NFL Week 17 Picks: Early Predictions for All Season Finales

Week 17 of the NFL season will feature a few games that are only relevant to fantasy football owners, but there will also be a handful of contests with playoff implications.   

The AFC East battle between the 10-5 New York Jets and 7-8 Buffalo Bills is one of them. The Bills have been relegated to a spoiler role as they are already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but a Jets win would automatically put them in the playoffs.

Aside from the playoff spot that is up for grabs for the Jets, there's more intrigue surrounding this matchup. Their former head coach, Rex Ryan, is now the man on the sidelines for the Bills. The chance to deal the Jets' playoff hopes a blow has to be attractive to Ryan.

On Nov. 12, the Bills defeated the Jets, 22-17, in New Jersey. If New York wants to clinch a spot in the postseason without any help, it'll need to return the favor.

Turnovers were the Jets' bugaboo in the Week 10 defeat. New York had four giveaways and didn't force one turnover in the game. That will not be the case in the rematch. The Jets have been clicking on all cylinders lately.

They have won five games in a row—including a thrilling 26-20 overtime victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Ball security has been the key during the run. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown just one interception during the streak, and with the playoffs in sight, he'll be responsible with the ball.

Look for the Jets to win a close one, 24-20, and clinch a playoff spot. Here's a look at the predictions for every game on the Week 17 schedule:

Matchup	Prediction
NY Jets at Buffalo	NY Jets
New England at Miami	New England
Tampa Bay at Carolina	Carolina
New Orleans at Atlanta	Atlanta
Baltimore at Cincinnati	Cincinnati
Pittsburgh at Cleveland	Pittsburgh
Jacksonville at Houston	Houston
Tennessee at Indianapolis	Indianapolis
Oakland at Kansas City	Kansas City
Washington at Dallas	Dallas
Philadelphia at NY Giants	NY Giants
Detroit at Chicago	Chicago
Minnesota at Green Bay	Minnesota
San Diego at Denver	Denver
Seattle at Arizona	Arizona
St. Louis at San Francisco	St. Louis

Carolina Will Crush Tampa Bay

David Goldman/Associated Press

Losing the perfect season was the best thing that could have happened to the Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton and Co. fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 20-13, on Sunday, thus ending their shot at an unblemished run.

The loss will serve as a wake-up call. Head coach Ron Rivera will not allow his team to be as complacent in its rematch with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as it was in the second meeting with the Falcons.

Carolina beat Atlanta, 38-0, in Week 14, and its effort Sunday looked like that of a team that expected to blow out its opponent again. Back in Week 4, the Panthers went into Tampa and beat the Bucs, 37-23. The second game is in Carolina, and a chance to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is at stake.

The Bucs run defense looked terrible in the team's Week 16 loss to the Chicago Bears. Chicago ran for 174 yards on 39 carries. Even when the Bucs stacked the box, they couldn't stop Chicago from running the ball effectively. 

Carolina will undoubtedly emulate this approach and pound Tampa with an attack that heavily centers around the ground game. The Panthers will win, 30-6.

Minnesota Will Take Down Green Bay

Jim Mone/Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers are limping into a battle at home with the Minnesota Vikings. The Arizona Cardinals pasted Green Bay, 38-8, on Sunday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Pack, but the team has been less than impressive in the last two weeks.

Green Bay's 30-20 win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 15 wasn't filled with highlight-reel material. 

The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot—as have the Vikings after their 49-17 drubbing of the New York Giants on Sunday night—but Green Bay does not look like a team that's ready for the postseason. Aaron Rodgers is having his worst season since his first year as a full-time starter back in 2008.

Per Bleacher Report's Ian Kenyon, the signal-caller has been at his worst in recent games:

Despite playing at Lambeau Field, where the Packers have traditionally been strong, the Vikings will grab their biggest road win in years. Minnesota will take the division with a 19-14 victory.