We've reached the final week of the NFL's 100th season, and there's still a lot to be determined. We know 10 of the 12 playoff teams, but six teams are still alive for the other two. And the entire NFC playoff picture (except for the 6-seed) won't be decided until the Sunday night game is over! (It's also crazy to think the Saints could be 13-3 and not have a bye!)
There are 11 games this week that have at least some playoff significance, and two of the other five involve wild card teams who are locked into their seeding. So, as usual, I'm doing my Week 17 picks with the games that are playoff-relevant first, with the others at the end.
AFC Wild Card: Pittsburgh
Steelers (8-7) at Ravens (13-2): Baltimore-Despite losing to the Jets last week, the Steelers are actually in a pretty good position to take that second AFC wild card. If everything goes their way, they can even lose to the Ravens and still get in. Baltimore has already clinched home field advantage and will be sitting several starters, but they still have plenty of motivation. They have the opportunity to knock rival Pittsburgh out of the playoffs. The Ravens will do their part, but I think the Steelers will get the results they need elsewhere and still get in.
Titans (8-7) at Texans (10-5): Houston-Things are pretty simple for Tennessee: win and in, lose and likely out (unless things break their way). For Houston, it's a little more complicated. The Texans can still move up to the 3-seed, but they may be locked into the 4 by the time the game starts. So, do they go all out, or rest up and get ready for the Bills? If they play their starters the whole way, I see them closing the season with a win. If not, the Titans could very well be joining them in the playoffs.
Colts (7-8) at Jaguars (5-10): Indianapolis-At first, I was confused why this game was put at 4:30 with the Steelers and Titans games. Indianapolis has been eliminated. But then I realized it has a huge impact on the playoff picture. A Colts win and Titans loss gives Indy the tiebreaker for second place in the South. And the Steelers beat the Colts, so that would give Pittsburgh the final spot. I see all three things happening and Pittsburgh going from 1-4 to the playoffs.
Raiders (7-8) at Broncos (6-9): Denver-Oakland is still technically alive, but they need it to be a four-way tie at 8-8 and clinch strength of victory over the Steelers (which is possible, seeing as Pittsburgh has Cincinnati on there twice). However, count out Vic Fangio's Denver Broncos at your own risk. A 7-9 finish would be a big statement for this team moving forward, especially when you consider how many close losses they had early in the season. Alas, the Raiders' days as the "Oakland" Raiders will come to an end with a loss that eliminates them completely.
NFC East: Philadelphia
Eagles (8-7) at Giants (4-11): Philadelphia-Heading into their season-ending stretch of four straight division games, the Eagles knew that if they won them all, they'd be the NFC East champions. And now they head into Week 17 with everything in their own hands. They beat the Giants, they win the division and host the 49ers-Seahawks loser next week. After getting a scare from the Giants a few weeks ago, I see the Eagles playing a completely different game this time. As for the Giants, will they make it an Eli sendoff? Oh, and for all you NFC East haters out there, an Eagles win makes them 9-7, which will be the sixth-best record in the conference.
Redskins (3-12) at Cowboys (7-8): Dallas-The Cowboys had the chance to make this game not matter at all. They could've had the NFC East all wrapped up and been sitting starters to get ready for the wild card game. Instead, they need a win and some help from the Giants in order to avoid this being Jason Garrett's final game as head coach. They'll do their part, but I don't see them getting that help. And, frankly, it's the Cowboys' own fault. They're probably the most talented team in the NFC East, but they spent most of the season playing like they didn't want to make the playoffs. And they won't.
NFC West: Seattle
49ers (12-3) at Seahawks (11-4): Seattle-Game 256 doesn't just decide the NFC West. It sets the entire NFC playoff field. A 49ers win gives San Francisco home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. A Seattle win gives them the division (and potentially home field) and sends the 49ers east for a wild card game. So, yeah, they picked a good one to end the season with. The Seahawks won the first game on a field goal at the end of overtime. Now they're playing on their turf, which has been historically hostile (although not as much this year). The Seahawks may have been caught looking ahead to this one, which might explain the egg they laid last week in Arizona. Of course, that loss to the Cardinals almost certainly cost them the chance at home field, as they'll now likely end up hosting the Vikings next week.
