Here we go. This is it! Week 17 is finally upon us, and it is filled with wild scenarios all over the NFL. Anything can happen in this crazy week, and although 2020 is over, I’m sure we’re not yet out of chaos in this NFL season. Divisions will be clinched, playoff spots will be snatched, and hearts will be broken. It is going to be wild and it is going to be a blast. I went a measly 8-8 in Week 16, bringing my season total to 137-70-1. It was a rough week, but I have a feeling that this week will be much better. For the last time this regular season, let’s get into this week’s picks:
Bills 27-21 Dolphins 
The Dolphins will be fighting for their lives in frigid Orchard Park, and I just don’t have faith in them to pull it out. This team has been very resilient in the back half of the season, but their play under rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa has not been inspiring lately. Tua has struggled a good deal, including being benched in their last game. Even if he has more problems, Ryan Fitzpatrick can’t save the day, as he’ll miss this game due to COVID protocols. The Bills are simply the far better team, and they’ll put a stamp on this stellar regular season with a win over their division rival. If Tua can pull off the upset, it’d be a sight to see, but I just don’t see it happening.
Ravens 35-17 Bengals 
Not much to talk about here. The Bengals have been very competitive recently, but they haven’t exactly been playing great teams (yes, the Steelers aren’t great). The Ravens have been stellar in the last month or so, and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing. They will dominate this game and return to the playoffs, looking to avenge the sins of last year’s team.
Browns 26-20 Steelers 
Cleveland has absolutely no excuse to lose this game. The Steelers are sitting everyone and their mothers for this game, either due to the playoffs or COVID, and the Browns are relatively healthy, although they’re dealing with COVID problems of their own. They’ll still be much closer to full strength, and they have to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive, barring other results across the AFC. This is their moment to prove all of their doubters wrong and return to the postseason. The franchise cannot afford to lose this game. Want us to take you seriously? Win this game.
Vikings 30-20 Lions 
Week 17 games with no playoff impact are so boring. The Vikings already ran through the Lions once this season, and I expect it to happen again. Lions QB Matt Stafford is playing through a ton of injuries this week, and while I know he’ll be able to keep this game competitive, I just see Minnesota pulling away late. I don’t have any faith in their defense, but the Vikes’ offense is good enough to win this game on their own.
Patriots 20-17 Jets 
Neither of these teams have much to play for other than pride and bragging rights, so I see this being a fairly close game, much like their 1st meeting in 2020. The Patriots are still the better team, although I think the Jets are more competitive. It might be a “who has the ball last” type of game, but I’ll stick with the superior coaching staff here. Adam Gase will go out with a loss, but at the expense of 2 wins and losing out on Trevor Lawrence. It’s ok, Jets fans. Justin Fields will be just fine.
Cowboys 28-24 Giants 
This game, which was supposed to mean nothing, all of a sudden means everything to these teams. If the WFT loses on Sunday night, the winner of this game wins the division. It’s such an intriguing matchup, because I feel like these teams match up great with one another. It’s a great offense against a great defense on one side of the ball, and an awful offense against an awful defense on the other side. Cowboys QB Andy Dalton was able to lead his team to victory in the first matchup between these teams, and I can definitely see it happening again. The Cowboys have been playing significantly better than the Giants have in the last few weeks, and they have much more momentum going into this game. The Giants defense, which has been so good this season, has really struggled lately, and I think Dallas’ offense will do just enough to push through and win this game. Again, if Washington does their job, this game becomes obsolete. But if not, then this might be the most intriguing matchup of the day.
Buccaneers 34-24 Falcons 
This is the 2nd matchup in 3 weeks between these teams, and it’ll likely go the same way as the first time around. I don’t see the Falcons getting out to a huge lead and then blowing it, but I easily see them losing. The Bucs can secure the 5 seed and a date with the NFC East champ with a win, and I’m sure they would love to have that. I expect another huge game for Tom Brady against an awful Atlanta defense. If the GOAT stays this hot going into the postseason, the NFC better watch out.
Packers 29-26 Bears 
Green Bay vs. Chicago in a huge Week 17 matchup with imperative impacts on the playoffs. What’s better than this? The Bears can win their way into the wild card with a win (or some help from the Rams), and the Packers can secure the 1 seed and a first-round bye with a victory of their own. The stakes in this game are huge, and neither team can afford a loss (depending on other outcomes). In a huge moment like this, I obviously have to trust Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, but I think this game will be very, very close. The Bears are playing their best football of the season, and QB Mitchell Trubisky has been on fire. This team will be remarkably fired up to play their biggest rival, but I don’t think it’ll be enough. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Bears win this game, but I don’t have it in me to pick them. I would love to see this team in the playoffs, but if this holds up, they’re going to need some help out west.
Broncos 31-27 Raiders 
Las Vegas has legitimately been one of the worst teams in the NFL in the last month thanks to one of the league’s worst defenses. The Broncos haven’t exactly been great either, but they have certainly been competitive. You can clearly tell while watching the Raiders that everyone has given up, and I don’t see them winning this game because of that. They might be able to stay competitive, but Denver is the better team in this game in my eyes. They’ll be able to close out their season with a win and carry some momentum going into a seemingly bright future.
