NFL Picks Week 17: Examining Recent Odds and Expert Predictions

The final week of the 2014 NFL regular season has arrived, and football fans are ready to place their wagers and make their picks for Week 17.

With three matchups this weekend deciding the division winners and many marquee games between elite teams, this will be the last chance for football fans to see many of their favorite franchises before next season.

Here is are the spreads and expert predictions for each game on the Week 17 schedule.

Matchup	Spread	Pick Against the Spread
San Diego at Kansas City	KC -2.5	Chargers
Jacksonville at Houston	HOU -10	Jaguars
Philadelphia at NY Giants	NYG -3	Eagles
Buffalo at New England	NE -3.5	Patriots
Dallas at Washington	DAL -7	Washington
Cleveland at Baltimore	BAL -8.5	Ravens
Chicago at Minnesota	MIN -6.5	Bears
Indianapolis at Tennessee	IND -7	Colts
Carolina at Atlanta	ATL -4	Panthers
NY Jets at Miami	MIA -5.5	Dolphins
New Orleans at Tampa Bay	NO -4	Saints
Oakland at Denver	DEN -16	Raiders
St. Louis at Seattle	SEA -13	Rams
Arizona at San Francisco	SF -6	49ers
Detroit at Green Bay	GB -7.5	Lions
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	PIT -3	Bengals

*Spread information via OddsShark.com.

Matchup	Matt Miller	Mike Freeman	Matt Bowen	Michael Schottey
San Diego at Kansas City	KC	KC	SD	KC
Jacksonville at Houston	HOU	HOU	JAX	HOU
Philadelphia at NY Giants	PHI	NYG	PHI	PHI
Buffalo at New England	NE	BUF	NE	NE
Dallas at Washington	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL
Cleveland at Baltimore	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL
Chicago at Minnesota	MIN	CHI	MIN	MIN
Indianapolis at Tennessee	IND	IND	IND	IND
Carolina at Atlanta	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL
NY Jets at Miami	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA
New Orleans at Tampa Bay	NO	NO	NO	NO
Oakland at Denver	DEN	DEN	DEN	DEN
St. Louis at Seattle	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA
Arizona at San Francisco	ARI	SF	SF	SF
Detroit at Green Bay	GB	GB	GB	GB
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	PIT	PIT	PIT	CIN

*Expert picks via BleacherReport.com.

Must-Watch Matchup: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

There are plenty of games for football fans to watch Sunday, but one of the most intriguing is the NFC North battle between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

Green Bay lost to Detroit in Week 3, 19-7, but both franchises have changed drastically since then and are in much different places. While the Lions have won four straight games, the Packers are coming off a tough win over Tampa Bay and a loss to Buffalo over the last two weeks.

The most intriguing battle on the field Sunday will be the Detroit defense standing toe-to-toe with Green Bay’s offensive unit. Led by Aaron Rodgers, the Packers come into Week 17 ranked seventh in passing yards per game (269.1) and 11th in rushing yards (117.7).

Rodgers spoke to STATS LLC, via ESPN.com, about protecting the ball Sunday, saying, “You just know it's going to be a game where you have to be very efficient throwing the ball, and you have to look for those opportunities for extended plays in the run game and the pass game.”

On the other hand, the Lions defense is ranked first in the league against the run, allowing 63.8 yards per game, and ranked 13th against the pass, allowing just 232.1 yards per game. The old adage talks about an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force, and that is fitting for this matchup.

Football fans won’t forget about Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and the entire Detroit offense as they square off against a beatable Green Bay defense. While the Packers have been much better against the run with Clay Matthews in the middle, the secondary has been burnt in the recent past.

After giving up 37 points to Atlanta earlier in December, the blueprint for success is there for Detroit to exploit. Ultimately, the poise of Rodgers in big moments will be enough to lift Green Bay to a victory and a NFC North division title.

Predicted Final Score: Green Bay 33, Detroit 30

*Stats via NFL.com.