Week 17 NFL Picks: Season-Finale Betting Odds, Vegas Spreads and Projections

On paper, the NFL's Week 17 slate looks like one littered with blowouts. 

With seasons mostly decided for the majority of teams with games left, oddsmakers seem to expect wide margins. The bad teams have thrown up white flags, and players are thinking about vacations, and some of the best teams are either tuning into gear or resting starters, creating easy spreads. 

If only it were so simple. 

Spoilers, upsets and more are sure to flow regardless of the big spreads. Here is how oddsmakers have crafted the lines so far for the season-ending stretch.  

Week 17 NFL Odds

Atlanta at Tampa Bay (-1) | O/U 51

Carolina at New Orleans (n/a)| O/U n/a

Chicago at Minnesota (-5) | O/U 41

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-14.5) | O/U 45.5

Cleveland at Baltimore (-5.5) | O/U 41

Dallas at N.Y. Giants (-7) | O/U n/a

Detroit at Green Bay (-7) | O/U 43.5

Indianapolis at Tennessee (-1) | O/U n/a

Jacksonville at Houston (-7) | O/U 40.5

Miami at Buffalo (-3.5) | O/U 38.5

N.Y. Jets at New England (-13.5) | O/U 45.5

Oakland at Kansas City (n/a) | O/U n/a

Philadelphia (-7) at Washington | O/U 42

Arizona at Seattle (n/a) | O/U n/a

L.A. Chargers at Denver (n/a) | O/U n/a

San Francisco at L.A. Rams (-10) | O/U 50

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-14.5)

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Don't throw in the towel on the Pittsburgh Steelers just yet. 

After all, there isn't anything wrong with going down to New Orleans and playing the Saints close in a thriller. All a 31-28 loss to the Saints does is confirm the Steelers are one of the best teams in the NFL when firing on all cylinders. 

And they should be in Week 17 against a poor Cincinnati Bengals team given the playoffs implications at stake: 

Those Bengals are one of the NFL's worst, a point confirmed in Week 16 through the team's second loss to the Cleveland Browns this year, the first time since 2002 they have been swept in the Battle of Ohio. 

Cincinnati couldn't muster enough offense in defeat with Jeff Driskel under center while missing key weapons such as Tyler Eifert, A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. That the defense that already fired a coordinator midseason struggled on the road against a good quarterback isn't a surprise. 

These two already met back in Week 6 and the Steelers got a win in Cincinnati, 28-21. The Steelers rushed for more than five yards per carry and two touchdowns in a game with a score much closer than the game really was, sending the Bengals into a downward spiral in which they went from 4-1 to only winning two games since, losing eight of 10. 

So yes, oddsmakers are smart to have this one at such a huge line right out of the gates. Pittsburgh at home is dangerous enough as is, but getting an exploitable rival they consistently beat anyway with the playoffs on the line makes this one of the week's most attractive bets. 

Prediction: Steelers 35, Bengals 13

Philadelphia (-7) at Washington

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

While the above is easy, it does't get much easier than this one. 

The Philadelphia Eagles are on fire as of late, with their backs against the walls over the past two weeks picking up wins over elite Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans teams.  

As for the Washington Redskins, well, implosion is the right word. Not only are the Redskins losing games, players talking out about issues is getting them cut: 

While the Redskins have had some injuries, they have also lost five of six, the only exception a win over the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Included in that run of mediocre, season-ruining play is a loss to these Eagles in Week 13. Capitalizing on familiarity, the Redskins held Adrian Peterson to less than 10 yards rushing after a 90-yard touchdown run and got two touchdown passes from Carson Wentz in the 28-13 win. 

Granted, the Eagles have since had to move back to Nick Foles under center. But he's been the lead man in the wins over the Rams and Texans, in the latter appearance tossing for 400-plus yards and four scores against a J.J. Watt-led front. 

Regardless of whether this one takes place in Washington or not, it is quite clear the Eagles are one of the NFL's hottest teams right now, whereas the Redskins are cutting starters in the middle of a massive nosedive. Seven might not be enough. 

Prediction: Eagles 30, Redskins 20

San Francisco at L.A. Rams (-10)

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Two teams trending in different directions makes for a good time for would-be bettors. 

The San Francisco 49ers pulled off two upsets over the past three weeks but got back to their losing ways most recently, going down at the hands of the Chicago Bears. On the other side, the Los Angeles Rams dropped two games but are getting back into form right before the playoffs 

Clearly, oddsmakers think the Rams' side of things isn't a fluke. 

And why not? The 49ers rallied to beat a so-so Denver team before taking down Seattle. But the overtime win against a familiar opponent seemed to function as the 49ers' Super Bowl of sorts, and it being a divisional game lessens the impact of the upset. 

And the Rams losing to Chicago and Philadelphia isn't a massive red flag, not when they turn around and do this without a starting running back: 

The Rams got a postseason warmup of sorts with the 31-9 win over the Arizona Cardinals and should continue to roll with a return home against a team they beat 39-10 this year on the road while rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns. 

Given the season-long trends here and other factors, this line might grow over the course of the week, 

Prediction: Rams 30, 49ers 14

Odds via OddsShark.