NFL Picks Week 17: Teams That Will Lock Up Playoff Berth

Very little is officially settled in the playoff picture right now. We know that the Packers will be the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and that the Texans will be No. 3 in the AFC. 

Outside of that, all spots are up for grabs. But some of those are just for seeds. That's not what we're looking at here. 

No, these teams are still fighting for a playoff berth. If they lose, they risk missing the postseason completely. Fortunately for these teams and their fans, that's not going to happen.

New York Giants

We'll start with the least complicated game and work our way down. The winner of Sunday night's game between the Cowboys and Giants will go to the playoffs. That will be the Giants. 

This is a division that no team seems to want to win, but the Giants are the better team. They have a healthy quarterback, strong weapons on the perimeter and a confident defense. The Cowboys have won one of their last four games, and that was against a hopeless Buccaneers team.

The Giants are playing a little more confidently right now. They did lose to the Redskins in Week 15, but sandwiched that with wins in Dallas, and then in a technical road game against the Jets. 

I trust their pass-rush and Eli Manning over a beaten-up Tony Romo. 

Prediction: Giants 27, Cowboys 17

Denver Broncos

This scenario isn't quite as clear, but it's pretty simple. If the Broncos and Raiders do the same thing in Week 17, the Broncos are the AFC West Champion. The Broncos will win.

The last two weeks makes it possible to forget how magical the Broncos were just before. They are still not a team that you should have any interest lining up against with a small lead at the end of a game. 

Remember that they have already beaten the Chiefs in Kansas City this year. The Chiefs are still a beaten-up team that doesn't score a lot of points. Kyle Orton will want to prove that he's better than Tim Tebow, but Tebow will want to prove that the Broncos made the right call.

In a battle of wills, I will go with Tebow over Orton anytime. The Broncos will run the ball on offense, and their defense will keep the game low-scoring. Denver will pull it out.

Prediction: Broncos 17, Chiefs 13

Tennessee Titans

This is where things get confusing. There are a few scenarios where the Titans can get in, but this is what will happen. 

First: They will beat the Texans. The injuries are finally catching up to the Texans.

Second: The Bengals will lose. Baltimore's problems have all stemmed from a lack of focus. Playing for a bye against a team going for a playoff bid, that's not going to happen. The Bengals have a bright future but will fall short in 2011. 

Third: The Dolphins will beat the Jets. I am jumping off of the New York bandwagon. The Dolphins are playing strong football right now, and the Jets are a team in disarray. In Miami, the Dolphins will pull this upset. 

Fourth: The Broncos will win. See above. 

Fifth: The Raiders will win. They will miss the playoffs but will win their finale. The Chargers won't be playing for a lot in this one. And like the Broncos and Chiefs, the Raiders have already beaten the Chargers in San Diego this year. They will hold serve at home. 

The first two need to happen. If the Jets win, then the Broncos or Raiders need to lose. The Titans will win. Houston is not an imposing team right now. They don't have the firepower to win in this one.

More importantly, given their injuries, they have no incentive to play their starters. The Texans are locked into the No. 3 seed and have dealt with a terrible rash of injuries all year.

Pressing the matter here would be foolish. 

Prediction: Titans 20, Texans 10

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