Week 17 NFL Picks: Predictions and Advice for Season-Finale Vegas Odds

Jimmy Garoppolo is one of the top stories of the second half of the season. He has given hope to a franchise that had been in a moribund state for the last few seasons, and the 2018 season can't start fast enough for San Francisco 49ers or their fans.

Jimmy G has one more chance to show off his skills in 2017 as the 49ers travel south to Los Angeles to play the NFC West champion Rams.

The Rams are an example of how fast things can turn for an NFL franchise. They finished the 2016 season with a 4-12 record, but when they hired Sean McVay as head coach in January 2017, he devised a game plan that worked and the team could follow.

The Niners have a strong young coach in Kyle Shanahan, and now they have their quarterback of the future. That does not mean they will do just what the Rams are doing, but they have a fighting chance to become a good team in 2018.

The Niners get an opportunity to measure themselves against Jared Goff and McVay in the final regular-season game of the year. So far, Garoppolo has led the Niners to four straight wins even though he doesn't have a stellar crew of wideouts to help him.

He is making do with Marquise Goodwin, Trent Taylor and tight end George Kittle. He also has a solid running back in Carlos Hyde. That could be enough to get the Niners out in front of the Rams and put them in a position to compete for 60 minutes.

The Rams clinched the NFC West title in Week 16 and cannot move up to the No. 2 seed, so they are assured of playing during wild-card weekend.

The motivation for the Rams is to come out of this game as healthy as possible, and that means the 49ers will not see a heavy dose of Goff, Todd Gurley or Cooper Kupp.

That's why the Niners are 3.5-point favorites, according to OddsShark. They are a live team playing to prove something to the rest of the league and themselves.

Jimmy G gets his fifth straight victory and the Niners end the season on a roll.

NFL Week 17 Matchups, Odds (All point spread information courtesy of OddsShark.)

Chicago at Minnesota (-11.5) | O/U 39.5

Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-10.5) | O/U 38

Dallas (-2.5) at Philadelphia | O/U 39.5

Green Bay at Detroit (-6.5)  | O/U 43

Houston at Indianapolis (-3.5) | O/U 41

N.Y. Jets at New England (-15.5)  | O/U 44

Washington (-3) at N.Y. Giants | O/U 38

Arizona at Seattle (-9.5)  | O/U 39

Buffalo (-2.5) at Miami | O/U 42.5

Carolina at Atlanta (-4)  | O/U 46.5

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-9.5) | O/U 40.5

Jacksonville at Tennessee (-3.5)  | O/U 41.5

Kansas City at Denver (-3.5)  | O/U 38

New Orleans (-7) at Tampa Bay | O/U 50.5

Oakland at L.A. Chargers (-8)  | O/U 42

San Francisco (-3.5) at L.A. Rams  | O/U 44

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Washington Redskins at New York Giants

Both of these teams had high hopes going into the 2017 season, but neither came close to fulfilling them.

The Redskins can at least point to the long list of injuries that derailed Jay Gruden's team this season, while the Giants fell apart under former head coach Ben McAdoo. When he had the temerity to bench long-time starter Eli Manning, the second-year coach was sent packing.

McAdoo may have been right that the Giants needed to start looking at another quarterback. However, he clearly did not have the gravitas or touch to pull the move off smoothly.

The Giants are in disarray as they finish the 2017 season and look ahead to the future. Manning will get the start in this game, but rookie Davis Webb may also see action.

The Giants have little to play for in this game. They may act and say that they want to end the season on a positive note, but this team will have a new general manager and a new coach next season, and it really doesn't matter.

The Redskins have the better quarterback in this game. There's little doubt about Kirk Cousins at this point in his career, and he should be able to dominate against a Giants secondary that has been giving up big plays all season.

Cousins has thrown for 3,935 yards with 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Jamison Crowder, Ryan Grant and Vernon Davis should be able to find the open spaces and make big plays consistently.

The Redskins are three-point favorites and should have no problem outscoring the Giants.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

The Bills are still breathing when it comes to having a shot at getting into the postseason, but they would need to beat the Dolphins and then hope the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers lose. They can also get in if they win and the Baltimore Ravens lose.

The Bills beat the Dolphins in Buffalo in Week 15, and they gave the New England Patriots a strong battle for nearly three full quarters in Week 16. They should be prepared to handle a team that has been knocked out of the playoffs.

However, the Dolphins can be a tough team at home. The Patriots found this out on December 11, and as erratic as Miami quarterback Jay Cutler can be, he is capable of coming up with a strong effort from time to time.

It would not be a shocker if Cutler and the Dolphins' offense enjoyed playing the role of spoiler against the Bills.

The Miami defense is capable of putting enough pressure on Tyrod Taylor to make him uncomfortable. While he is usually better outside the pocket than he is dropping back, he may have a difficult time if Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake get to him early in the game. 

The Bills are listed as 2.5-point favorites in this game, but we like the home team to come up with the upset and ruin Buffalo's chances for getting into the playoffs.