NFL Week 17 Picks: Early Predictions for Every Game

Those that have already clinched playoff spots will vie for better positioning, and fringe postseason hopefuls look to secure their spots as Week 17 of the NFL season looms.

If you live for big-time divisional matchups, well, Week 17 is right up your alley. Not only is every one of the 16 games between divisional foes, but more than a couple will be head-to-head showdowns for the division title.

Whether teams are already eliminated or have everything to play for, though, nobody wants to go out a loser to a divisional rival to close the season. 

Although the Broncos and Bengals have yet to play on the final night of Monday Night Football, let's go ahead and look forward to Week 17.

Matchup	Spread	Prediction
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans	IND -7.5	Colts 30-23
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons	ATL -2.5	Panthers 24-21
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens	BAL -9.5	Ravens 20-13
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins	off	Redskins 27-20
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers	GB -7.5	Packers 30-20
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans	HOU -9.5	Texans 25-21
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs	KC -3	Chargers 28-21
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins	MIA -6	Dolphins 24-20
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings	MIN -8	Vikings 33-21
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots	NE -10	Patriots 24-13
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants	NYG -2.5	Eagles 30-24
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NO -5.5	Saints 31-13
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos	off	Broncos 31-7
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers	SF -3.5	Cardinals 17-14
St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks	SEA -10	Seahawks 21-6
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -3	Steelers 28-24

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated December 21.

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

David Richard/Associated Press

Most fans and players of the Bengals and Steelers jumped for joy when Sunday Night Football made the following announcement Sunday, assuring their head-to-head matchup for the AFC North would be the final regular-season game of 2014:

The key word there—most. For all of the success Cincinnati has enjoyed in making the playoffs three straight seasons, the team has been among the worst in prime-time games. The Bengals are 2-9 under Andy Dalton entering their Monday-night game against the Broncos in Week 16, meaning it could get even worse before they gear up for Pittsburgh.

It's also likely the Bengals could be feeling some added pressure. While Cincy can wrap up a playoff berth by beating Denver or win the North by beating Pittsburgh, the Chargers could still knock them out of the postseason should they go 0-2 down the stretch.

Just a few weeks ago, these two teams played in a slugfest that was blown open by the Bengals' inability to prevent big plays. Ben Roethlisberger will be intent on pushing the envelope again, even if he has to wait until the fourth quarter to do so.

Dalton will show up, and it will be much closer this time around. But Big Ben and the Steelers will find a way to pull through.

Prediction: Steelers 28, Bengals 24

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Both teams have already clinched spots in the postseason, but don't think that will make Green Bay's battle with Detroit for the NFC North any less thrilling.

Although it's technically not a do-or-die game for either team, it should feel like it. The winner will not only win the division but would clinch a first-round bye—possibly more, should Seattle falter. 

The loser? Probably a first-round wild-card visit to the home of the top seed. 

The home-team Packers will have their hands full on both sides of the ball against a Lions team that has won four straight and allowed no more than 17 points in each contest. But the last time they faced an offense as potent as Aaron Rodgers' crew on their home turf was New England, which beat them by 25 points.

Detroit got the best of the Packers the last time around, but that was back in Week 3 when everyone wondered if the Pack were dead in the water. That feels like decades ago. 

Green Bay isn't playing its best football, but that won't stop the Packers from extending their home win streak over the Lions to 24 games—a span that stretches back to 1991. With so much on the line, they won't give up this opportunity to clinch a first-round bye.

Prediction: Packers 30, Lions 24

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

Bill Haber/Associated Press

The playoff scenarios are complicated for the other two head-to-head divisional title games, but it's quite simple in the NFC South as the Panthers visit the Falcons.

Win, and you're in the postseason. Lose, and you're not only out, but likely among the top-10 NFL draft picks. When two teams with a combined 12-17-1 record get together—somehow—for a Week 17 play-in playoff game, that tends to be the case.

There is, however, a really wacky scenario that could play out, as ESPN's Trey Wingo put out there:

Although I wouldn't put that past this division, the Panthers should have this one wrapped up within the 60 minutes.

The Falcons come in having lost three of five, have been lit up twice in the last three weeks through the air and rank dead last in pass defense. Atlanta looked impressive beating New Orleans in the Superdome, but nowhere near as dominant as the Panthers were in the same building two weeks back. 

It should be a back-and-forth affair, but Jonathan Stewart—who's averaging 100 yards per game in his last three—and Cam Newton will make the difference.

Prediction: Panthers 24, Falcons 21