NFL 2024 Week 17 Picks + NFL Christmas Wishlist

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The week that was Week 16 brought me good things in picks as I was 0-0 in picks. Week 17 used to be the final week of the regular season up until a few years ago but at this point more football is still an okay thing for the fan. Week 17 still has a few teams that are hoping for a playoff spot or a division spot. In this post, I will do a wishlist for all 32 teams this Christmas, a playoff picture of the week, a preview of the games and the picks of the games, as well as the early and late TV broadcast pairings that FOX and CBS will put forth for the Sunday afternoon games. A lot to get to this week so let's get to work!

Note: This post will be done partial due to the week starting on a Wednesday. Games that don't have a pick will be updated later. 

NFL Christmas: 2024 Edition

With Christmas happening (depending on when you actually read this) this week, the NFL surely has to have its wishlist for all the 32 teams that it has. Here is the list of what the teams would like to have this Christmas if they had an Amazon wishlist. 

Arizona Cardinals - a time machine to take them back to when they were 6-4 on the season. 

Atlanta Falcons - a warranty for Kirk Cousins contract and a Chick Fil-A gift card. 

Baltimore Ravens - Don't really need anything specific but a great gift would be a some new cleats for Derrick Henry

Buffalo Bills - a massage recliner for Josh Allen. 

Carolina Panthers - maybe a new owner, David Tepper not quite working out. 

Chicago Bears - a copy of the 1985 Bears VHS tape

Cincinnati Bengals - a sandbag for the defense to stop a flood and a copy of I Robot to Joe Burrow. 

Cleveland Browns - A case of beer for the defense. 

Dallas Cowboys - a copy of the 1995 Cowboys championship season VHS tape and a pair of zubaz pants for the offensive line. 

Denver Broncos - A Rookie of the Year trophy for Bo Nix, just give it to him already. 

Detroit Lions - 60 years of pain eraser for their fans. 

Green Bay Packers - a gift card to Wisconsin Dells or Cheesecake Factory

Houston Texans - a cure to injury for Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. 

Indianapolis Colts - a copy of how to run a football team for Jim Irsay. 

Jacksonville Jaguars - a do-over for this season. 

Kansas City Chiefs - you don't need anything for this season but I guess season tickets for Kansas City Royals games. 

Las Vegas Raiders - a copy of the 1983 Los Angeles Raiders VHS tape. 

Los Angeles Chargers - a free ticket to return to San Diego

Los Angeles Rams - a prime version of Matthew Stafford. Many years for Detroit can do that to you. 

Miami Dolphins - a chance to go back to the old logo and some bottles of chardonnay for the rest of the 1972 Dolphins. 

Minnesota Vikings - a Super Bowl win. Seriously, you're due. 

New England Patriots - a brick wall for Drake Maye. It might not be enough. 

New Orleans Saints - some gumbo and tickets to Super Bowl LIX. 

New York Giants - tickets to go to Atlantic City. You had a rough season. 

New York Jets - a chance to part ways with Aaron Rodgers and give their fans a recliner. 

Philadelphia Eagles - a gift card to some philly cheesesteak place. 

Pittsburgh Steelers - a pierogi gift card to the team and a copy of Jesus Christ Superstar for Russell Wilson.

San Francisco 49ers - a copy of the 1994 49ers championship season VHS tape

Seattle Seahawks - a new defense. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - sailboats for the offensive line. 

Tennessee Titans - acoustic guitars and tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. 

Washington Commanders - a pair of zubaz pants for the team and a VHS copy of the 

NFL Playoff Picture: Week 17

With the regular season just having two weeks left of the regular season, teams still have chances to clinch a spot but at this point there's still matters in seeding. Remember, the #1 seed will have the first round bye and get to play the following week. Let's look at the AFC. 

