NFL 2023 Week 17 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again! There is only just two weeks of regular season play left. As of right now there is only eight spots left to the postseason still open as teams make their runs. For this post, I am doing a Playoff Picture for Week 17, Week 17 preview and picks and the Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings for Week 17. Let's get to work!

NFL Playoff Picture: Week 17

With two weeks left of the regular season, there is a few spots open in the NFC. So we shall start there. 

Seeding

1st seed: San Francisco 49ers (11-4) (Clinched NFC West)

2nd seed: Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) (Clinched playoff berth)

3rd seed: Detroit Lions (11-4) (Clinched NFC North)

4th seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)

5th seed: Dallas Cowboys (10-5) (Clinched playoff berth)

6th seed: Los Angeles Rams (8-7)

7th seed: Seattle Seahawks (8-7)

Super Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Seattle @ Philadelphia

LA Rams @ Detroit

Dallas @ Tampa Bay

In the Hunt

Minnesota (7-8), Atlanta (7-8), Green Bay (7-8), New Orleans (7-8), Chicago (6-9)

Better Luck Next Year

NY Giants (5-10), Washington (4-11), Arizona (3-12), Carolina (2-13)

A fair amount of division titles locked up. The 49ers are ahead of the Eagles based on head-to-head record. The 49ers are ahead of Detroit based on conference record. The Rams are ahead of the Seahawks based on head-to-head record. So ultimately there is a couple of wild card spots open and the NFC South title. Let's look at the AFC.

Seeding

1st seed: Baltimore Ravens (12-3) (clinched playoff berth)

2nd seed: Miami Dolphins (11-4) (clinched playoff berth)

3rd seed: Kansas City Chiefs (9-6)

4th seed: Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7)

5th seed: Cleveland Browns (10-5)

6th seed: Buffalo Bills (9-6)

7th seed: Indianapolis Colts (8-7)

Super Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Indianapolis @ Miami

Buffalo @ Kansas City

Cleveland @ Jacksonville

In the Hunt

Houston (8-7), Pittsburgh (8-7), Cincinnati (8-7), Las Vegas (7-8), Denver (7-8)

Better Luck Next Year

NY Jets (6-9), Tennessee (5-10), LA Chargers (5-10), New England (4-11)

A bit less interesting in the AFC in terms of division titles clinched. Just two of the seven spots have been clinched for playoff position. The AFC's 12 (of 16 in total) teams are currently still alive to have a ticket punched to the postseason. Chances are this week might see that 12 number drop to possibly less. If everything stays the course, the Ravens will likely win the #1 seed in the playoffs. 

Week 17 Preview

The Seventeenth week of the National Football League's regular season will start in Cleveland, Ohio and finish up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The week features a 16-game slate where all 32 teams will play. No teams are on a bye this week. Week 16 features a Thursday night game, a Saturday night game, 10 early games, three late games and a Sunday night game. CBS will have the doubleheader and FOX will show the single, regional game this week. Let's get to the picks! 

Week 17 Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

NY Jets (6-9) @ Cleveland (10-5) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Browns; CV: Jets

The Jets beat the Commanders and the Browns beat the Texans last week. Week 16 starts with the Thursday Night Football finale of the season. The Jets come into this game having some success with the offense improving by going with Trevor Siemian. The Jets defense had its struggles against the Washington offense but they still have one of the better defensive units in the league. Cleveland comes into this game winning three straight games. They have had success with Joe Flacco, not DeShaun Watson, this season. The connection of Flacco to receiver Amari Cooper has been one of the best combos in the league. I think the connection will be tested as the Jets defense has one of the best pass defense in the league. I like the Browns but Joe Flacco needs to cut down on the turnovers. 

