NFL Picks Week 17: New England Patriots and More Home Favorites to Bank On

It's hard to believe Sunday will mark the end of another NFL regular season. Perhaps time really does fly when you're having fun. The best approach to picking in Week 17 is avoiding games where backups could play a major role in the outcome.

Here are three home teams who should stick with their starting lineups for the entire afternoon and cover the spread. All lines courtesy of SBGGlobal.com.

New England Patriots (-11)

The Patriots would clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win which means Tom Brady and Co. will be in attack mode for all four quarters. They lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 and will be looking to get some payback.

Prior to that defeat, the Patriots had an extended run of success against the Bills with many of the wins coming in blowout fashion. Considering how poorly Buffalo's secondary has played as of late, it's hard to imagine it will provide any resistance to New England's vaunted passing attack on Sunday.

Look for the Patriots to jump out to an early lead so they can put it on cruise control in the second half. It shouldn't be nearly as close as last week's game against the Miami Dolphins.

Prediction: Patriots by 20

Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5)

It's been a season to forget for both the Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts. Sunday can't come soon enough for either team as they want to put this season behind them and start looking for ways to improve during the offseason.

Jacksonville did knock off the Colts earlier in the season thanks to a big game from Maurice Jones-Drew and a dreadful performance from Indianapolis' offense. Even though the Colts have won two straight games, they still aren't producing anywhere near their normal rate.

It will be interesting to see if the Indianapolis coaching staff approaches the game in terms of playing time since they know a loss would guarantee them the top overall pick. That unknown makes the Jaguars a smart selection.

Prediction: Jaguars by seven

Philadelphia Eagles (-8.5)

The Eagles have finally started living up to the hype with three straight wins, but they showed up to the part a few months too late. That said, it's good for them to build some confidence that they can use as motivation heading into 2012.

Philadelphia isn't lacking in talent, but most analysts underestimated the importance of team chemistry. Not necessarily in the locker room, but on the field. When a team brings in that many new players, it takes time before everybody learns to play as one.

Even during their worst stretch of play earlier in the season, the Eagles were able to beat the Washington Redskins by seven on the road. Now that they're playing better, they'll finish with a convincing home victory.

Prediction: Eagles by 13