Unlike previous weeks, I'm going to do two separate previews, so that I can properly sort out the key games in each conference and how they effect the playoffs.
Read my NFC picks here.
Read my NFC picks here.
The AFC Playoff Picture
In the AFC, things are still pretty wide open with the exception of Indianapolis and San Diego which have clinched the first and second seeds, respectively.
The third and fourth seeds will go to the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals, although it hasn't quite been settled which team will get the higher seeding.
By beating the Houston Texans, the Patriots can lock up that No. 3 seed. There is some speculation that New England will rest their starters, but I fully expect them to go all out and beat Houston, who will end up with their traditional 8-8 record.
Here is where things get complicated. The final two spots are up for grabs between seven different teams which are currently 8-7 or 7-8. Really though, the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars (the 7-8 teams) actually have no chance.
Of the final five teams, the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets just need to win and they will be the wild card teams. It's conceivable that the Oakland Raiders could pull off another upset, but I expect the Ravens to win their game.
As I stated previously, I expect the Patriots to eliminate the Texans in their game. Which also means that the Bengals will have nothing to play for by the time they play the Jets in the Sunday Night game.
So more likely than not, the big prime time game is going to essentially be a glorified exhibition game. Just like last week against the Colts, the Jets will get handed a victory and the final wild card spot in the process.
In the unlikely event that the Ravens and Jets don't in, either the Broncos or Steelers will be in position to make it into the playoffs.
Based on the fact they are playing the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver would seem to have the advantage over Pittsburgh, who play Miami. However,I wouldn't be surprised at all if ither one or both of these teams ended up losing.
Other Games of Interest
Some other games have the possibility to be interesting games even though they don't actually effect the playoff situation.
In Cleveland, the Browns will try to earn their third straight win by beating Jacksonville and are hoping that it will convince Mike Holmgren to bring Eric Mangini back next year. They will, but he won't.
Also, Tennessee is going to beat Seattle to complete their improbable comeback from an 0-6 start to an 8-8 finish.
Last week, I ended up with a 9-7 record straight up and only 5-11 against the spread. Which leaves me with a season record of 147-90 straight up and 118-118-3 against the spread.
Read my NFC picks here.
My Picks for the 2009 Week Seventeen AFC Games
Sun, Jan 3 | 10:00 AM (PST) | 11:00 AM (MST) | 12:00 PM (CST) | 1:00 PM (EST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Favorite | Underdog | Point Spread | Straight Up | Against the Spread |
@Buffalo | Indianapolis | 8.0 | Buffalo | Indianapolis |
@Cleveland | Jacksonville | 1.5 | Cleveland | Cleveland |
Pittsburgh | @Miami | 3.0 | Miami | Miami |
@Houston | New England | 8.0 | New England | New England |
Sun, Jan 3 | 1:00 PM (PST) | 2:00 PM (MST) | 3:00 PM (CST) | 4:00 PM (EST) |
@Denver | Kansas City | 13.0 | Denver | Kansas City |
Baltimore | Oakland | 10.5 | Baltimore | Baltimore |
@San Diego | Washington | 4.0 | San Diego | San Diego |
Tennessee | @Seattle | 4.0 | Tennessee | Tennessee |
Sun, Jan 3 | 5:20 PM (PST) | 6:20 PM (MST) | 7:20 PM (CST) | 8:20 PM (EST) |
@New York Jets | Cincinnati | 10.0 | New York Jets | Cincinnati |
