NFL Pro Football 2009 Week 17 Picks early games

NFL Pro Football 2009 Week 17 Picks

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Fearless Rick's NFL Week 17 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | January 3, 2010

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Sunday, Jan. 3

Indianapolis (-8 1/2, 36) at Buffalo, 1:00 pm - Colts starters will likely only play the first half, then turning the ball over to Painter and the Numbers, so Indy can go down on record as losing their last two games of the season. Letting perfection slip through one's hands is always a mistake and it may prove to cost the Colts more than just respect. After this game they get a week off, meaning that the starters will have played just one half of football in three weeks when they take the field in January. That shouldn't concern anybody but the Colts and the coaches, but the Bills will play with some pride, plus it's possible that the weather will have a say in the outcome of this game.

Buffalo may not be good enough to beat even the Colts' second string, but I'll take them any day against a team just going through the motions.

PREDICTION: Bills 24 Colts 20

New Orleans at Carolina (-7, 41 1/2), 1:00 pm - Courtesy of the Bears' win over Minnesota on Monday night, the Saints have locked up the #1 seed in the NFC, so there's some question as to just who will start and for how long they'll play. New Orleans has nothing to gain by winning this game and risking injury to key players is probably not in the cards, so don't expect to see much of Drew Brees or Reggie Bush or any number of other key starters.

One thing is for sure: the Panthers are taking no prisoners at this late stage of the season. A win gets them to 8-8, which is at least better than finishing with a losing record. They way the Panthers have been playing, Saints' staff and players are probably breathing a sigh of relief that this game doesn't matter to them. Carolina will win, and by a large number.

PREDICTION: Panthers 34 Saints 14

Jacksonville at Cleveland (-1 12, 37 1/2), 1:00 pm - Cleveland's players are looking ahead to next season, so this game should have more meaning to them, plus, they're at home and they've won three straight, two things the Jags can't count going for them. They are at the very bottom of the playoff picture, and almost every other team ahead of them would have to lose in order for them to get in. Look for Cleveland to smother the Jags with an oppressive defense and score just enough to knock Jacksonville out of the picture.

PREDICTION: Browns 16 Jaguars 10

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Chicago (-3, 45) at Detroit, 1:00 pm - An absolute meaningless game for two teams looking ahead to next season. After Chicago's emotional win last week, they probably won't be going full tilt, but the Lions are pretty bad, and down to Daunte Culpepper at QB. Man, has that guy's career gone South, taking mop up snaps for the Lions. Bleech!

PREDICTION: Bears 28 Lions 14

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New England at Houston (-8, 46), 1:00 pm - Pretty much assured of being the #3 seed, the Patriots won't be at full strength and that aids the cause of the Texans, who can still make the playoffs under a variety of conditions, the most important of all being that they win this game. If New England isn't motivated, the Texans surely have enough left in the tank to demolish whatever is on the field and hope for the best. Scoreboard watching won't be at a premium in this 1:00 start because the three teams which mean the most to Houston - Baltimore, the Jets and Denver - all play later in the day.

PREDICTION: Texans 31 Patriots 13

Pittsburgh (-3, 45) at Miami, 1:00 pm - The Steelers are behind the Texans in tie-breaking, so their chances of making the playoffs with a win and some help are pretty slim. Miami's are even slimmer, but the Dolphins should be motivated at least to beat up on the reigning champs and hope things turn out rosy. Everybody who is expected to start will, though Pittsburgh will once again be without the services of Troy Polamalu, and that's a big loss.

PREDICTION: Dolphins 20 Steelers 17

NY Giants at Minnesota (-9, 37 1/2), 1:00 pm - The line here is an absolute joke. Apparently, we're supposed to believe that the Giants are going to mail this one in, just as they did against Carolina. Truth of the matter is that Carolina is playing the some of best football in the league and the week before they pounded the Giants, they absolutely trashed the Vikings.

Minnesota was fortunate to get to overtime against a depleted Bears team and, despite the heroics of Brett Favre in the second half, look like a team that is going to be one-and-done in the playoffs. The defense can't stop anybody and the offense can't run the football. They limp in here with maybe a loss, but more than likely a win by four points.

PREDICTION: Vikings 24 Giants 20

San Francisco (-7, 40 1/2) at St. Louis, 1:00 pm - Garbage in, garbage out. The game means nothing except that the Rams can clinch the worst record in the league with a loss and grab the #1 draft slot. Mail it in, Rams. Good luck in 2010!

PREDICTION: 49ers 30 Rams 13

Atlanta (-2 1/2, 41 1/2) at Tampa Bay, 1:00 pm - Tampa's win over the Saints was a real injection of good spirits for this ailing franchise. Atlanta has committed themselves to finishing the season with a winning record for the first time in franchise history, so expect plenty of banging in this one, possibly one of the best meaningless games ever. This one's all about off-season bragging rights and little else, but one gets the feeling that both teams are taking it seriously. The Falcons' quest will come to fruition with a late score.

PREDICTION: Falcons 24 Buccaneers 20

All times Eastern - Click here for late games

Copyright 2009, 2010, 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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