Seeding Implications
Dolphins (4-11) at Patriots (12-3): New England-Well, it was nice while it lasted. Until last week, there was actually some hope that the Patriots actually might not win the AFC East. Although, it took them until Week 16 to clinch the division this year, and their league-mandated first-round bye is still up in the air. At least technically. A win over the lowly Dolphins takes care of that. But, the fact that the Patriots' Week 17 game actually matters for something is a small victory. And, frankly, they need to play their starters regardless. Because that offense is not good.
Chargers (5-10) at Chiefs (11-4): Kansas City-Kansas City won in New England a few weeks ago. So the prospect of traveling to Foxboro in the Divisional Playoffs shouldn't faze them at all. They'd sure like for that game to be at Arrowhead, though. Of course, it's not completely in the Chiefs' hands, but they still need to win if they want to avoid dropping to the 4-seed. The Chiefs have the most interesting arc in the AFC. They can win and still be 3. They can lose and still be 3. Or they can move either up or down. The only thing they can control is beating the Chargers.
Packers (12-3) at Lions (3-11-1): Green Bay-Matt LaFleur is already the most successful rookie coach in Packers history. First to make the playoffs, first to win 10 games, first to win a division title. And with a win in Detroit, Green Bay will clinch at least a first-round bye. Criticize the Packers all you want (and I agree they aren't as good as the Saints or Seahawks), you know going into Lambeau in January is not an easy task. It's even realistic to think they could have home field, but that's out of their control. All they can do is take care of their own business in Detroit.
Saints (12-3) at Panthers (5-10): New Orleans-FOX and the other TV networks have constantly been hammering the point that over the last few years, no team without a bye has reached the Super Bowl. The Saints are certainly capable of breaking that trend. Of course, New Orleans is in this position because of that loss to the Falcons. But they can still move up to No. 2 or even No. 1 depending on how the other games go. And it's a joke that Drew Brees wasn't on the NFL 100 All-Time Team! Maybe he'll be angry enough to add six touchdown passes to his NFL record and get his team to 13-3. Then all the Saints will be able to do is sit and wait to find out when their next game is.
The Other Games
Jets (6-9) at Bills (10-5): Buffalo-Who would've figured when the Bills beat the Jets in Week 1 what type of season was in store for Buffalo? They came thisclose to winning in Foxboro last week, and they'll be a tough out for either Houston or Kansas City next week. And the fact that the Bills are hosting a meaningless Week 17 game while preparing for the playoffs means so much to the fans in Buffalo! I doubt the starters will play the whole way, but they'll want to make sure they finish the regular season the way they started it--by beating the Jets.
Browns (6-9) at Bengals (1-14): Cleveland-Congratulations, I guess, to the Bengals on securing the No. 1 pick in next year's draft. It was definitely time for a change, but I don't think this is the type of season they had in mind when they fired Marvin Lewis. This wasn't the type of season the Browns had in mind, either. For all those projections of Cleveland as a potential playoff team, they're certainly going to be disappointed with 7-9. And they should be. But, 7-9 will look a lot more respectable when you consider they started 2-6.
Bears (7-8) at Vikings (10-5): Chicago-Last year, Chicago traveled to Minnesota for the season finale with the NFC North already wrapped up and the Vikings clinging to the final wild card. The Bears dominated and knocked Minnesota out of the playoffs in the process. This year, things are a little different. The Vikings' playoff spot is already clinched and their seed won't change regardless of what happens here. As a result, I'm not sure how invested Minnesota will be in this one. And, for as up-and-down as the Bears have been this year, a win will give them an 8-8 finish, which is mighty impressive if you think about it.
Cardinals (5-9-1) at Rams (8-7): Rams-For the first time since the 2016 Panthers, the Super Bowl loser won't be returning to the playoffs the following season. Which is result of both some inconsistent play by the Rams and how good both San Francisco and Seattle turned out to be. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have shown some encouraging progress, and they've got a chance to end the season with a three-game winning streak. I think it's more likely, though, that the Rams close out the LA Coliseum Era with a victory.
Falcons (6-9) at Buccaneers (7-8): Atlanta-You've gotta give the Falcons credit. They were 1-7, which led to everyone assuming Dan Quinn would be fired. They're 5-2 since (with wins in New Orleans and San Francisco), which saved Quinn's job. They easily could've quit on their coach, but they didn't, and he'll be back next season as a result. Let's not take anything away from the job Bruce Arians has done in Tampa Bay, either. The Bucs will be either 8-8 or 7-9, which I don't think anyone expected. Watch out for both of these teams next year. As it is, I see Atlanta finishing this season with a victory.
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 144-95-1
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