Colts 27-20 Jaguars 
While I think there is no chance the Jaguars win this game, I think it’ll be closer than people expect. HC Doug Marrone is on his way out of town, and since the Jags have clinched the #1 overall pick in the draft, I can see this team playing with nothing to lose. That could be dangerous in a division game against a team that Jacksonville has already beaten this season. That being said, the Colts are clearly the far better team here, and with their season on the line, there is no way they lose. They’re fighting for their playoff and division lives, and while I think this will be a close one throughout, they’ll make enough plays late to pull it out like they have so many times this season.
Chargers 28-21 Chiefs 
Kansas City has already clinched the #1 seed in the AFC, so they’ll be sending out the B-team on Sunday. The Chargers have been an inspired group lately, as they’ve won 3 games in a row in very nice fashion. I think, albeit against a bunch of backups, they’ll come out with that same edge and get a nice win to close out a disappointing, but promising 2020 campaign. LA already almost beat the Chiefs when they were at full strength, so a win here wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. Like with the Broncos, I think it’d be a nice bit of momentum to carry into the future, which will be very bright for the Bolts. Meanwhile, KC’s starters get 2 full weeks of rest going into the playoffs, which will be huge for them.
Cardinals 23-20 Rams 
This might be the biggest game of the week. In terms of the NFC Wild Card race, this is the biggest game of the year. The winner of this game secures their spot in the postseason, and the loser will likely get sent packing (depending on other outcomes). The Cardinals undoubtedly have the edge as of right now, as the Rams will be without starting QB Jared Goff and will instead be starting John Wolford for the first time ever. Arizona QB Kyler Murray is a bit banged up, but he’ll still play with his team’s season on the line. For that reason, I have to take the Cardinals in this game. I can’t put blind faith into a QB making his first career start with other key offensive weapons missing. The Rams are a game up on the Cards, so they can afford to drop this game, but they’ll need some help to get into the playoffs. If they can’t get the job here, they’ll need to scoreboard watch heavily.
Seahawks 24-17 49ers 
Seattle is still in play for the 1 seed despite having a very rough second half of the season, and they’ll need to win this game and get a load of help to get it. While I don’t see it happening, I do see them coming out of this game with a win. The 49ers have been one of the NFL’s strangest teams this year, putting up monster performances one week and dumpster fires the next week. They were able to stifle the Cardinals last week somehow, and while they’ll be carrying the momentum from that game, I don’t see it happening against Russ and the Seahawks. It has the chance to be close, and while I don’t like the Seattle offense nearly as much as I did earlier in the season, their defense has been stellar in recent weeks and will be able to win the game late.
Saints 24-17 Panthers 
This one is a bit strange. There are key missing pieces on both sides in this game, including star RBs Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey. The Saints are extremely depleted at several positions, RB most of all, but they’re still the better team in this game, so I’ll roll with them. They’re also still in play for the 1 seed, and I feel like that’ll be in the back of their minds as motivation to come out and win this game. The Panthers have been competitive this season, and while they’ve been good, it hasn’t been good enough. It’ll be another disappointing loss to go along with several others this year. The Saints will likely not get the 1 seed, but they’ll be able to carry some good momentum into the playoffs, and hopefully be healthier for those games.
Titans 30-27 Texans 
While I don’t see any scenarios where the Texans win this game, I see this game being a shootout. The first game between these two games was one of the shootouts of the year, and this game has all the makings of another one. For one, both of these defenses are God awful, allowing QBs all day to throw, generating no pass rush, and giving up huge plays all game long. Both of these offenses have a lot of firepower, and they can put up points in a jiffy. Both star QBs will have a lot of time and be very comfortable, so this is sure to be an offensive game. I’ll take the Titans because they’re obviously a much better team, and they have something to play for. Just take the over.
Washington 24-15 Eagles 
Well, here we are. The final game of the 2020 regular season. It’s been quite a ride. Of course this ultimate game involves the Washington Football Team, and the NFC East in general. This division in primetime in Week 17 is truly a tradition unlike any other. The Eagles are seemingly sitting their entire team for this game for whatever reason. Perhaps the tank is truly on in Philadelphia. Regardless, Washington has no excuse to lose this game. This is truly a turning point game in the franchise for its future, and it is a must-win at all costs. Not only due to the fact that they’re playing the Eagles B-team, but also because this is the first season for this team that truly feels different. The name change, the GM change, the coaching changes, all the adversity at QB, all the ups and downs of off-the-field antics. It all comes down to this. Win this game, and you’re in the playoffs as the NFC East champion. It’s that simple. QB Alex Smith is finally returning to the lineup to make his first start since Week 14. It’s much needed for a team that has had all sorts of QB problems in his absence. He’ll surely make a difference, and it’s one of the main reasons I’m picking the WFT here. That, and the fact that the Eagles are going to be so depleted all across the field. It truly wouldn’t surprise me if Washington still somehow found a way to bottle this and lose as they have in so many big moments in the past. But I have faith in this group to get the job done and make the playoffs. If it doesn’t happen, it will be an all-time disappointment in DC sports history.
Raza Talks Sports 