Sanders's Week 17 NFL Predictions

By Jacob Sanders

I know it seems a little lazy, but I am going to give picks for non-relevant playoff games but next to zero analysis. Those games don’t matter than much except to fans. That and I’m on vacation and would rather enjoy that than write about teams that won’t matter till April again.

Anyhoo, on to the picks! I’ll give a full score of my season next week.

Green Bay Packers VS Detroit Lions

After last week’s offensive showing, it seems that this team has given up since being eliminated. The Lions will be at home and still wont to put up a winning record so they have that to play for.

Packers 13 Lions 17

Indianapolis Colts VS Houston Texans

The Texans got beat up last week while the Colts put up a fight. The difference here is the Colts are gritty and like to be competitive if not for all four quarters. Considering how I have enjoyed the Colts more than the Texans w/o Deshan Watson, I’ll take the Colts here.

Colts 17 Texans 14

Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings

Can the Bears pull of the upset? Probably not. In other news, the Vikings are going to clinch the No. 2 seed here. Would love to see Bridgewater get some playing time here if the Vikings run away with the game in the first half.

Bears 13 Vikings 20

New York Jets VS New England Patriots

Same logic goes here as the above pick. Can the Jets pull off the upset? Probably not. Especially because New England is at home and the Jets don’t have a capable QB.

Jets 7 Patriots 28

Washington Redskins VS New York Giants

Yeah. No playoffs for either team here as well. Shame. The Redskins may have been fun to watch in the playoffs if they weren’t so banged up.

Redskins 20 Giants 10

Dallas Cowboys VS Philadelphia Eagles

This game will be much closer than people think. But with the No. 1 seed wrapped up and Cowboys eliminated, there could be more motivation for the Cowboys to win the game. However, Foles needs the reps as well and needs to beat the ‘Boys early.

Cowboys 17 Eagles 19

Cleveland Browns VS Pittsburgh Patriots

You know, with the Steelers resting their starters, it means they gave up on achieving the No. 1 seed. I mean, the Jets would have to beat the Patriots, but it’s telling they are looking to the post-season already. Smart move since the 3 Killer Bs haven’t all been healthy in the last 3 consecutive post-seasons they have been in. They’ll probably still win here. The 0-16 dream is real, Cleveland.

Browns 10 Steelers 14

Carolina Panthers VS Atlanta Falcons

I went back and forth on this game, and then realized that the Panthers are just the better team than the Falcons. Yeah, it took them to go 11-4 heading into Week 17 for me to finally believe in Carolina. This game is more about seeding because the Saints will clinch if they win against the Bucs but if they lose, the Panthers get the division and a home game. Huge implications here. But, the Panthers have just become a more explosive offense with a solid defense. Sound familiar? Maybe they’ll beat an elite defense this time in the post-season…

Panthers 27 Falcons 20

Cincinnati Bengals VS Baltimore Ravens

Let’s get this straight. No one will be surprised if Cincinnati wins here. The Bengals are one of the better teams against Baltimore and HC Marvin Lewis owns a 17-12 record against the Ravens. That’s pretty good. Also, this is potentially Lewis’s last game. The Ravens have a No. 5 seed to play for but the Bengals would love to send their coach out winning his last game. Feels like that’s more relevant for a team who plays through talent and passion. Still, the advantages that Baltimore has are glaring compared to the Bengals emotional advantage. That and the Ravens are at home. So, Baltimore wins it here.

Bengals 19 Ravens 23

Buffalo Bills VS Miami Dolphins

The Bills have a better chance to make the playoffs than people are giving them credit for. They are only need the Chargers and Titans to lose. There is a scenario where the Ravens lose too and they get in. Those are both real possibilities. Against a Dolphins team that hasn’t been the most impressive, the Bills can take care of business. However, it would be just like the Bills to lose this game and kill their fans hopes.

Bills 17 Dolphins 10

New Orleans Saints VS Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Saints win, and the get the division. It’s that easy. Against a team that hasn’t played so well? Sounds even easier. However, Jameis Winston has been playing well all season and even better the last couple weeks. However, however, he is playing against the Saints defense that has been one of the better surprises of the seasons. That is enough to make me believe the Bucs won’t pull off the upset here.

Saints 27 Bucs 20

Jacksonville Jaguars VS Tennessee Titans

The Jaguars don’t have much to play for. Except that they just got embarrassed on Christmas Eve and don’t want to rest their starters because they want to go into the off-season winning. This makes a lot of sense to me. Whether you’re playing the Titans or Chargers next week shouldn’t matter to you. It’s a week-to-week league and you need to just win no matter who your opponent is if you want to get to the Super Bowl. Bellichick is the master of this and knows it. Marrone knows it too which is why they are going full speed against the Titans. As anyone who has read this column knows, I have not been a fan of the Titans since Week 6, their 8-4 record at one point was misleading and their now 8-7 record shows it. They have looked like a mediocre team all season and will end up with a mediocre record.

Jaguars 26 Titans 17

Kansas City Chiefs VS Denver Broncos

Patrick Mahomes is starting. Bodes good news for a defense like the Broncos defense. Well, at least you would want to assume that looking at their on paper roster. But, the Broncos just haven’t played that well since Week 3. It’s a mystery I can’t figure out because this Denver team played like I thought they would in the first two weeks. I believed in Siemian and he showed his stuff in Weeks 1 and 2. Now? I’ve been burned for my faith. Ugh. KC wins it.

Chiefs 27 Broncos 20

Oakland Raiders VS Los Angeles Chargers

Okay. I’m gonna make this simple. The Raiders have looked deceivingly competitive the last two weeks. They’ll do it again here. They have looked competitive in the sense the opposing team hasn’t blown them out like they should have. Don’t think the Chargers will blow them out either. It will be a gritty close game that the Chargers defense finishes off in the 4^th quarter.

Raiders 16 Chargers 23

UPSET OF THE WEEK!!!!

San Francisco 49ers VS Los Angeles Rams

Oh yeah. It’s happening. It’s not that the Rams are bad or anything. It’s just that the 49ers are THAT good with Jimmy G as the QB. He gets a fine test here against a Rams defense that has seemingly been bend but don’t break in recent weeks. But, after watching them decimate the Jaguars, I actually believe in this 9ers team with Jimmy G at center. They’ll have a top 10 pick in the draft and with Lynch having a successful first season as a GM, I have no doubt in my mind they have potential to be a sleeping giant for next season.

49ers 28 Rams 27

DOUBLE UPSET!!!!

Arizona Cardinals VS Seattle Seahawks

Alright. So, if my picks go the way I’m thinking, this will be an upset. If the Falcons lose, the Seahawks have everything to play for at home. Its true, they won't know if the Falcons won or not because they play at the same time. But, let me give you a little secret. HC Bruce Arians is 3-1 in Seattle AND loves nothing more than to play spoiler to other teams. That’s just the culture the Cardinals have. While they won’t be at full fire-power, I think the passion of this team along with the abilities of Fitzgerald and Peterson (CB) can lead them to kick Seattle out of the playoffs. Spicy. I have my popcorn out.

Cardinals 15 Seahawks 14