Previewing Week 17: "Playoffs?!"

Last week's predictions: 11/16
Season tally: 161/239, 67%

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints (-5)
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans (-4)
New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills (-3.5)
Irrelevant games of the week. Saints-Panthers will be the only entertaining one, especially with Carolina on a three-game winning streak. The Jaguars have nothing to play for besides a top-three draft pick, but they could be a sneaky upset pick at Tennessee. They played the Patriots tough last week and their only home win of the season was against these very Titans. Meanwhile, the Jets' circus rolls on.
The picks: Saints, Jaguars, Bills.

Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
Oakland Raiders @ San Diego Chargers
More irrelevant games. These ones weren't even given point spreads. The Falcons have already locked up home-field advantage and a first-round bye...so should they rest their starters against the Buccaneers? Teams that do so have a poor playoff track record.
The picks: Steelers, Falcons, Chargers.

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants (-7.5)
With four losses in five games, the Giants need major help to reach the playoffs. The easy part is beating the Eagles. The hard part: getting losses from the Cowboys, Vikings, AND Bears.
The pick: Giants.

Chicago Bears (-3) @ Detroit Lions
After all that Bears hype early in the season, they're suddenly on the verge of being overtaken in the playoff race...by Christian Ponder and the Vikings. However, a Chicago win and a Vikings loss to the Packers -- the scenario the Bears need to make the playoffs -- isn't exactly far-fetched.
The pick: Bears.

Green Bay Packers (-3) @ Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are certainly the more motivated team: they clinch a playoff spot with a win and Adrian Peterson needs just 102 yards to reach 2,000 on the season. If both of those things happen, it will be impossible to deny Peterson the MVP award.
The pick: Packers. They're still in the hunt for the a #2 seed and its accompanying first-round bye.

St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks (-10.5)
The red-hot Seahawks are a virtual lock to win this game, and if the 49ers also suffer an unlikely home loss to the Cardinals, Seattle would win the NFC West. It seems like an outlandish scenario, but things keep falling the Seahawks' way. In fact, their cornerback Richard Sherman won his appeal of his four-game suspension, allowing him to return for the playoffs and boost an already-elite defense.
The pick: Seahawks.

Houston Texans (-6.5) @ Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots (-10)
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos (-16)
Lots of scenarios are still in play for the top three AFC seeds. Houston wins home-field advantage with a win at the Colts, who can't improve their playoff positioning but won't be pushovers. The Broncos and Patriots are competing for the other first-round bye. Denver should easily clinch it with a win over the lowly Chiefs. The Patriots could actually finish anywhere from the #1 to the #4 seed, depending on what everyone else does.
The picks: Colts, Patriots, Broncos.

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)
The Bengals are already locked in as the AFC's #6 seed. The Ravens have more at stake: they can move up to the #3 seed with a win and a Patriots loss. That would mean home-field advantage over the Patriots if the two teams happened to meet in the AFC Championship, like last year.
The pick: Ravens.

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins (-3)
The marquee game of the week has the most obvious direct playoff implications: the winner takes the NFC East crown. However, if the Redskins lose, they can also clinch a playoff spot with losses by the Bears and Vikings. Friendly reminder: Tony Romo is 1-5 in his career in elimination games.
The pick: Redskins.