Detroit (11-4) @ Dallas (11-4) (ABC/ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Lions; CV: Cowboys

The Lions beat the Vikings and the Cowboys lost to the Dolphins last week. Detroit finally got a division title for the first time since 1993. Head coach Dan Campbell wants his team to be even more hungrier and get a playoff win. The big test for the Lions will come this week as their counterparts from Dallas host them. The Lions offense has been doing its thing. There shouldn't be too much of a concern but the turnovers and penalties have been traditionally their Achilles heel. Dallas Has had a tough time the past few weeks. Losses to Buffalo and Miami have put some down on the Cowboys. Dallas will need to play one of their best games of the season on defense to slow down the offensive machine of the Lions. It feels like a game where the Cowboys are the better team but I will take the Lions. 

Arizona (3-12) @ Philadelphia (11-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Cardinals

The Cardinals lost to the Bears and the Eagles beat the Giants last week. Arizona hasn't had a great season. They're pretty much playing it out and hope to get some good draft position whether it be the #1 pick or a top 5 pick. A lot of uncertainty with Kyler Murray will come into question as Week 18 and beyond happens. Personally I hope they stick with him but who knows. Philly is the opposite of their opposition. They finally got back on a winning column and beat the Giants by a little closer than they probably wanted. You can make the argument that the Eagles are better team on paper but the details of their season has been kind of lacking. Despite all this negativity towards the birds, I'll stick with them. 

Atlanta (7-8) @ Chicago (6-9) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bears; CV: Falcons

The Falcons beat the Colts and the Bears beat the Cardinals last week. The Falcons are a weird team. They can play well at times and then shit the bed most of the other times. Their offense can be at times off balance at times. They could have some success against the Bears. Chicago has been playing better of late. The offense has done some good things and their running game has quite a bit of platoon of running backs that can be good. DJ Moore has had a solid season with 1,141 receiving yards. I feel it will come down to whether or not the Bears can find success in the pass game against one of the better pass defenses in the league. I'll take the Bears. 

Carolina (2-13) @ Jacksonville (8-7) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Jaguars; CV: Panthers

The Panthers lost to the Packers and the Jaguars lost to the Buccaneers last week. Carolina has had a rough season. They're playing it out for better or worse. However, they would like nothing better to play spoiler to teams that are trying to solidify playoff positioning. I'm not saying that the Panthers will beat them but they have some pieces on offense that can keep Trevor Lawrence on the bench. Jacksonville has had a rough skid of late. Since the loss to the 49ers, they just seem to lost a few spots in their fur it seems. The defense of Jacksonville's has really let the team down. Trevor Lawrence is definitely guilty of the team's recent skid with turnovers. I still think the Jaguars can take care of business but I would pump the brakes on them getting this win on a cinch. 

LA Rams (8-7) @ NY Giants (5-10) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Rams; CV: Giants

The Rams beat the Saints and the Giants lost to the Eagles last week. Matthew Stafford is healthy, the Rams running game is starting to look nasty, they have a rookie receiver that has 1,327 yards to his name. It seems like a success story for the Rams. They still have a bit of work to do to lock up a playoff spot but if they can continue to produce like they have, I don't think most teams would want to play them. The Giants have fallen off a cliff since surprising people last season. A drop from 9-7-1 to 5-10 in the course of 350+ days is quite shocking. I'm not sure if Daniel Jones is the answer for the Giants. Maybe the Italian Tommy DeVito is the answer. Regardless, the Giants are kind of a hot mess. I'll take the Rams. 

Las Vegas (7-8) @ Indianapolis (8-7) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Raiders; CV: Colts

The Raiders beat the Chiefs and the Colts lost to the Falcons last week. Las Vegas got one of the biggest upsets of the season in beating the rival Chiefs. Their rivals had lately had the better of them. At some point, Mark Davis has to remove the interim tag off of head coach Antonio Pierce and give him full head coach status. Don't make the mistake of going with Josh McDaniels when you had a players coach in Rich Bisacchia (spelling?). I like the Raiders in the matchup as they do have another good running back in Zamir White. If Josh Jacobs can get back onto the field, the two could be something to watch. I'd like to see Aidan O'Connell to improve. Indianapolis could possibly put forth a fight but at some point their hopes of a playoff spot diminish a bit. Going off of momentum I'll go with the Raiders. 