Seeding

1st seed: Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) (clinched AFC West)

2nd seed: Buffalo Bills (12-3) (clinched AFC East)

3rd seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) (clinched playoff berth)

4th seed: Houston Texans (9-6) (AFC South)

5th seed: Baltimore Ravens (10-5) (clinched playoff berth)

6th seed: Los Angeles Chargers (9-6)

7th seed: Denver Broncos (9-6)

Super Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Denver @ Buffalo

LA Chargers @ Pittsburgh

Baltimore @ Houston

In the Hunt

Indianapolis (7-8), Miami (7-8), Cincinnati (7-8)

Better Luck Next Year

NY Jets (4-11), Cleveland (3-12), Jacksonville (3-12), Tennessee (3-12), Las Vegas (3-12), New England (3-12)

Pittsburgh is ahead of Baltimore based on conference record (Steelers have 7-3 record while Ravens have 6-4). The Chargers are ahead of the Broncos based on head-to-head record. The Chiefs would need to win and they clinch the #1 seed. Let's look at the NFC. 

Seeding

1st seed: Detroit Lions (13-2) (clinched playoff berth)

2nd seed: Philadelphia Eagles (12-3) (clinched playoff berth)

3rd seed: Los Angeles Rams (9-6)

4th seed: Atlanta Falcons (8-7)

5th seed: Minnesota Vikings (13-2) (clinched playoff berth)

6th seed: Green Bay Packers (11-4) (clinched playoff berth)

7th seed: Washington Commanders (10-5)

Super Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Washington @ Philadelphia

Green Bay @ LA Rams
Minnesota @ Atlanta

In the Hunt

Tampa Bay (8-7), Seattle (8-7)

Better Luck Next Year

Dallas (7-8), Arizona (7-8), San Francisco (6-9), New Orleans (5-10), Chicago (4-11), Carolina (4-11), NY Giants (2-13)

A bit quieter on the NFC front. Detroit has the tiebreaker with the head-to-head with Minnesota. The Lions would need to win and have Minnesota lose to clinch the NFC North. That would mean Lions fans would have to be Packers fans for at least a day. Atlanta is ahead of Tampa Bay based on head-to-head record (2-0). They would need to win and a Buccaneers loss. 

Week 17 Preview

The seventeenth week of the regular season will start in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and finish up in Santa Clara, California. The week has a 16-game slate where all 32 teams will play. Week 17 will have six division games, two interconference games, five AFC games and three NFC games. There will be two Wednesday games, a Thursday night game, three Saturday games, six early games, two late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. FOX will have the doubleheader this week and CBS will have the single, regional game Let's get to the picks! 

Week 17 Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern.

Kansas City (14-1) @ Pittsburgh (10-5) (Netflix; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Chiefs

The Chiefs beat the Texans and the Steelers lost to the Ravens last week. The first of two games on Christmas Day. Hopefully it doesn't buffer on Netflix. All that aside, the game will be an intriguing game as both teams have similar ways of winning games. They have a good defense. Kansas City's defense is just about as good as their offense, perhaps even better. They have been pretty lucky this season. The offense plays well enough to get enough points to get them to a one-score game. If they get to that situation, they will win games. 

Pittsburgh comes into this game having a bit of a skid of a season as they have lost three of their last five games. The offense has scored just 15 points/game in the last two weeks. They will need to do more against the two-time defending champions in this game. The good news is that George Pickens should be back to form in this game. They will need him to play a good game. It seems like it is an all hands on deck sort of deal for the Steelers as they could possibly get a division championship depending on how well they do in this game and if the Ravens lose in the game after this one. This could be a bit of a challenge but I'll take the Chiefs. 

All-time series: Steelers lead 23-14

Baltimore (10-5) @ Houston (9-6) (Netflix; 4:30 pm)

Pick: Ravens

The Ravens beat the Steelers and the Texans lost to the Chiefs last week. The 2nd of two games on Netflix. The matchup is a rematch of the AFC divisional of last January. Baltimore has had its success come from its reinvigorated running game. Derrick Henry has been the workhorse of the team. He has given some of the pressure off of Lamar Jackson and the rest of the offense. They even defeated the Steelers in just the 2nd time in nine games. The Ravens come into this game with a very good shot to win this one. The Ravens just need to continue their formula of offense with maybe a bit more passing to throw the Texans defense off. I think the game will be won on the Ravens defense watch. 

