NFL Pro Football 2008 Week 17 Picks early games

NFL Pro Football 2008 Week 17 Picks

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Fearless Rick's NFL Week 17 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | December 28

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday games.

SUN, DEC 28

Kansas City at Cincinnati (-3, 38) 1:00 PM - Absolutely no reason to watch this game, as, even if the Chiefs win, they'll still finish with a worse record than the Bengals and pick either third or fourth in the Spring draft, depending on what the Rams do at Atlanta. So, OK, there is a reason to watch, but not much of one.

Cincy beat the Browns last week, but everybody's doing that, so don't put much faith in that. Many of the Chiefs' players are playing for contracts and some are going to be around next season. Many are still wondering how Herm Edwards is still coaching in KC. Chances are he'll not be around next year, but the Chiefs should go out on a winning note.

Prediction: Chiefs 21 Bengals 13

St. Louis at Atlanta (-14 1/2, 45) 1:00 PM - The Falcons have already clinched a playoff berth, the #5 slot as the wild card, but could move up to #2 with a win and a Carolina loss at New Orleans. The Falcons shouldn't have too difficult a time overcoming the Rams, though winning by two touchdowns may be a stretch, especially if Carolina is far ahead of New Orleans at half-time, as both games will be played simultaneously.

With nothing to gain with a win, the Falcons could sit some players in the second half or in late stages of the game, so this line is a little iffy. The Falcons have proven to everyone that they belong, so nobody's going to knock them if they take it a little easy on the Rams.

Prediction: Falcons 31 Rams 23

New England (-6 1/2, 42 1/2) at Buffalo 1:00 PM - The Patriots are absolutely bowling over opponents lately. After crushing the Raiders, 49-26 in Week 15, New England hosted a NFC playoff-bound Arizona squad and squished them 47-7. It marked the 4th time this season that New England has posted a score in the 40s, so the concerns about Matt Cassell leading this team have pretty much been put to rest.

Back on November 9, New England won at home over Buffalo, 20-10, and they've essentially owned the Bills over the past few seasons. The Bills, however, are a team that will not quit, as evidenced all season long and again with their comeback win at Denver last week after trailing 13-0. While the Patriots can clinch the #3 seed in the AFC by winning the Eastern division with a win and a Miami loss (to the Jets), the Bills can be motived by knocking off a hated rival and finishing 8-8 for the season. Being that these two teams are so familiar, it's doubtful that the Patriots will turn this into a rout against a still-hungry Buffalo squad. Could turn out to be the upset of the week.

Prediction: Bills 24 Patriots 23

Detroit at Green Bay (-9 1/2, 42) 1:00 PM - Another meaningless game, as neither team is going to the playoffs, but the Packers surely don't want to interrupt Detroit's perfectly awful season by letting down here. The first meeting, way back in week 2, went to the Packers, 48-25, so their superiority is already established. The only question here is how long the Lions will remain in contention, a question that should be answered by the end of the third quarter. The Lions have lost 10 of 15 by 9 or more, and have allowed 31 or more points in 9 of their 16 games, so this one looks like a rather easy win for the Packers.

If the Packers score 14 points, the Lions will have the dubious distinction of being not only the sole 0-16 team in the history of the league, but they will have allowed 500 points, a major milestone rarely reached.

Prediction: Packers 34 Lions 14

Tennessee (-3, 38) at Indianapolis 1:00 PM - There's really no reason to play this game, so both teams should rest their starters. I would definitely put this one on my "don't play" list, but since I pick 'em all, regardless, I'd say that the Colts' backups are probably better than the Titans' second team.

Prediction: Colts 14 Titans 10

Chicago at Houston (-2 1/2, 47) 1:00 PM - Houston can afford to be loose, as they have no playoff hopes but look forward to a better season in 2009. Many good things happened over the last two years, not the least of which are the emergence of QB Matt Schaub and wideout Andre Johnson, who leads the league with 1427 receiving yards.

The task for the Bears is to limit Johnson's touches by applying pressure to Schaub and maybe doubling the receiver. When the Bears have the ball, they should find some holes for rookie sensation Matt Forte, who has rolled to 1188 yards rushing this season, because the Texans allow, on average, 126.2 yards rushing per game. The Bears can clinch the NFC North with a win and a loss by the Vikings at the Giants. Both games will be played at the same time, so some scoreboard watching will no doubt enter the picture and could actually determine the outcome. The Bears gutted out a 13-10 win over the Packers on Monday night, but they'll have to do this job without the support of their fans. A tough call, but Chicago seems worthy of the task.

Chicago could also earn a wild card spot, but both Dallas and Tampa Bay would have to lose.

Prediction: Bears 26 Texans 21

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Oakland at Tampa Bay (-13, 39) 1:00 PM - Oakland played very well against the Texans last week, and if the offense produces, this could turn ugly for the Bucs. Tampa Bay has a plethora of possibilities, but all of them involve someone else losing, notably, Dallas. The Bucs could win and still not make the playoffs if the Cowboys beat Philly later in the day. The Buccaneers should win this game, but should and will are two different things. Tampa's defense has broken down in recnt weeks while the Oakland offense continues to improve.

Prediction: Raiders 21 Buccaneers 13

Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-10 1/2, 32) 1:00 PM - This game is meaningless to the Steelers, as they've already clinched the AFC North and the #2 seed in the playoffs. Still, with Ken Dorsey running the Cleveland offense, even the Steelers' backups can make quick work of this. It may be a rivalry game and all that, but it won't matter to anyone who doesn't get hurt playing in it. Expect the Steelers and the Browns to sit plenty of starters. Cleveland should be in this until the end.

Prediction: Steelers 20 Browns 16

NY Giants at Minnesota (-6 1/2, 42) 1:00 PM - The Giants have everything sewn up, all the way to the NFC championship, which will be played at the Meadowlands should the G-Men win their one playoff game after the bye next week, so don't expect to see much of Brandon Jacobs or Ei Manning. Minnesota can clinch the NFC North with a win, and while the Giants aren't just going to hand it to them, they're not concerned about losing.

Prediction: Vikings 30 Giants 17

Carolina (-3, 53) at New Orleans 1:00 PM - Saints' QB Drew Brees needs 402 passing yards to break Dan Marino's single-season record of 5,084, but that's no easy task against the Panthers, who rank 11th in the league in passing yards allowed at 201.3 per game. Plus, the Panthers are looking to lock up a playoff spot. There are two scenarios at play for Carolina. A win gives them the division title and a bye in the first round as the second seed in the NFC. A loss would end them up as the first wild card, meaning a road game next week, at Arizona.

The Panthers would probably like to take a week off and then host all remaining games until and unless the Giants keep winning. The only way Carolina wins this game and ends up on the road at all is if NY makes it through to the NFC Championship.

With all that in mind, it is worth noting that Carolina has beaten the Saints the past six times they've met in New Orleans. The Panthers won their first meeting, on October 19, 30-7. Looks like more of the same punishment.

Prediction: Panthers 27 Saints 20, Brew Brees does NOT break the record.

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday games

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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