Week 17 of the NFL season has arrived, giving us one last chance to nail a full slate of game picks and predictions. As always, based on the matchups and the point spreads attached to them, some games are much easier to pick than others.
We are thankful for the Packers, Saints and Patriots, who opened as double-digit favorites over the Lions, Panthers and Dolphins, respectively. Those relatively easy predictions are balanced out by six games that opened with lines of a field goal or less.
The results of these games will determine both the NFL playoff seeding and the order for the first 20 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. If our predictions become reality, the Cowboys and Steelers will earn the final two postseason spots, and the Redskins and Lions will cement themselves behind the Bengals in the selection process for April.
Here are our Week 17 NFL picks straight up, all the way through the Sunday night regular-season finale in Seattle. All odds are courtesy of SportsInsider.com.
MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting advice from Sports Insider
NFL picks, predictions for Week 17
Green Bay Packers (-9 1/2) at Detroit Lions
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
After their win Monday night, the Packers against the Lions in Week 17 will be motivated to clinch a first-round bye (and possibly home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs). Detroit, on the other hand, is a loss away from clinching a top three pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. There will be no spoilers for either team.
Pick: Packers 27, Lions 13
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (-7)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Vikings locked themselves into the No. 6 seed for the playoffs when they lost to the Packers on Monday night, making this game meaningless as it relates to the playoff picture. Assuming Minnesota will rest key starters in preparation for its road wild-card game against the No. 3 seed, and given that Chicago will want to save some face for its lost season, the Bears will get it done.
Pick: Bears 23, Vikings 20
New Orleans Saints (-13) at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
With the Saints playing for seeding in the NFC playoffs and the Panthers barely even playing at this point of the season, this could get ugly. Even if Carolina was not lifeless amid a seven-game losing streak, this would be a bad matchup against a New Orleans team that will have no trouble running the ball and controlling the flow of the game. The Panthers also have no chance to stop the Drew Brees-Michael Thomas connection, and their young QB starter of choice will have a long day while playing in catch-up mode.
Pick: Saints 30, Panthers 14
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Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (-7 1/2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Chargers’ disastrous 2019 season is bound for a rough ending since the division-champion Chiefs are still playing for seeding in the AFC playoffs. While Philip Rivers and Co. would love to end the year (and potentially his Chargers career) on a high note, the late-season rise of Kansas City’s defense combined with the continued scoring prowess of its offense will be too much for Los Angeles to overcome.
Pick: Chiefs 28, Chargers 20
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-1 1/2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Bills are locked into the No. 5 seed for the AFC playoffs and likely headed to Houston to play the Texans in the wild-card round, so the Jets should get a break as Buffalo rests its key starters ahead of the postseason. However, New York has been playing well enough of late that its upsetting Buffalo at full strength would not be a stunner.
Pick: Jets 20, Bills 16
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Pick ’em)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Falcons are still in play for a top-10 pick in the NFL draft despite their three-game winning streak; not that it matters to the players who are fighting to save Dan Quinn’s job. They might have already accomplished that goal. Likewise, Jameis Winston might have already earned himself a contract extension with the Bucs, who quietly have become one of the NFL’s trickiest teams to beat despite some significant injuries. Statistically, Tampa Bay is better than Atlanta in almost all areas.
Pick: Buccaneers 30, Falcons 26
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Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-16 1/2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Patriots can’t get the No. 1 seed, but they certainly don’t want to fall out of the No. 2 spot and lose their first-round bye in the AFC playoffs. That motivation is why the line on this game is massive. The Dolphins have played well in the second half of the season, but it’ll end with a beatdown in Foxboro.
Pick: Patriots 34, Dolphins 13
Cleveland Browns (-2 1/2) at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
Imagine the Browns losing this game to cap their disastrous season with an exclamation point of embarrassment; one would think that result almost certainly would get coach Freddie Kitchens fired after just one season. That scenario can’t be ruled out, because even though the Bengals have stamped their status as the worst team in the NFL, they’ve been playing with the kind of resiliency that almost led to a historic comeback win last week. In contrast, Cleveland seems lifeless.