Houston comes into this game with a rough loss to the Chiefs. They didn't play their best game but they still only lost by eight points. Houston gave up the ball a bit too many times. You can't do that against the two-time defending champions. The Ravens will make you pay if you do that as well. I question on how well the Texans offense can do in this game with Tank Dell being out for likely a decent amount of time. CJ Stroud hasn't played that great of a season in his sophomore campaign. This game will likely need to be on the shoulders of Stroud again as the Ravens will attempt to shut down the running game of Joe Mixon. I'll take the Ravens. 

All-time series: Ravens lead 12-2

Seattle (8-7) @ Chicago (4-11) (Amazon; 8:15 pm)

Pick: Bears

The Seahawks lost to the Vikings and the Bears lost to the Lions last week. The Thursday night contest will feature two teams in opposite directions. The Seahawks in this game are still in a spot to win the division but at this point, it is their only shot to getting into the tournament. They have to win this game and get some help from the Cardinals this week. The Seahawks offense has been pretty rough to watch at times this season. That and a defense that has given up just one more point this season than they have scored. It doesn't spell good things for them the rest of the season. The running game has been lacking a bit as well. 

Chicago has had a bad season. The season that had such promise has been reduced to a 4-win campaign. The Bears haven't won a game since beating up on the Jaguars in London two months ago. The reason for their downturn was a rough loss to Washington on a hail mary play that they have yet to recover from. The game would do well for their confidence if they can just get a win. The Bears might just be able to do that if they can get their running game off to a good start. The thing that has been pass protection that has killed the Bears hope of scoring. The Seahawks offense just hasn't been playing well and if their defense can play up to their level I think they have a shot to win. I'll take the Bears. Why not? 

All-time series: Seahawks lead 11-8

LA Chargers (9-6) @ New England (3-12) (NFL Network; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Chargers

The Chargers beat the Broncos and the Patriots lost to the Bills last week. Los Angeles is currently in a spot to get their first playoff berth in two seasons and the first under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers currently have the 6th seed and have some cushion over the Broncos should they lose this game and Denver wins against Cincinnati. The big thing to the Chargers offense was the pressure off of Justin Herbert and giving it to JK Dobbins and the emergence of wide receiver Ladd McConkey. The defense has been an average unit with a better pass defense than their rushing defense. Might spell doom a bit if the Patriots can get some daylight in the higher levels of the Chargers secondary. 

New England has had a rough season for sure. It was to be expected as they are close to repeating the same record they had last year sadly the previous year's team had 4 wins. Some conversation is that it might be head coach Jerod Mayo's first and only stint as a head coach. But that's looking past into the future. For this game, the Patriots offense is not a great one but they are slightly better than last year. Drake Maye is a special quarterback and needs to have some stability at offensive line and wide receivers that can catch a ball and be reliable. The defense has been the sad part of the Patriots this season as they have lost a few players via trade and injury. At this point, the end of the season is near. I think the Chargers will take this one. 

All-time series: Patriots lead 27-16-2

Denver (9-6) @ Cincinnati (7-8) (NFL Network; 4:30 pm)

Pick: Bengals

The Broncos lost to the Chargers and the Bengals beat the Browns last week. The Broncos were having a good season then the Chargers came and ruined everything. Cameron Dicker and all. The Broncos are still in position to get into the playoffs but they need to get a win in this one. Can't let these Bengals and Colts get in while currently looking outside in the playoff picture. The Broncos might face their biggest test of the season in taking on the higher scoring offenses in the league. There has to be something to give in the whole Broncos defense vs Bengals offense sort of deal. I'm just wondering about the Broncos offense vs the Bengals defense sort of deal. Denver's run game hasn't been playing that great as the great Javonte Williams has been a bit of a bummer this season with just 485 rushing yards. Bo Nix has been great but he needs help as well. 

