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We’ve reached the final two weeks of the regular season. While some teams have already clinched playoff spots, there is still plenty left to play for across the league during Week 17.
Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game and rank their selections for those who play in a format that requires it. The games will be grouped into locks, semi-confident picks, and toss-ups. The number listed next to the game shows my confidence level, counting down to my least confident pick. The winner picks are italicized.
Some weeks, you may see a subcategory of “Wait and See” because some platforms require all games to be selected before the kickoff of Thursday Night Football. There may still be some injury questions for Sunday and Monday games. If that’s the case, I’ll leave those games off to the side and suggest where they should be placed if a player is in or out. Let’s get to our Week 17 picks.
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Week 17 NFL Pick'em Pool Locks
The number listed next to the game shows my confidence level, counting down to my least-confident pick. The higher the number, the better. The winner picks are italicized.
- 15 – Buffalo vs. New York Jets
- 14 – Los Angeles Chargers at New England
- 13 – Detroit at San Francisco
The Bills have already locked up the AFC East and are likely going to be the second seed in the AFC. The Jets are 4-11 and continue to scuffle down the stretch. The Bills are 7-0 at home, so don’t expect the Jets to be the team to deal them their first home loss.
NFL Players with the most total touchdowns this season (non qb)
- Jamarr Chase (16)
- James Cook (16)THE COOK IS IN THE KITCHEN 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/5nxvkeVp1U
— BillsMuse (@BillsMusee) December 23, 2024
The Patriots have lost five games in a row to fall to 3-12. They are just 1-5 at home. The Chargers are a win away from securing a playoff spot and are a respectable 4-3 on the road. The Chargers won’t let this opportunity go to waste.
Despite all of their injuries, the Lions still have just two losses all season. The 49ers have not been able to overcome their litany of injuries, posting a 6-9 record that has already eliminated them from the playoffs. The 49ers only have two wins against a team with a winning record. Those came over the 8-7 Seahawks and the 8-7 Buccaneers. Their offense won’t be able to hang with the Lions.
Semi-Confident Picks For Week 17 Pick'em Pools
12 – Seattle at Chicago
The Seahawks are still alive for a playoff spot, while the Bears have lost nine games in a row to drop to 4-11. The only reason this isn’t listed as a lock is because the Bears are 4-4 at home. However, the Seahawks are a sparkling 5-1 on the road, so they should still be able to win.
11 – Indianapolis at New York Giants
At 2-13, the Giants have the worst record in the league. Their offense is a disaster and they are 0-8 at home. As inconsistent as the Colts have been, they are at least competitive and enter with a 7-8 record. The Giants aren’t winning another game this season.
10 – Miami at Cleveland
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was a disaster last week, throwing for 157 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions against the Bengals. Jameis Winston (shoulder) has also been a turnover machine, although he at least makes the Browns offense more dangerous. Regardless of who the Browns start, the Dolphins are the vastly superior team.
9 – Washington vs. Atlanta
Michael Penix Jr. performed well in his first career start, although the matchup was about as good as it gets against the Giants. This will be much more difficult against the Commanders, who are coming off a dramatic comeback victory over the Eagles. A rookie quarterback making just his second career start on the road against a 10-win Commanders team is not a recipe for success for the Falcons.
The highest-graded QB in the 2-minute drill
Jayden Daniels - 91.0 🧊 pic.twitter.com/p6JfYcOcmi
— PFF (@PFF) December 23, 2024
8 – Tampa Bay vs. Carolina
The Panthers looked like a historically bad team earlier in the season. They have been much more competitive down the stretch and even defeated the Cardinals last week. However, three of their four wins this season have come at home. As the Buccaneers try to keep their playoff hopes alive, look for them to capitalize on home-field advantage with a victory.
NFL Pick'em Toss-Ups Of Week 17
7 – Minnesota vs. Green Bay
Both of these teams are in the playoffs. The Vikings still have hopes of winning the NFC North with a key matchup coming against the Lions in Week 18. They need to take care of business against the Packers, first. This could be a close matchup, but I’ll lean toward the home team. Also, the Packers are on a short week after having played the Saints on Monday Night Football.
6 – Baltimore at Houston
This is one of the two Christmas Day games. The quick turnaround is especially tough on the Texans, who lost Tank Dell (knee) for the season last week. They claimed Diontae Johnson off waivers Monday, but he likely won’t be much of a factor in this game, if he plays at all. Keeping up with the Ravens’ potent offense might prove to be difficult.
5 – Kansas City at Pittsburgh
This is the second Christmas Day game. One more win for the Chiefs and they are locked into the top seed in the AFC. The Steelers are 5-1 at home and are tied atop the AFC North with the Ravens, so there is a lot at stake for both teams in this game. When in doubt, pick Patrick Mahomes.
4 – Cincinnati vs. Denver
The Bengals must win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Broncos are 5-2 at home, but just 4-4 on the road. That might seem like a big advantage for the Bengals, but they are only 2-5 at home this season. Still, the Bengals have won three games in a row, so they have some momentum on their side. I’ll lean toward the home team, but this really could go either way.
3 – Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have officially been eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the Panthers last week. If the Rams win and the Seahawks lose this week, then the Rams are in the playoffs. Anything can happen when divisional foes face off this late in the season, but the Rams have added motivation on their side.
Kyren Williams is a mean one. 😈🎄
1️⃣ Repost = 2️⃣ #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/adX77DI9yL
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 23, 2024
2 – Las Vegas at New Orleans
The Saints were held scoreless by the Packers on Monday. We might not see Derek Carr (hand) or Alvin Kamara (groin) again this season, which isn’t going to help their cause moving forward. The Raiders aren’t exactly thriving on offense, either, but Aidan O'Connell is a more competent quarterback than Spencer Rattler.
1 – Tennessee at Jacksonville
The last time these two teams met, the Jaguars won 10-6. Will Levis started that game for the Titans and he was so bad that Mason Rudolph has since replaced him. Rudolph has his own turnover issues, but he at least has four touchdown passes over his last two games. The Titans have a more dangerous offense with him under center.
NFL Wait And See Of Week 17
Philadelphia vs. Dallas
The Cowboys might be eliminated from the playoffs, but they are still a tough out right now. They are 4-1 over their last five games and just beat the Buccaneers last week. This comes down to the availability of Jalen Hurts, who was forced out of last week’s game with a concussion. If he plays, the Eagles should still be able to win. If he sits, the Cowboys could even their season record at 8-8.
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