Pick: Bengals 27, Browns 23
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-1)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
For once, the Steelers can be glad the Ravens are so damn good. Because Baltimore has the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs clinched, it will rest its key starters against a Pittsburgh team that needs a win to stay alive in the wild-card race. Of course, the Ravens would love to knock out their rivals no matter who’s on the field, but the Steelers will manufacture just enough points to stay alive, simultaneously hoping for a Titans loss to the Texans in Houston.
Pick: Steelers 23, Ravens 21
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Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys (-10 1/2)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
Because they’ve fallen to a sub-.500 record in embarrassing fashion, it’s easy to forget the Cowboys have the NFL’s best offense in terms of yards per game. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Co. should have no trouble getting back on track against the Redskins, and on the other side of the ball, the Cowboys’ inconsistent defense does not face much of a threat. Dallas will take care of its business and hope for some help in New York.
Pick: Cowboys 31, Redskins 17
Philadelphia Eagles (-4 1/2) at New York Giants
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
We’d feel much better about the Eagles’ chances to clinch the NFC title with a win over the lowly Giants if New York was not entering this game with the red-hot duo that is Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. Leading with the return of the rookie QB to the lineup over Eli Manning, the Giants are healthier than they were two weeks ago when they took the Eagles to overtime in Philly. And the Eagles, of course, are still dealing with their own injury issues. A Philadelphia loss combined with a Dallas win would mark a heartbreaking end to the Eagles’ season, but this year, it would be par for the course.
Pick: Giants 27, Eagles 24
Tennessee Titans (-5 1/2) at Houston Texans
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
The Texans playing their starters in Week 17 (or so they say) makes sense. They would love to help push their division rivals out of the playoff picture, and they technically still have a chance to move up to the No. 3 seed for the AFC playoffs. Assuming Deshaun Watson and Houston’s other key starters are indeed in action, the Texans will have all the firepower they need to outscore the Titans.
Pick: Texans 28, Titans 21
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams (-7)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
This game likely rides on whether Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray plays after tweaking his hamstring last week. With the rookie leading the charge, Arizona has shown flashes of what it hopes to be in the near future, the latest example coming from its upset win in Seattle. The Rams, now with no chance to get back to the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl last season, seem to be trending in the opposite direction.
Pick: Cardinals 30, Rams 24
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Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos (-4)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
The Raiders still being alive in the NFL playoff picture as Week 17 arrives is one of the biggest shockers of the season considering how poorly they’ve played at times down the stretch. Yet here we are. Oakland obviously needs a win in Denver to reach the postseason, but it also needs a lot of help elsewhere. The Broncos, winners of three of their last four games, are playing well enough with Drew Lock as their starting QB to spoil their rivals’ playoff-scenario fun.
Pick: Broncos 20, Raiders 17
Indianapolis Colts (-3 1/2) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
With so many Week 17 games slotted in the late Sunday afternoon window, this game likely will be presented only to the Indianapolis and Jacksonville TV viewing markets. It’s fair to wonder whether Colts fans and Jaguars fans even care to watch.
Pick: Colts 24, Jaguars 17
San Francisco 49ers (-3) at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
The NFL made the easy call to flex this matchup into the “Sunday Night Football” window and tee it up as the last regular-season game of the year. The scenario is simple: This is the NFC West championship game, and while the winner will get a top three seed in the playoffs (potentially the No. 1 overall seed and/or a first-round bye), the loser will be forced to hit the road for the wild-card round. Both teams are banged up, but the Seahawks’ newest injuries (namely those to Chris Carson and Duane Brown) are particularly impactful. San Francisco will avenge its Week 10 loss to Seattle and clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Pick: 49ers 30, Seahawks 20