Cincinnati has been playing better as of late. Yes they had a bit of a rough start to the season with no wins past the first three weeks or just one in five weeks. The defense has been the real stinker this season for Cincinnati. With the numbers that Joe Burrow has, you would assume that the Bengals would be the best team in the AFC. Sadly the Bengals are at 7-8 and in danger of missing the playoffs for the 2nd straight year. I think the matchup will be the Broncos offense and the Bengals defense that might be the thing to keep an eye on. If they can go after Bo Nix and force him to make bad throws, they have a shot to win. They currently have 14 interceptions as a unit so they aren't all give up yards and points. The 14 interceptions number is also shared by the Bills, Lions, Packers and Chargers, all of them potential playoff teams. I think the Bengals will take this but it is risky.

All-time series: Broncos lead 22-11

Arizona (7-8) @ LA Rams (9-6) (NFL Network; 8:00 pm)

Pick: Rams

The Cardinals lost to the Panthers and the Rams beat the Jets last week. Arizona has been at a bit of a tumble the last few weeks. They were at one point 6-4 and have been 1-4 since then. The offense has been not playing well to a point but also the defense that had been playing really well has been falling off a cliff as well. Things aren't really great in Birdland. The turnovers have been costly for the Cardinals and the passing game has just been in sputters most of the time. Seems like something is off about Kyler Murray recently. Allowing 36 points to the lowly Carolina Panthers has to be disheartening as well.

The Rams have been playing like the opposite of the Cardinals. I kind of forgot how bad they were at the start of the season with a 1-4 record past week 5. They have been 8-1 since then only losing to Miami in November. The Rams offense has been the reason why for the slow start and also the reason for the recovery as well. With Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua healthy they are a dangerous team. Most NFC teams would not want to face them in a playoff situation. For this game, it is a division game and anything could happen in it. Last time these two teams met it was a 41-10 rout by the Cardinals. The Rams weren't quite there yet but at least this go around the two teams are somewhat evenly matched and will be a battle of offenses. I think the Rams will take it.

All-time series: Rams lead 50-41-2

Carolina (4-11) @ Tampa Bay (8-7) (CBS; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Buccaneers

The Panthers beat the Cardinals and the Buccaneers lost to the Cowboys last week. Carolina might've pulled off one of the bigger upsets in the season in beating the Cardinals. Their offense kept pace with one of the higher scoring offenses in the league. The defense was a bend and break sort of deal but their hopes and prayers were won when Chuba Hubbard ran it into the endzone for the biggest touchdown in the season for Carolina. The game this week features a team that is vulnerable in Tampa Bay. A team that is hoping to win the division but need to win and hope the Falcons lose to a Washington team in Sunday night. Whether or not I think the Panthers offense can score 36 points again I think the odds are a bit off. 

Tampa Bay really had a chance to get a win against Dallas. Their defense really let the cat out of the bag against Dallas and before you know it, they were at a deficit that they almost overcame but almost doesn't do it at this point of the season. The Buccaneers cannot underestimate the Panthers as they outscored the Cardinals offense. Their offense should do well as this is a home game and the defense should try to go after Bryce Young. It is a risk to pick the Buccaneers as they are a bit of a vulnerable team with Baker Mayfield at quarterback. At this point, the Buccaneers needed the wake up call and I really hope I can't be proven wrong in this effort. I don't really want to see Atlanta in the playoffs. I'll take the Buccaneers. 

All-time series: Buccaneers 25-23

Green Bay (11-4) @ Minnesota (13-2) (FOX; 4:25 pm)

Pick: Packers

The Packers beat the Saints and the Vikings beat the Seahawks last week. A battle of two NFC North rivals. The Packers come into this game with a big 34-0 shutout over the Saints. Certainly it would be assuming of me that the Packers would falter a bit because of the blowout. In terms of what is at stake for the Packers, it is mostly seeding. They would need to win their next two games and the Vikings to lose their next two as well. I don't think it'll happen. The Packers may have found somewhat of an advantage of the running game. The Packers possess the 4th ranked rushing offense while the Vikings possess the 2nd ranked rush defense. Something has to break. In these division rivalry games, anything could happen. 

