NFL Predictions Week 17: Picks and Odds Advice for Final Schedule

The NFL saves its weirdest Sunday for last, stuffing a contrast of high stakes and insignificance into one complicated day.

Half the league already knows the offseason begins Monday. Although they would never admit it, ascending up the draft board with a Week 17 loss would benefit their futures more than winning for pride.

Some of those squads may rest or limit banged-up players. Teams that have already earned playoff bids may take the same approach, making this a particularly treacherous schedule for bettors to navigate.

At least there's plenty of playoff logistics to finalize. Three spots remain available, and only two teams (New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys) have locked into precise seeds.

Yet of the final slate's 16 matchups, just two present postseason ramifications for both competitors. Let's take a closer look at those bouts.

NFL Week 17 Matchups, Odds

Carolina (+7) at New Orleans | O/U 42.5

Jacksonville at Houston (-7) | O/U 40

Detroit at Green Bay (-8) | O/U 45.5

Atlanta (-2) at Tampa Bay | O/U 52

Dallas at N.Y. Giants (-6) | O/U 41

N.Y. Jets (+13.5) at New England | O/U 46

Miami at Buffalo (-5.5) | O/U 39.5

Chicago (+5.5) at Minnesota | O/U 40.5

Oakland at Kansas City (-14) | O/U 52.5

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

Cleveland (+6.5) at Baltimore | O/U 40.5 

Philadelphia (-7) at Washington | O/U 41.5

Arizona (+13) at Seattle | O/U 38.5 

San Francisco at L.A. Rams (-10.5) | O/U 48.5

L.A. Chargers (-6.5) at Denver | O/U 43

Indianapolis (-3) at Tennessee | O/U 44

All betting information obtained from OddsShark. Author's picks highlighted in bold.

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings

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There's a solid chance this outcome won't directly affect the Chicago Bears, who need a win and a Los Angeles Rams loss to the San Francisco 49ers to notch a first-round bye. While their NFC North foes hardly represent an advantageous matchup, they could theoretically sit everyone to set up a Wild Card Round encounter with the Minnesota Vikings.

That's not the plan. Per NBC Sports Philadelphia's JJ Stankevitz, Bears coach Matt Nagy renounced any possibility of resting healthy starters against the Vikings, who would clinch a wild-card berth with a win or Philadelphia Eagles loss.

"If we do that, then we're not doing everything we can to win," Nagy said of sitting starters. "We're going to go about this thing the right way. That's the only way. Otherwise, you start doing that and not everybody's all-in and people have questions—they want to know this, they want to know that. There's too much gray. We want just black and white."

The Bears and Rams both play during the late-afternoon shift. Yet Nagy might not notice if the NFC West champions quickly lock down the NFC's No. 2 seed:

And despite their intent to triumph, injuries will strip them of three key contributors:

There's also no guarantee the Bears will beat the Vikings just because they try. Getting healthier at the right time, Minnesota has jumped to No. 3 in total defense. The Vikings have permitted just two offensive touchdowns over the past three games.

A rejuvenated ground game has also garnered 320 rushing yards in consecutive victories since firing offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. Yet Dalvin Cook, who compiled 10 yards in Week 11's 25-20 loss to the Bears, will face a steep challenge against the NFL's second-ranked rushing defense.

Extra motivation and home-field advantage are enough to give the Vikings a slight edge over the Bears, who are 4-3 away from Soldier Field. The underdogs, however, are a superior squad who haven't lost with Mitchell Trubisky under center since Week 7.

Look for the NFC North champions to cover but fall on the short end of a low-scoring stalemate.

Prediction: Vikings 23, Bears 20

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans

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There's no doubting each side's desire to win the regular season's final contest. A playoff spot is on the line between the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans, and the loser has no backdoor path into the postseason.

Marcus Mariota, who left Week 16's game with an elbow injury, returned to practice Thursday and Friday. Yet according to Jim Wyatt of the team's official site, head coach Mike Vrabel was still determining whether the 25-year-old would be healthy enough to start over Blaine Gabbert.

"[He was] limited, and we gave him some stuff to do, and he did some stuff," Vrabel said following Friday's practice. "So we'll kind of just keep seeing where it goes and figure out who gives us the best chance and how he feels. We want to make sure he can go out there and do his job at a high level."

On Sunday morning, ESPN's Chris Mortensen said they plan on starting Blaine Gabbert:

Either way, the Titans will remain underdogs against the Colts, who earned a convincing 38-10 win over their AFC South rivals in Week 11. Yet Indianapolis' offense also faces some severe injury concerns.

Their rushing offense takes a big hit without Ryan Kelly, who will miss Week 17 with a neck injury. The Colts compiled 209 combined rushing yards in three games without him before gathering 178 in his Week 15 return.

Ebron (concussion) and T.Y. Hilton (ankle) are also questionable. While Ebron missed their most recent meeting with the Titans, Andrew Luck connected with Hilton for 155 yards and two of his three passing touchdowns.

While the Colts would be in trouble if Luck doesn't have his two top targets, their improved defense could still propel them into the playoffs. Without Mariota, they must find a way to slow down Derrick Henry, who has bulldozed his way to 492 rushing yards and seven touchdowns over the past three sensational games.

He previously posted 474 rushing yards and five scores through 12 contests, including 46 in just nine carries against the Colts. Indianapolis is typically more efficient in deterring the ground game, as opponents have mustered just 3.8 yards per carry.

Indianapolis and Tennessee's defenses respectively rank No. 12 and No. 13 in Football Outsiders' Defensive-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), so the under especially looks like a sharp bet without Mariota. While the Colts won't run away with another rout, the more balanced squad with the healthy quarterback should prevail.

Prediction: Colts 24, Titans 17

Where to Watch: NFL playoff games, studio shows and more are available through Fubo.TV/welcome.