Article:Week 17: Final Week Picks Cowboys vs Eagles

Although the NFC no longer has any teams fighting to get into the playoffs, playoff seeding is still left to be decided, while over in the AFC, the final two Wild Card teams are still not decided. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles will square off for the NFC East division title, with Philadelphia also claiming the number two seed and first round bye with a victory on the road against Dallas. In the AFC, both the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets needs a win and they’re in, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos all remain alive, and could still get in with a win and some extra help. Read football betting gossips for all the games in Week 17: San Francisco 49ers vs St. Louis Rams The 49ers can get to 8-8 and make this into a respectable season after starting 3-1. Considering their defense bottomed out near mid-season and they survived a quarterback switch, they have to be feeling okay about where they are. The Rams aren’t good enough to get in the way of some much-needed momentum toward next season. 49ers 27, Rams 6 New England Patriots vs Houston Texans Despite the cries of their fans to play the starters, the Patriots will rest their core players and inevitably fall to a Houston team that has been pulling out games the past three weeks. New England is the better team, but they don’t need this one, and they’d be foolish to play Tom Brady and co. much past the third quarter. Texans 33, Patriots 27 Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay may have surprised New Orleans, but they won’t sneak up on Matt Ryan and the Falcons. Atlanta is a better team than given credit for, and despite numerous injuries and a leaky defense, they can finish the season on a high note. Falcons 24, Buccaneers 20 New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers Can New Orleans really strike fear into the rest of the NFC if they drop three straight as they head into the playoffs? Considering they have home-field advantage, it may not matter. Regardless, it’s about time the Saints sit their starters, while the Panthers show no signs of slowing down. Panthers 31, Saints 19 Pittsburgh Steelers vs Miami Dolphins The Dolphins have lost two heart-breakers and back-to-back weeks, and even though the Steelers are the ones that are still alive, this won’t be an easy win for Pittsburgh. The Steelers need some help to return to the playoffs to defend their title, but it has to start with a victory on the road, where they are merely 2-5. Somehow, some way, they get it done. Steelers 21, Dolphins 16 Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cleveland Browns Jack Del Rio has completely lost his team, while Eric Mangini is ironically finally finding his. The funny thing is, it’s likely too late for both coaches, and neither of these teams will be in the playoffs. Look for another big day from Jerome Harrison as these two hapless teams explode for a meaningless, albeit entertaining match-up. Browns 38, Jaguars 35 New York Giants vs Minnesota Vikings The Giants didn’t show-up last week at home with everything on the line, so why should we think anything different on the road against the Vikings? Minnesota can use a weak Giants defense as it’s playoff launchpad to correct any mistakes. They still have a ways to go, but ending the season on a high note is probably a necessity to making a serious run in the playoffs. Vikings 34, Giants 24 Indianapolis Colts vs Buffalo Bills The Colts will still sit their starters before or around half-time, as they’d look simply foolish if they switched their philosophy after blowing a shot at perfection last week. Even with their starters out, there’s not a very good chance they drop this one to a Bills team led by Brian Brohm. Colts 27, Bills 7 Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions Jay Cutler found some magic last week, and should only continue his late-season splurge on weak defenses. The Lions will be no match for an inspired Chicago team that is playing it’s heart out to keep Lovie Smith in town. Bears 37, Lions 13 Washington Redskins vs San Diego Chargers The Redskins are a game away from saying good-bye to Jim Zorn and possibly welcoming the likes of Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, or Mike Shanahan. It’d be nice for Zorn and co. to end this dismal season on a high note, but even the Chargers’ scrubs will nix that before half-time. Chargers 28, Redskins 17 Tennessee Titans vs Seattle Seahawks Chris Johnson will pursue (and surpass) the 2,000-yard plateau against a horrible Seahawks defense, while we will all watch in awe as we try to understand why Seattle is so bad on both sides of the ball. Titans 30, Seahawks 16 Baltimore Ravens vs Oakland Raiders The Raiders have been playing the “upset special” card all season, with impressive wins over the Eagles, Bengals, and Steelers, so why stop now? How about, because Ray Rice won’t be denied against one of the worst run defenses in the league? Ravens 27, Raiders 6 Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys The Eagles have looked impressive lately and have several experts thinking “team to beat” in the NFC, but a trip to Dallas for the NFC East title and a shot at the number two seed in the playoffs will be too much to swallow. They’re a good team, but so are the Cowboys. Dallas finally rids of their “December Curse” by sweeping Philly and stealing the NFC East. Cowboys 36, Eagles 33 Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos Denver may have been an inconsistent disaster since starting the season at 6-0, but they’re still too talented and competitive to see their playoff hopes dashed by the Chiefs. Right? Broncos 21, Chiefs 18 Green Bay Packers vs Arizona Cardinals This game doesn’t mean anything more than seed positioning for either team, although a win and a loss by both the Vikings and Eagles would magically get the Cardinals the number two seed and a home game in the divisional round of the playoffs. They won’t be getting the second seed, but they will finish strong at home by disposing of the Packers as both teams rest for the playoffs. Cardinals 27, Packers 23 Cincinnati Bengals vs New York Jets The Bengals could play spoiler against an average Jets team that has a shot at the playoffs, but considering all New York needs to do is win to get it, I somehow see Mark “Sanchize” working some magic and winning over his city (and state) yet again. After starting the season 3-0, Sanchez and the Jets will once again be on top of the world after beating the Bengals, if only for one week. Jets 26, Bengals 24