Minnesota has been playing really well this season. Sam Darnold would be a candidate of a Comeback Player of the Year if he is a candidate. The Vikings last week were a bit lucky against the Seahawks. It took a big pass to Justin Jefferson to get them over the hump. There is a bit of a concern for the Vikings pass defense that tends to give up a bit of passing yards. I suppose it is a bend don't break sort of scenario. The Vikings took the game at Lambeau and this rivalry has been typically even in the matchups. It would mean the Vikings would lose in this game. The Packers secondary will have their hands full for sure. I don't know, I'll take the Pack. 

All-time series: Packers lead 66-59-3

Indianapolis (7-8) @ NY Giants (2-13) (FOX; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Colts

The Colts beat the Titans and the Giants lost to the Falcons last week. Indy is pretty much what their record shows. They have a relatively decent offense with a good running game but the passing offense is not really great. It is the Anthony Richardson effect but they have kind of gotten it done with him at quarterback. Their defense isn't great as they are ranked 29th overall in total defense. This week they take on the worst team in the NFC. The team should be able to win this one. If they lose it has to be one of the worst losses in team history. If the Colts lose to the Giants, they should force Jim Irsay to sell the team. 

The Giants are terrible this season. Enough to be the worst team in the NFC. The conference has gotten better this season and the Giants are the proverbial doormat this season. Seems wild that this team two years ago won a playoff game. The Giants are just trying to play out the season and hope to play well enough for teams to pick them up in the offseason and to keep a job on the Giants for another year. I honestly don't see the Giants winning this game as their defense is really terrible. Should the Colts try to go for a passing gameplan, the Giants might do well as they are 6th ranked pass defense. I'll take the Colts. 

All-time series: Colts lead 12-8

Las Vegas (3-12) @ New Orleans (5-10) (FOX; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Saints

The Raiders beat the Jaguars and the Saints lost to the Packers last week. Las Vegas finally got a win against an NFL team for the 3rd time this season. They hadn't won a game since beating the Browns in late September. They currently have one a streak of winning one game at the moment and if they have another win, they're on a streak. The teams in this game aren't great as the Raiders offense is pretty pitiful. Aidan O'Connell made the start last week and could possibly do it again this week. With Desmond Ridder possibly available the Raiders have that as an option. The Raiders running game hasn't lived up to expectations with Josh Jacobs leaving in the offseason and they haven't matched his production. Something that the Raiders will have to figure out in the offseason either free agency, trade, or draft. 

New Orleans has had a rough season. Not as rough as Las Vegas but the Saints had beaten Dallas earlier in the season. They had the best offense in the league before Week 3.The Saints passing game hasn't been great but they do have a better running game for this matchup. Alvin Kamara is certainly a better running back than Alexander Mattison and it isn't much of a comparison.  The confidence of the Saints is a bit low after the blowout loss to Green Bay but perhaps with some rizz from interim head coach Darren Rizzi, maybe the Saints will find themselves again and get a win. I don't trust either team but I'll take the Saints. 

All-time series: Series tied 7-7-1

NY Jets (4-11) @ Buffalo (12-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Bills

The Jets lost to the Rams and the Bills beat the Patriots last week. New York Jets are still the New York Jets. Death, Taxes, and the Jets losing is something that is inevitable in life. The Jets going somewhere this season was something that was expected. Like the train falling off the track, the Jets faltered after beating the Patriots in Week 3. The Jets in this game will be facing off against the class of the division in Buffalo. The Jets might have some advantage in having true running backs in this game in terms of a plethora. Breece Hall and Braelon Allen for some. The Jets don't seem like to be the team to upset against the Bills. They would have to shut down the Bills offense and have the Bills send out their 2nd stringers in this game. 

