NFL Week 17 Predictions: The NFL's Final Judgment Day
At last, Week 17 of the NFL 2010 Season is here. All but a few playoff spots have been decided. Now, a majority of teams will just jockey themselves into position accordingly. So, what have we seen this season? As expected, we've been entertained by a number of surprises this season. But also, "business as usual" has occurred as well.
New Orleans' Head Coach Sean Payton is one of the best in-game decision-makers in the NFL. This is something that we learned late in the 4th Quarter of Monday night's game with Atlanta. Payton's play-calling in the game's crucial moments was phenomenal. More than that, his team is always prepared to play no matter what the circumstances. Likewise, the same can be said for Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots.
The NFC West will be the absolute last thing decided in the regular season. On Sunday Night Football, the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams will battle for West supremacy. A spot in the playoffs, and more importantly, a playoff home game are on the line in Seattle. This may not bode well for the young Rams as Qwest Field can be very unfriendly to opponents.
Also, the AFC North and a bye opportunity will be decided in the 1 o' clock games. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are 11-4 at this point and split the season series. Pittsburgh will play Cleveland and Baltimore will battle Cincinnati. These are key matchups. If both win, the Steelers take the division and a first-round bye.
Here are predictions for Week 17 in the NFL.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
1 of 16
Carolina can't wait for their season of torture to be over. John Fox will be on his way out, possibly even as early as season's end. Fox enjoyed a solid tenure in Carolina which included a Super Bowl appearance in the 2003 season. The Panthers have a decent future, one that may not include Fox nor DeAngelo Williams. Jimmy Clausen is sure to be there though and with new personnel in place, a turnaround could happen. There would be no better way for Fox to exit then to defeat Atlanta and possibly keep them out of the top seed.
Atlanta has enjoyed a stellar season and now needs to wrap up a #1 seed. Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Michael Turner (all Pro-Bowlers) have led the offense all season long. White is one of the best players in the NFL without a doubt. He's become an elite receiver and is even a stretch as an MVP candidate. So is Ryan who has had his best season yet. Turner's bounce-back year went a long way in turning the Falcons around this season also.
Prediction: Falcons 27 Panthers 10
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
2 of 16
Pittsburgh may be the most balanced team in the NFL. They've been impressive on both offense and defense and may have all the chips in place for another long run. The Steelers' offense appears to be putting up sufficient points and the defense is as solid as ever. Ben Roethlisberger remains a tremendous team leader and has recovered from his legal troubles.
Cleveland hasn't been bad this season. They remain in re-building mode but are alas headed in the right direction. Cleveland has a terrific opportunity to spoil the AFC North party and finish strong heading into next season. With another good pick in the NFL Draft on the horizon, it will become easier to continue building. There's not many men that could do a better job at this than Mike Holmgren. The defense/special teams are key for this team. Those are the places that they need to continue to re-tool.
Prediction: Steelers 24 Browns 13
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
3 of 16
Minnesota is now looking for a successful finish to a very rough season. Joe Webb still may not be the answer but he played well against the Philadelphia Eagles in a shocking victory. Webb didn't make a single mistake and kept the offense moving down the field. This duel-threat wasn't drafted as a QB yet could be a future option for the Vikings. Their defense can and will be much better than this. There are too many "big names" on this unit for them to perform this way. They might as well be the most talented sub-.500 team the NFL has seen in quite some time.
Detroit's not as far away as many believe. On defense, Ndamukong Suh (easier to spell than it sounds/looks) has been spectacular. They have a plethora of skill players on offense and will be exciting to watch soon. Hard to say though, no offense but have the Lions ever been "exciting" to watch? The Lions' current three-game winning streak has been good but bumps them out of a solid draft pick on the flip side.
Prediction: Vikings 17 Lions 13
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Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
4 of 16
Oakland's return to relevancy has been enjoyable. Earlier this season, this particular AFC West battle was a great game and was the first time in years that it mattered. This time may be a little different though. Kansas City is at home and has already clinched the AFC West. They're unbeatable at home, a stellar 7-0 to be exact. The Raiders come in with some momentum though and a chance to look ahead towards 2011 positively. The talent is there on both sides of the ball. It all comes down to execution now.
Kansas City's surprise turnaround has put them in the playoffs. This time though, they're looking for a lot more. They will likely meet the New York Jets in the 1st Round of the AFC Playoffs. This would be a fun matchup to watch. The Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium though may be too much to overcome for the Jets. A good bit of deciding still has to play out beforehand. The Chiefs' top running attack has been highlighted by Jamaal Charles, the future feature back in this system. Todd Haley was brought here with an offensive pedigree and they're now seeing the fruits of that.
