the game will be decided by a small margin. If the Bears score on defense or special teams, I give Chicago the edge, but a non-offensive TD can never be guaranteed, so Minnesota wins 20-17.
New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
The Patriots are looking for revenge from their loss to the Bills early in the season and will continue their dominance over Buffalo at home. The Pats will be the number one seed in the AFC with a victory and there's no reason why Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will not win in Foxborough. Brady has been overshadowed by Drew Brees this season, but amazingly the Patriots quarterback is on pace to break Dan Marino's previous single-season passing yardage record. Even if Brady only plays the first half of Sunday's game, he still has a shot at eclipsing the 5,084 mark. Ryan Fiztpatrick has tanked just as Buffalo has as the season has progressed. New England wins decisively 37-21.
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints
This NFC South matchup has little impact on the playoff picture. New Orleans has secured the number three seed and can only make the jump to No. 2 if for some unthinkable reason San Francisco loses to St. Louis and the Saints win. I think Sean Peyton will play his starters for the first half to give New Orleans a sizeable lead in case the Rams do upset the 49'ers. Additionally, Drew Brees does have to finish the season as the single-season passing leader of all-time. Peyton and Brees would both deny it if they were asked by the media, but if Brees were to sit out the entire game and Tom Brady were to play three quarters, then Brady would surpass Brees. Seeing the kind of figure Brees is for the city of New Orleans and the leader he is for the Saints, no one in Louisiana is going to let that happen. Even if Cam Newton puts up huge numbers, the Saints can still outscore the Panthers. The Saints win a high-scoring game 42-34.
Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles
With Michael Vick back on the field for the Eagles, Philly has put together a win streak late in the season, although it is too little, too late. Both of these teams have been NFC East disappointments this season. Nothing spectacular was expected from the Redskins but the Eagles appeared to be favored to make it to the NFC Championship Game. Despite Philly signing a handful of Pro Bowlers-Jason Babin, Nnamdi Asomugha, Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie, Cullen Jenkins, and Vince Young-the Eagles sit at 7-8 and two wins away from the playoffs. With one of the best running backs in the NFL and the total touchdown leader, LeSean McCoy, the Eagles have a strong weapon on offense to complement their physical defense. Philadelphia wins 28-20.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
First of all, I'm not sure who would want to watch this game. A 2-win team against a 4-win team and they will both try their hardest to lose the game. The Colts avoided the shame of finishing 0-16 by winning the past two games, but the only way that Indy can guarantee drafting Andrew Luck is to lose this game. For the same reason, Jacksonville will hope that the Colts win. If the Colts get the number one overall draft pick, the Jaguars will have to face Andrew Luck for twice a year for at least ten years. Both teams are pretty miserable in all areas except for the Jaguars at running back. The Jaguars have the worst offense in the league despite having Maurice Jones-Drew, the NFL's leading rusher. Blaine Gabbert is not playing well in his rookie season and lacks a good receiving core. Indianapolis has used three quarterbacks this season and even though Dan Orlovsky has two wins under his belt, he is not the future for the Colts. This game will be very ugly but Jacksonville wins the game 21-17.
Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans
The Texans have locked up the number three seed in the playoffs and the Titans are fighting for the final Wild Card spot. This game will be decided by a touchdown or less. The Texans are the better team with one of the league's best defenses, rushing attacks, and wide receiver's. However, Houston has secured its first playoff berth and as many other teams in similar positions, will probably rest or limit its starting players. Tennessee has more to play for and will leave everything on the field on Sunday. Chris Johnson is an elite running back and Matt Hasselbeck, assuming he is healthy enough to play, can provide leadership that only a veteran quarterback with playoff experience can. I think the Tennessee Titans pull out the win in Texas 34-28.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons
When the NFL team schedules were released in the offseason, this game was potentially the deciding factor for the NFC South title or a Wild Card spot, but it turns out it's neither. Josh Freeman and the Bucs turned heads last season with a 10-6 record. Freeman was very impressive in his sophomore year and Tampa Bay appeared to be on an upward trend. However, the Buccaneers were a disappointment in 2011, entering Week 17 with a 4-11 record. After last week's Monday Night Football matchup at the Superdome, it is apparent that New Orleans, not Atlanta, is the best team in the division. The Saints blew out the Falcons 45-16 in a game highlighted by Drew Brees breaking the single-season passing yards record. The Falcons have locked up a Wild Card spot and are guaranteed to be on the road against a tough opponent in the first round of the playoffs. The Falcons want to redeem themselves after getting embarrassed on the national stage last week and need to make adjustments before entering the playoffs. Atlanta wins 35-24.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Both teams have reasons to play well on Sunday. With a win, the Ravens will finish the season 12-4 and win the AFC North over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a win, the Bengals can make the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The game will be incredibly competitive as the AFC North is one of the most physical divisions in football and this is a must-win game for both teams. With a win, the Ravens would get a first round bye and home field advantage and the Bengals would get a playoff berth. The Bengals sold two-thirds of the seats available in Paul Brown Stadium last week alone and the city of Cincinnati is completely behind its team. Andy Dalton has had a phenomenal rookie season, making a case for Offensive Rookie of the Year, was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate, and is ready to lead his team to the playoffs. He has faced tough competition by playing the Steelers twice, the Ravens once already, San Francisco, as well as Houston, and Dalton is going to start his great NFL career by making it to the playoffs as a rookie. The Bengals come from behind in the fourth quarter to win 27-24.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
Big Ben is a very tough quarterback and will play Sunday against the Browns. Roethlisberger looked horrible in the Steelers' Monday Night Football loss to San Francisco and is currently battling an ankle injury. Despite how much his leg may hurt, a first round bye is on the line. The Steelers can even choose to give him an occasional series off by letting backup Charlie Batch take over. Batch beat St. Louis in his first start of the season last week. The Browns will have difficulty without quarterback Colt McCoy, who is still out after a brutal hit from James Harrison the last time the Browns faced the Steelers. Peyton Hillis is back in the lineup for the Browns but the Madden Curse has had its way with Hillis this season between injuries and contract disputes. Pittsburgh wins 31-24.
Kansas City Cheifs vs. Denver Broncos
Tim Tebow's magic may be running out as Denver has lost its past two games by huge margins to the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. There are two big story lines in the final game of the season as Denver can make the playoffs with a win and Kyle Orton returns to play his former team to try to prevent them from making the playoffs. However, the Denver Broncos win 21-17.
New York Giants vs. Dallad Cowboys
This is arguably the most important and most influential matchup of Week 17. Both the Giants and Cowboys are 8-7. The winner moves on to the playoffs, while the losing team's season is done. Tony Romo suffered an injury that knocked him out of the game last week, so there's no telling how healthy he is for this week. Plus, the Giants D-Line with Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. Eli Manning has had a very good season and the Giants will win 27-21.
San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders
With a win and a loss from Denver or a win and losses from New York and Cincinnati, Oakland has an outside chance to make the playoffs. However, San Diego is known for how well they play late in the season, especially December (January 1 is close enough to December). The Chargers are very good on offense between Philip Rivers, Ryan Matthews, and Vincent Jackson, while for the Raiders, Carson Palmer can be a major liability. San Diego wins 24-13.
Both teams are out of the playoffs no matter what, but this is still a divisional rivalry. Both teams enter the game at 7-8, with only the winning team making it to .500. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and John Skelton has been alright for a young quaterback. Marshawn Lynch is a powerful running back, but the Seahawks will need more than their rushing game to win this one. Cardinals win 17-14.
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