The Bills have been quite the team this season. It is to be expected as they have won the division again this season. The offense is quite the daunting one as they score just points and not much else. They don't bring about world peace but scoring points will have to do. Their unit is lead by the real life version of Superman a.k.a. Josh Allen. The quarterback should likely be one candidate for the MVP trophy. I personally would take Lamar Jackson in a tight decision. The Bills in this game should be able to move the ball fairly well but the Jets defense is not a slouch and the Jets defense should not be trifled with. The last time these two teams met was in October 14th and Davante Adams was not a Jet at that time. The Bills defense will have to keep an eye on Adams as well as the Jets running game. The Bills defense does have a bit of a challenge against the pass defense. I'll take the Bills. 

All-time series: Bills lead 70-58

Tennessee (3-12) @ Jacksonville (3-12) (CBS; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Jaguars

The Titans lost to the Colts and the Jaguars lost to the Raiders last week. A dumpster fire game as both teams are the cellar in the AFC South. They could possibly tie this game I'm not sure either. I just have to make a pick as someone has to ultimately win this game. Tennessee's offense is mostly a sputtering one but they do have Tony Pollard who is having a good season in an overall rough team. The Titans defense actually is a decent unit but you wouldn't notice it as the offense overshadows it. The defense might have a good shot to have advantage as Mac Jones is quarterback for the Jaguars. I would try to focus on shutting down the running game of Jacksonville's and force him to beat you. 

Jacksonville will get to battle another team that is pretty much at their level in terms of record. The offense which used to be one of the better ones in recent memory, has been reduced to a rough spot with Trevor Lawrence out for the season. Mac Jones is leading the way and the results have been rough to see as the former Patriot has thrown five touchdowns and seven interceptions. The rest of the offense is not too shabby but sadly the offense is centered around the quarterback in football and the Jaguars offense is no exception. Unfortunately, the Jaguars defense isn't that much better either. I really don't know what to pick for the game but I'll take the home team. 

All-time series: Jaguars lead 35-25

Miami (7-8) @ Cleveland (3-12) (CBS; 4:05 pm)

Pick: Dolphins

The Dolphins beat the 49ers and the Browns lost to the Bengals last week. Miami has been on a bit of a run this season. Their offense really depends on the health of Tua Tagovailoa. You have to remember that this season had a portion of it without him and the offense fell apart. The dependency is one of the reasons why the Dolphins are at where they are this season. They still have some hope of a playoff spot but they need to win and get some help. They have a good shot to win against the usual conference cellar team in Cleveland. The Dolphins offense will have some tests against the Browns defense but other than that, the Dolphins should have some advantage. The Browns offense is pretty pathetic as well. 

Cleveland has been having a rough season. At this point last year, Joe Flacco had gotten off the couch and proceeded to lead the Browns to a playoff appearance. Jameis Winston had been doing Jameis Winston things as he throws touchdowns but for every touchdown pass he throws, he also throws an interception. His backup Dorian Robinson-Thompson hasn't been that much of an improvement as well as he threw two interceptions in the loss against the Bengals. I don't know who will start for the Brownies but judging by recent success, it don't look good. The quarterback of the Browns will need to find themselves and not turn the ball over. They would have to outscore them on offense and get Tua off his game in this one. I'll take the Dolphins. 

All-time series: Dolphins lead 12-9

Dallas (0-0) @ Philadelphia (0-0) (FOX; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Eagles

The Cowboys beat the Buccaneers and the Eagles lost to the Commanders last week. It is possibly the Cooper Rush vs Tanner McKee dual that you have always wanted. Cooper Rush has been an alright option at quarterback for Dallas. He has the same amount of touchdowns as Dak Prescott and has lesser the amount of interceptions as his teammate. It is like the store brand vs the national brand that costs less but the value is not too shabby. The matchup last time was a rough one as the Eagles ran over Dallas in the blindingly Jerryworld. The Cowboys have been playing better since the blowout loss to the Texans on Monday night. They can play spoiler in this one. With the possibility of the Eagles going with a new quarterback, the Cowboys defense might be salivating at some sacks like a good old fashioned Texas BBQ.