Predictions: Raiders 17 Chiefs 14
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
5 of 16
Miami's future looks rather promising. Chad Henne appears to be the established QB and there's a lot that they can build upon for 2011. Their underrated defense has been a key to their success all season. The running game now has to bounce-back next season. Even the receivers are solid with Davone Bess and Brandon Marshall leading the way. Regardless, a coaching change may be in their best interest.
Could New England's poor defensive play eventually catch up with them? As we've seen in recent years, an offense alone may be enough to lead you to a Super Bowl in today's NFL. Bill Belichick is one of the game's most brilliant minds EVER. His sensational game-planning can never be replicated. Belichick has the Pats ready to play on a weekly basis and his system won't fail them. They have so many weapons on offense it's incredible. Now if the defense lives up to their end of the bargain, New England could run away with the Super Bowl. Though then again, they might be able to do that anyway.
Prediction: Patriots 23 Dolphins 17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
6 of 16
Tampa Bay made quite a comeback this season. Raheem Morris has this team heading in the right direction in the competitive NFC South. Josh Freeman has control of the offense and has a bright future as on-field general. Mike Williams has been his favorite target and a pleasant surprise on offense. To have a 10-win season and miss the playoffs is impressive for the Bucs. They could have definitely snuck into the playoffs but bad losses plagued them.
New Orleans is again enjoying another successful campaign. Sean Payton is one of the best coaches in the entire NFL and consistently has his team ready. Drew Brees is in the elite and now with a Super Bowl Title is getting the praise that he deserves. Despite injuries to the running backs, he's been able to again score at will. The defense too has gotten into the act and helped out the offense a lot. This team appears to be clicking at just the right time.
Prediction: Saints 27 Buccaneers 14
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
7 of 16
Buffalo didn't get what they were expecting from Chan Gailey and it's hurt them a lot. The talent is there but the personnel isn't and this is hampering their plans of future success. The re-building process has went slower with their current situation. Changes need to be made and certainly will. Luckily for them, Ryan Fitzpatrick's put his Ivy League education to good use. He's been the "brains" of this offense thus far.
New York remains an enigma. On a weekly basis, their identity changes. One week they look like a promising contender, then they fall into the depths of the NFL and look horrid. Rex Ryan is the perfect coach for this "hated" team. His mean defensive pedigree is what this team needs to succeed. They won't win many games on offense alone.
Prediction: Jets 17 Bills 7
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
8 of 16
Cincinnati stumbles into the final week of this season. This has been their most miserable season yet. Nothing that they've done has worked and their future looks bleak. Now may be the time to blow this entire thing up and start form scratch. That being said, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco have been solid throughout and have helped Carson Palmer. Ultimately though, this team needed much more to make any sort of noise.
Baltimore's one of the most underrated teams in the league. Joe Flacco has come into his own in just his third year and has what it takes to lead the Ravens to bigger things. Ray Rice has shown all season that he's an elite runner in the NFL. The defense is still as good as they've been for the past decade or so.
Prediction: Ravens 20 Bengals 7
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
9 of 16
San Diego blew their own playoff chances with a loss to Cincinnati last week. Even with Phillip Rivers' banner year, they will be watching the playoffs from home. They were outlasted by a hungrier Kansas City team in the AFC West. Their defense has been great against both the run and pass this season. Someone (Mike Tolbert/Ryan Mathews) will need to emerge as the feature back.
Denver is finally in a re-building mode and will move forward without Josh McDaniels. Likely those plans also won't include Kyle Orton too. Many teams could use a starter like Orton and the Broncos are too high on Tim Tebow to keep Orton. This team really made a negative, somewhat unexpected turarnound from a year ago.
Prediction: Chargers 27 Broncos 13
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
10 of 16
David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew have been stellar all season for the Jags. Jones-Drew remains an elite back and is an outside MVP candidate. Coach Jack Del Rio has done a very good job and will likely stay put in Jacksonville. The Jags will need some help from the Tennessee Titans if they're going to win the AFC South and make the playoffs.
Houston is not what they were expected to be this season. Matt Schuab is still very good but not close to the upper eschalon of NFL quarterbacks. How much longer will it take for Schuab to prove doubters wrong and win big games? There is plenty of offensive talent but the defense (notably against the pass) is awful. Coach Gary Kubiak won't be around that much longer.