Miami (11-4) @ Baltimore (12-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Ravens

The Dolphins beat the Cowboys and the Ravens beat the 49ers last week. A potential AFC Championship preview? Miami comes into the game with a team win against a good Cowboys team. They will play another good or rather great team in the Ravens. I think both teams are pretty similar to each other. If there was a difference it would be the quarterbacks. Tua Tagovailoa would be a bit more of a pocket passer and Lamar Jackson can be a bit more of a running quarterback. Running backs, wide receivers and defense are pretty similar as well. Baltimore does have a better defense than Miami. I think the biggest takeaway for this game will be which team can score at least 35 points first. I'll take the road team. 

New England (4-11) @ Buffalo (9-6) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Patriots

The Patriots beat the Broncos and the Bills beat the Chargers last week. The Patriots-Bills rivalry returns for more. New England comes into this game winning two of three games so they are playing their best football of the season. Bailey Zappe has been somewhat of the decent answer at quarterback. At least an improvement from Mac Jones. Buffalo has been playing better as of late. They have a shot to get the AFC East at least winning a playoff spot. I'm not sure how the Patriots won the first matchup in the series but the Patriots will need to keep pace and stay level headed. I picked the Bills in the first matchup and I'll take the Bills in the 2nd matchup. 

New Orleans (7-8) @ Tampa Bay (8-7) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Saints

The Saints lost to the Rams and the Buccaneers beat the Jaguars last week. A big NFC South matchup. The Saints offense was starting to show its strides. They were down by a bit against the Rams and came back to play some competitive football. I feel the Derek Carr experiment has been kind of a letdown. Maybe he can stay healthy next year. Tampa Bay is the better team on paper. I like the Baker Mayfield to Mike Evans connection as the two have put forth 13 touchdowns and 1,163 receiving yards. It would be nice to have the Buccaneers have another running back to complement Rachaad White. 

San Francisco (11-4) @ Washington (4-11) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: Commanders

The 49ers lost to the Ravens and the Commanders lost to the Jets last week. San Francisco had a tough three-game stretch and then the Ravens game happened. Brock Purdy had looked like a potential MVP. He might've made his case for not getting the MVP on Monday night. He might've lost it to Lamar Jackson. The 49ers have a chance to get back to possibly retaining the #1 seed in the NFC in the Washington Commanders. Washington hasn't had the best of seasons. Their offense that had been playing really well almost won against the Jets. The defense has been kind of the downside for the Commanders. Washington's offense will definitely have a big test against the 49ers defensive front. I think the Niners will rebound and get a win. 

Tennessee (5-10) @ Houston (8-7) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Texans; CV: Titans

The Titans lost to the Seahawks and the Texans lost to the Browns last week. A team that wants to play spoiler while the other wants to get back into the wild card. Tennessee comes off a tough loss against Seattle. They managed to hold them down but ended up losing. Derrick Henry was both runner and passer in that game. Ryan Tannehill's time in Tennessee just hasn't been a good one in 2023. Despite upgrading at wide receiver, their offense has been mostly Will Levis. Houston without CJ Stroud has been kind of incomplete as something is missing. Maybe he really should be Offensive Rookie of the Year. At least he would have my vote. It would be best if CJ Stroud would come back and play in this game. He had a concussion a couple of weeks ago and he wasn't playing last week. Case Keenum didn't have the best game and Davis Mills had to come off the bench and played alright in garbage time. It seems like the Texans should be able to handle it so I'll take the Texans. 