The game last week against Washington was a bit of a rough one. They almost won against the Commanders but the cost was just as rough as the loss. Jalen Hurts left the game with a concussion and is currently in concussion protocol. He might be able to clear it by the time this game happens but as of Monday night, this is still unknown. His backup Kenny Pickett was also feeling a bit rough around the edges as well. If both can't go in this game it would be 3rd stringer Tanner McKee. McKee is a 2rd year player out of Stanford University could make his first start. The Eagles offense should still do alright without their leader in Hurts. Saquon Barkley will need to once again carry the load as the offense will lean heavily for him. The Eagles are a bit of a tough spot. If they win it could come at a cost if Jalen Hurts gets hurt even more and a loss and Hurts doesn't play might mean rest for him but a missed chance at the #1 spot in the NFC playoffs. I'll take the Eagles.

All-time series: Cowboys lead 74-57

Atlanta (8-7) @ Washington (10-5) (NBC; 8:20 pm)

Pick: Commanders

The Falcons beat the Giants and the Commanders beat the Eagles last week. Atlanta got a glimpse of what life would be like under Michael Penix Jr. The debut went perhaps more of a below average but not awful. The former University of Washington quarterback hit 21 of 32 passes for 240 yards with an interception. The running game of Atlanta's did the work in the win. They will need to get more out of Penix Jr. to get to where they want to go to. The passing game does have some foundation with Darnell Mooney and Drake London as capable wide receivers. 

Washington got a big win against rival Philadelphia. They had a challenge but would take on it as they overcame a deficit while also taking Jalen Hurts out of the game via concussion. There hasn't been a lot of games on primetime for Washington and a lot of eyes will be on Jayden Daniels and how he can handle a fairly decent defense of Atlanta. Washington's defense will need to contain the Atlanta running game that scored three touchdowns against New York last week. They do have the 4th ranked pass defense only allowing 201.7 yards/game. If they can prevent Michael Penix Jr from getting 250-300 passing yards, they should have a good shot to win. I'll take the home team. 

All-time series: Commanders lead 18-10-1

Detroit (13-2) @ San Francisco (6-9) (ABC; 8:15 pm)

Pick: Lions

The Lions beat the Bears and the 49ers lost to the Dolphins last week. Detroit is having one of the greatest seasons in their history. And then there's Minnesota with the same record who is no stranger to having 13 wins in a season. Detroit can't have nice things I guess. To clinch the division and the #1 seed they will likely need to win this game and become Packers fans as they take on Minnesota late in the Sunday slate. For this game, the Lions should be able to get a win based on having a better offense and a defense. I would urge caution as the 49ers are out of the postseason but would like nothing more than to upset the Lions and cause chaos in the NFC North race. 

San Francisco is out of the playoffs. It is a season that is straight out of a nightmare sadly. The NFC title defense was a sad bit as injuries ravaged the 49ers all season and them not being able to close out games. The offseason will be an interesting one as a lot of players are set to be free agents and Brock Purdy is set to be one of the higher paid quarterbacks in the league come offseason. That's in the future, the 49ers are not heavy favorites in this one as they take on the Lions. It is a rematch of the NFC championship game. The 49ers passing game could possibly get some yards on the Lions but the matter of points is a bit of a question. The 49ers defense is a shred of its former self but they can still get turnovers. I don't see the 49ers winning this one but the Lions could lion. 

All-time series: 49ers lead 40-28-1

Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings

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

CBS Single

NY Jets @ Buffalo

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Tennessee @ Jacksonville

Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

Carolina @ Tampa Bay 

Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Miami @ Cleveland (Late)

Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty

FOX Early

Dallas @ Philadelphia

Joe Davis, Greg Olson

Indianapolis @ NY Giants

Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

Las Vegas @ New Orleans

Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez

FOX Late

Green Bay @ Minnesota

Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2024: Week 17 Maps

Records

2024:
Week 1: 14-2
Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 10-6

Week 4: 10-6
Week 5: 3-11

Week 6: 13-1

Week 7: 13-2

Week 8: 9-7

Week 9: 12-3

Week 10: 10-4

Week 11: 11-3

Week 12: 7-6

Week 13: 14-2

Week 14: 11-3

Week 15: 13-3

Week 16: 12-4

Total: 172-69

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
2023: 161-111

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

-Tom