Matt Ryan and Drew Brees will meet for the 19th time today.
It is Christmas weekend. While people are exchanging gifts and spending time with families, NFL teams will be competing for playoff seeding.
Here are picks for Week 17.
12/23 4:30 ET At Baltimore -13.5 Indianapolis 41: Baltimore is too unpredictable offensively to be two touchdown favorites. I think the Ravens will win this game but the Colts will come to play. I’m taking Indy as a dog on the road.
12/23 8:30 ET Minnesota -8.5 At Green Bay 41: The Packers have “packed” it in. Minnesota can secure a first round bye with the win. The Vikings should take care of business at Lambeau and lock up one of the top two seeds in the AFC.
12/24 1:00 ET Detroit -4 At Cincinnati 44: The Lions can still get into the playoffs if they win their last two and get a little bit of help. They should take care of business this week against a Bengals team that quit on Marv Lewis two weeks ago. The Lions are a lock as a road dog in this one.
12/24 1:00 ET LA Chargers -7 At NY Jets 42.5: The Chargers need a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Beating the Jets in New York won’t be easy but they should beat a Jets team that is playing hard but undermanned. Take the Bolts at +7. It is a reasonable number for a road favorite.
12/24 1:00 ET LA Rams -6.5 At Tennessee 47.5: This a tough game to pick, especially because the Rams walloped the Seahawks last week and the Titans lost to the Niners. On the surface, you take the Rams in this one as a road favorite but I think that’s a bad move. You have to think l..A will have a let down and the desperate Titans will play better than last week right? I see that happening. That’s why my money is on the Titans. I think Tennessee will play well and pick up a much needed win.
12/24 1:00 ET At Chicago -6.5 Cleveland 38: Akiem Hicks said the Bears are not going to lose this game. I believe him. The Bears have been tough at home this season. I’m putting my money on them as a modest -6.5 home favorite.
12/24 1:00 ET At Carolina -10 Tampa Bay 46.5: People are taking the Panthers for granted in the NFC and I think that is a mistake. Carolina is good. They are diverse on offense and can pound the rock. Carolina also plays good defense as well. They are good enough to once again come out of the NFC but they have to win these last two games. Carolina should take care of business this week. I like the Panthers by two scores.
12/24 1:00 ET At New Orleans -5.5 Atlanta 52.5: The Falcons got the better of the Saints two weeks ago but New Orleans will return the favor today. The Saints are a different team at home, especially their defense. I like the ground and pound Saints by a touchdown in this game. I can’t see Atlanta stopping Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, especially since Kamara is fully healthy for this game.
12/24 1:00 ET At Washington -3.5 Denver 40.5: Give me the Redskins at home as a short favorite. Both teams are playing out the string but the Redskins are at home and they are better at quarterback.
12/24 1:00 ET At Kansas City -10.5 Miami 43.5: The Chiefs are playing better and could clinch the AFC West with a win today. I think Kansas City will win this game but 10.5 is a big number. The Dolphins are good enough to roll into Arrowhead and play the Chiefs tough and I think they will.
12/24 1:00 ET At New England -12 Buffalo 47: The Patriots traditionally roll the Bills at home but given that Buffalo is still in the playoff hunt, I expect this to be a much tighter game. I think -12 is too big a number for me to put my money on Brady and company. I think the Patriots win but I like Buffalo as a dog to keep it close.
12/24 4:05 ET Jacksonville -4 At San Francisco 42: Given the way the 49ers are playing right now, this is your classic trap game. That being said, I think Jimmy G and company will have a hard time moving the ball on the Jaguars defense. I think Jacksonville will do enough offensively to complement their elite defense and pick up a big win on the road.
12/25 4:25 ET At Arizona -3.5 NY Giants 40: I’ll gladly take the Cardinals as a home favorite against the hapless Giants.
12/25 4:25 ET At Dallas -5 Seattle 47.5: Zeke is back. That bodes well for the Cowboys playoff chances but not the Seahawks. I think Ezekiel Elliott runs wild on Seattle and Dallas keeps their faint playoff hopes alive with a big home win.
Monday Night Football Line
12/25 4:30 ET Pittsburgh -9.5 At Houston 45: Pittsburgh will win this game but something tells me that the Texans will play them tough at home on Christmas Day. The Steelers are not the same offensively without Antonio Brown. Expect this to be a 20-17 type of game with Pittsburgh pulling it out late.
12/25 8:30 ET At Philadelphia -9 Oakland 47.5: The Raiders had to fly 3,000 miles east to play on Christmas Day. It’s tolerable if you’re in the playoff hunt but when you are not, it sucks. I like the Eagles to soar at home against a Raiders team that has tapped out.