NFL Week 17 Picks: Predictions for Every AFC Wild Card Contender

The NFL playoff race is coming down to the wire in Week 17, and only one lucky team will earn the AFC's final wild-card berth.

Four teams are vying for one spot on New Year's Day. The Denver Broncos will surely wrap up the AFC West division at home against the Kansas City Chiefs, which means the Oakland Raiders will be chasing the wild card as well.

Here's how it will all go down:

New York Jets Over Miami Dolphins

The Jets have been dreadful on the road this season, just 2-5, but Rex Ryan's ball club always squeaks into the postseason late to make a run. 

New York's 24-6 beatdown of the Fins back in Week 6 stands out in my mind. In a game the Jets had to win after dropping to 2-3 early, they did just that on their way to embarrassing Miami.

It will be much closer in Week 17 in South Beach, but the end result will be the same, a Jets win to run their record to 9-7, the same as in 2009 when they made a run to the AFC Championship Game.

Houston Texans Over Tennessee Titans

Houston is in danger of losing three-straight games to end the season, and that realization will have the Texans ready to play on Sunday at Reliant Stadium, where the Texans can win their sixth home game of 2011.

The last time these two division rivals met it wasn't even close. Houston stomped Tennessee in their own backyard, 41-7. Although the Titans are in the wild-card race, they don't belong. 

Their defense is average on a good day and their 31st-ranked rushing attack has put far too much pressure on their revolving door of quarterbacks.

Baltimore Ravens Over Cincinnati Bengals

Another team set to sweep a season series in Week 17 is the Baltimore Ravens, who have nearly as much on the line Sunday as the wild card hopeful Bengals.

Baltimore's Super Bowl caliber defense has shown up on the road for the most part all season, with the exception of the Chargers game in Week 15. 

The Ravens are allowing less than 17 points per game this season and have already knocked off Cincinnati once, a 31-24 win back in Week 11 that saw rookie quarterback Andy Dalton throw three interceptions—the most he's tossed all season in a single game.

A constant dose of Ray Rice and a steady diet of Ray Lewis will have the Bengals kicking themselves on Sunday night, knowing how close they came to a surprising playoff berth.

San Diego Chargers Over Oakland Raiders

There will be no brooms in Oakland on Sunday when the Chargers visit the Raiders to wrap up the season. The Raiders took a 24-17 contest in Southern California mid-season, but now look just as bad as San Diego.

Oakland stayed alive with a narrow win over the Chiefs last week in Kansas City, but their three-game losing streak prior has them in danger of missing out on the playoffs. 

The most surprising figure here is that Oakland is being outscored by more than four points per game on average this season, while the Chargers sport a plus differential despite a losing record.

Oakland's shaky defense and their turnover potential on offense will too much to overcome for the Silver and Black, who haven't tasted the postseason since getting taken apart by the Bucs back in Super Bowl XXXVII.