Pittsburgh (8-7) @ Seattle (8-7) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: Seahawks; CV: Steelers

The Steelers beat the Bengals and the Seahawks beat the Titans last week. Pittsburgh's offense got it going against the red hot Bengals. The Bengals have usually been the pedestrian kittens when it comes to the Steelers. Pittsburgh owns them I suppose. If they win they'll have a guaranteed winning season. Mason Rudolph has been somewhat of the answer at quarterback. Seattle is still in play for the wild card. They need to focus first on the task at hand. Geno Smith will need to know where TJ Watt is at all times. He can wreck havoc if given the chance. Despite this I'll take the Seahawks. 

Cincinnati (8-7) @ Kansas City (9-6) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Bengals

The Bengals lost to the Steelers and the Chiefs lost to the Raiders last week. Cincinnati had been playing out of their minds the last few weeks. Then the Steelers came and ruined them. Fortunately the Bengals only have to play the Steelers twice a season. They will have a shot to get some measure of revenge. Jake Browning will need to shake off the turnovers he had last week and produce some solid football. Kansas City has been having a rough go of it lately. Their offensive woes really showed their ugly heads last Monday against the Raiders. Maxx Crosby went out of his way and disrupted the whole Chiefs offense. Granted the Chiefs offense turned in its roughest performance of the season. Both teams have a chance to regain some momentum. I think Andy Reid will coach his team hard and return to winning. 

LA Chargers (5-10) @ Denver (7-8) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Broncos

The Chargers lost to the Bills and the Broncos lost to the Patriots last week. Los Angeles is having a rough season. They waited too long to fire Brandon Staley, they lost Justin Herbert to injury and the defense needs an overhaul perhaps. The Chargers offense with Easton Stick has been kind of alright. He isn't Justin Herbert but he isn't either Ryan Leaf either. He's a serviceable quarterback. Denver had a chance to really solidify the playoffs but they shot themselves in the foot against New England. Like literally you lose to the worst team in the AFC. It makes their road to the playoffs a lot tougher. They're going to need to win out and get a lot of help. I'm not saying its impossible but an 8-7 Broncos team would've had an easier time than a 7-8 Broncos team. I'm selling stock on the Broncos. 

Green Bay (7-8) @ Minnesota (7-8) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Packers; CV: Vikings

The Packers beat the Panthers and the Vikings lost to the Lions last week. Week 17 wraps up with an NFC North matchup. Green Bay has had a tough time as the road team in Minnesota. They haven't won in Minnesota since 2020. It also has been a back and forth affair. There hasn't been a sweep in the season series since 2019. The Packers come into this game looking to get into the playoffs. Their offense is starting to get back to being healthy. The defense could use some ironing out but at this point, who isn't. Minnesota has been kind of a team on the low. Their offense has been really good or really bad. In the case of the Lions game, I'd argue that they were pretty bad when it came to ball protection. Just imagine how that game would've been like if Nick Mullens didn't throw those four interceptions. I don't trust the Vikings in this game but if Justin Jefferson can get going and stay healthy, I think this game will be close. I'll take the road team Packers. In case you hadn't noticed, Cardinal Viking is going all opposite of me. Could be a smart move or it could backfire. 

Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings

CBS Early

New England @ Buffalo

Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

Miami @ Baltimore

Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Atlanta @ Chicago

Chris Lewis, Jason McCourty, Ross Tucker

Las Vegas @ Indianapolis

Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan

Carolina @ Jacksonville

Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

CBS Late

Cincinnati @ Kansas City

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

LA Chargers @ Denver

Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely

FOX Single

LA Rams @ NY Giants

Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

San Francisco @ Washington

Adam Amin, Mark Sclereth

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay

Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

Arizona @ Philadelphia

Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston

Tennessee @ Houston

Chris Myers, Roberth Smith

Pittsburgh @ Seattle (Late)

Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2023: Week 17 Maps

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 6-8

Week 11: 7-7

Week 12: 9-7

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 5-10

Week 15: 10-6

Week 16: 10-6

Total: 134-106

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 7-7

Week 11: 11-3

Week 12: 8-8

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 4-11

Week 15: 10-6

Week 16: 9-7

Total: 142-98

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all after the Sunday night game for the Week 17 Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom