Week 17: Judgement day for the few
With New Year arriving and playoff spots mostly locked up, we move into the final week of the regular season. Due to the holiday period being in full flow, I will be writing a foreshortened blog this week due to my own festive activities. Happy New Year to all and I hope you enjoy the drama that this Sunday has to offer...
Next week we will continue to look into key themes throughout the NFL as playoff action begins.
Score predictions:
Record last week: 13-3
Overall record since week 1: 67%
GB@DET: 20-31; Tough to see the Packers winning this game with so much on the line for the Lions players and coaching staff. The Lions have an outside chance of a playoff spot and have much to prove to their ownership and fans over the next 24 hours to avoid a huge upheaval in motor city. Look for Matthew Stafford and the offense to set the tone against a depleted Packers roster.
HOU@IND: 20-13; Two rosters with little to play for other than 2018 draft position. With Bill O'Brien's team still looking competitive most weeks without their best players, I would expect the Texans too have too much talent for their divisional rivals. For a game one thought could be a division clincher at the start of the season, both teams will be disappointed about how their seasons have turned out.
CHI@MIN: 14-31; A game between two rosters in very different positions at the end of this season. The Bears have certainly found some positives to take from this season but there are too many question marks coming from this roster to challenge the Vikings. With a bye week up for grabs, expect the Vikings to put their foot down in this one.
NJY@NE: 14-28; The Jets have certainly been better this year than most predicted but unfortunately for them the Patriots are likely to remain focused due to the nature of this divisional rivalry game and the ability to hold home field throughout the playoffs. Few have found a way to stop Tom Brady this season, with the Jets particularly lacking the talent on offense to keep the ball away from the New England offense it could be a long day for the Jets.
WAS@NYG: 20-23; Tough game to call for two teams with little to play for. Given the disaster that the Giants season has been and the fact that this is likely to be Eli's last game in blue, I'd expect a better performance from the G-men in front of their fans. This one could definitely go either way though with Kirk Cousins likely auditioning for a job both in and outside Washington.
DAL@PHI: 20-17; A bigger game for the Eagles than most might expect. With many thinking they are likely to struggle without Carson Wentz, they will certainly be out to prove that is not the case against their division rivals. The Cowboys on the other hand will be looking to spoil the party and find some chinks in the armour for future opponents to exploit in the playoffs. A further storyline to follow will be the fight the Cowboys show for their coach Jason Garrett who will be disappointed with their overall performance this year.
CLE@PIT: 14-31; With the Steelers looking to push for playoff home-field and the Browns as hapless as any team has ever been in history this isn't likely to be a close contest. With coaching and playing jobs on the line in Cleveland I would expect a bit more fight from the Browns, but it is likely to be too little too late at this point in the season.
CAR@ATL: 24-27; NFC game of the week and vital to the Falcons redemption run. Expect this to be a fiery affair between two bitter divisional rivals who will be looking to get one over the other with playoff implications depending on the result. The Falcons have disappointed this season but at home and with a playoff spot on the line, look for the Falcons running game to be the difference in this one.
CIN@BAL: 20-30; The Ravens have sneakily been one of the best teams in the NFL over the last couple of months. Knowing nothing more than winning out over the last three weeks would be good enough, they are now one win away from the playoffs. The defense is playoff ready, look for the Ravens to flex their offensive muscles this week against a Bengals team that is likely to see a lot of roster turnover this off-season.
BUF@MIA: 14-24; Miami will be looking to play spoiler to the Bills playoff chances in this one. With the Dolphins proving on some occasions over the last few weeks (see win against the Patriots) that they are capable of playing the spoiler, look for Jay Cutler and co to bow out in style in what is likely to be his final start for the fish.
NO@TB: 30-21; Knowing that the Panthers are hot on their heels for the divisional title expect the Saints to be going all out in Tampa. With the talent they have out on display I'd expect them to be too much for the disappointing Bucs, although it must be said that they could win this one if they get it right. With a likely coaching change coming, this is the time for Dirk Koetter to prove he still has the ear of his team.
JAX@TEN: 30-21; An exceedingly tough one to call given the division rivalry and playoff implications for the Titans. Assuming the Jags will be out to stop their divisional rivals, their defense is likely to cause issues for the Titans offensive line that is vital to their chances of winning this game. At full strength the Jags sneak this one, if not expect the Titans to sneak the final playoff spot in the AFC.
KC@DEN: 30-21; A dead rubber game except for the fact that Patrick Mahomes is starting for the Chiefs. He will certainly be out to prove that the future is now for Kansas City so it will be interesting to see what happens in this one. Given the mess that the Broncos offense has been this season, I think it will be likely that the Chiefs sneak this one.
OAK@LAC: 20-30; With a playoff position still possible for the Chargers expect them to be on full throttle against an inconsistent Raiders roster. With Jack Del Rio potentially fighting for his coaching job expect the Raiders to make this one a contest although it is tough to see that Chargers losing this one.
SF@LAR: 20-30; The 49ers with Garopollo as QB have been a revelation in San Francisco but they may have finally met their match in the Rams. With a potential bye-week still possible, expect Sean McVay and company to continue to push in this one. This could be a fantastic game for the neutral fan.
ARI@SEA: 21-30; Likely to be the end of an era in both teams to some degree after today. Given that they are still in the playoff hunt and well-constructed to play playoff spoiler going forwards I think the Seahawks are likely to win this one. One further thing to add is they will be looking to remedy their home performance after their spanking from the Rams a fortnight ago.