Prediction: Jaguars 28 Texans 20
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
11 of 16
Win and they're in, that's how Green Bay sees it now. What better place to be for this crucial game than at historic Lambeau Field? Aaron Rodgers is looking for redemption in this year's playoffs. Last season, his playoff hopes were abruptly ended against Arizona. The Packers have been a bit one-dimensional at times and still miss Ryan Grant. Making up for this though is their league-leading defensive unit.
Chicago has zip to play for in Green Bay on Sunday. Jay Cutler and the Bears have already wrapped up the division and a bye in the first round. The Bears' special teams and defense remains a staple in their system and has been great. Devin Hester has been a big part of that too, he's a very special athlete. Brian Urlacher has been exceptional this year and is now ready for the playoffs. Youngsters Matt Forte and Johnny Knox were breakout stars on offense for the Bears in 2010.
Prediction: Packers 31 Bears 13
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts
12 of 16
Tennessee needs a plan going forward. Vince Young doesn't want to be the team's quarterback, at least that's how it looks. Their first meeting was close but in Indy's Dome this time around things will likely be different. Hopefully this season won't cost Coach Jeff Fisher his job. Fisher's been with the organization since the Houston Oiler days and deserves to stick around.
Indianapolis looks to finally have a running game. They gashed Oakland for nearly 200 yards last week and are looking to continue to find balance. Peyton Manning still has put up stellar numbers and been "the man" for the Colts this year. At times, he's tried to do too much but it's still worked for most of the season. Even with all of this team's injuries, they should still be able to make the playoffs again.
Prediction: Colts 34 Titans 14
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers
13 of 16
This game has no bearing whatsoever on the realm of the NFC playoff picture. Neither of these teams lived up to expectations and finished at the bottom of a poor NFC West. The Cards will need to see more out of John Skelton before moving forward with him as starter. This doesn't look like the same team that made the playoffs the past two seasons. Hard to believe isn't it?
San Francisco will need to re-build at the end of the season and into 2011. On top of that, they will now be looking for a new head coach. They just rid of Mike Singletary this past week. The defense appears to be set for the future but the offense will need to add some more talent.
Prediction: Niners 24 Cardinals 14
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
14 of 16
Dallas' season of torture will finally end on Sunday. Could it possibly end by beating their hated rivals the Philadelphia Eagles? Since Jason Garrett has taken over, the 'Boys have been at least respectable. A win on Sunday makes Jerry Jones' choice to stick with Garrett a whole lot easier. The 'Boys still have a very talented team considering they've only mustered 5 wins so far.
Philadelphia is coming off an embarrassing loss to Minnesota and now has a shortened week of preparation. This is commonly known as "Dallas Week" in Philadelphia but doesn't feel that way. This game has no bearing on the playoff picture. Dallas is far out and Philly is stuck in 3rd place in the NFC. Expect the Eagles to rest up most of their starters this weekend.
Prediction: Eagles 20 Cowboys 14
New York Giants at Washington Redskins
15 of 16
New York needs this game to have a shot at the playoffs. But even so, how would they fare in the playoffs after a few deflating late season losses? Eli Manning has had his best statistical season as a Giant and could throw for over 4,000 yards and 32 TD's. The Giants were viewed by many as the best team in the NFC earlier this season, so much for that now, they may not make the playoffs. The defense is really to blame as they've collapsed. Tom Coughlin should probably get the ax.
The 'Skins' season didn't go as scripted. Donovan McNabb was a huge disappointment and was misused this season. This is another team that will need to do a lot to get themselves back up to par for 2011. It may all start with McNabb's inevitable release and drafting highly on a QB in April's NFL Draft. Also, it seems like none of the money that Owner Dan Snyder spends ever pays off (Albert Haynesworth/McNabb.)
Prediction: Giants 27 'Skins 21
St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks
16 of 16
This is the biggest game of the weekend and takes center stage on NBC on Sunday Night Football. Who would've ever thought that the entire world would be watching a game that was for the NFC West crown? Sam Bradford has led the Rams this far but now needs to put the icing on the cake. Now is the time for Bradford to lead his team in a big game and win the NFC West.
Seattle looks to finish this season strong and steal the NFC West from under the Rams. It looks like they're going to be relying on Charlie Whitehurst with the season on the line. Scary right? Well either way, this terrible division will be decided on Sunday night. Could either of these two teams pose a threat in the playoffs?
Prediction: Rams 17 Seahawks 14
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