LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (13-3)

Last week was the best week we had in straight pick-em and it was a 16 game slate. We lost picking the Chiefs to beat a bad Titans team. Which everyone in the football world picked Chiefs over Titans. The Ravens screwed us. Maybe Lamar Jackson had to get home early to play video games after exiting with a back injury in the New England game. The Lions wish they held on to Ben Johnson as Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers beat Detroit. We did well with picks like Bears over Packers. Maybe got lucky with Seahawks over the Rams on that epic Thursday night game. The Panthers pick was savvy over a troubled Buccaneers team. Hopefully the figgy pudding over the holidays doe not ruin our Spidey senses for week 17. Week 17 has many tricky match ups we hope to conquer.

SEASON RECORD: (156-84)

We are out to seek more justice in the NFL while we slay the majority of the week 17 match ups coming at you right up the middle of the defense.

NFL WEEK 17 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

DALLAS COWBOYS (6-8-1) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4-11)

The Washington Commanders may not be thankful for their Christmas gift at the QB position on Jesus’s birthday. In his second stint with Washington, Josh Johnson will be the starter since Jayden Daniels is shut down for the season. The other Washington quarterback, Marcus Mariota, is out with an injury. The Cowboys come in losing three straight games and were eliminated from the playoffs with a loss from the Chargers last week. Washington has been eliminated for awhile as this game looked great on paper before the season started. Now it has that feel of eating fruit cake and being forced to do so. Johnson in ten seasons in the NFL has 1 win in 9 starts. The one win came in 2018 in his first stint with Washington as they were known as the Redskins at the time. Johnson had more wins playing in the spring leagues as he suited up for the San Diego Fleet in 2019 in the Alliance of American Football league. Then in 2020 in the XFL first reboot with the LA Wild Cats. I think Johnson will be able to engineer some scoring drives for Washington. That Dallas defense has been let down the last three weeks. I know Dak Prescott will be able to generate more points than Johnson off one of the worst defenses in the league the Commanders have.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

DETROIT LIONS (8-7) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (7-8)

The Lions are falling apart at the worst time of their season. The Vikings, even though they are eliminated from the post-season, are on a hot streak as they won three straight games. The Lions need to win out and need help to make it into the post-season. The Vikings will be without their starting quarterback JJ McCarthy who was injured early on last week in a win versus the Giants. The other Vikings rookie QB will make his second start. Max Brosmer finished the Giants game by going 7-9 for 52 passing yards no turnovers. It’s better than the 4 interception game he had in his first NFL game he started versus Seattle. Vikings won the first meeting between these two teams. I think the Vikings can generate some points on offense as the Lions defense is very giving around the Holidays. They were on Thanksgiving versus the Packers. The Lions defense should be able to contain Brosmer. The Vikings defense will come after Jared Goff, but the Lions offense will counter with short passes and a solid running game to avoid trouble from their pressure. Lions need this game while Brosmer just does not want to look foolish out there in front of an entire nation watching.

OUR PICK: LIONS

DENVER BRONCOS (12-3) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-9)

Can the Kansas City Chiefs play spoilers and be like the Grinch that stole the Denver Broncos Christmas? The Broncos winning streak of 11 games was snapped by Jacksonville last weekend with a beat down ON Denver. Could the Chiefs give the division rival another loss to help the Patriots get the number 1 seed in the AFC? The Chiefs will be without the face of the franchise in Patrick Mahomes. They lost their second string quarterback Gardner Minshew early in the game last week in another loss versus a bad Titans team. It will be up to Chris Oladokun making his first start in the NFL against one of the best defenses in the league which the Broncos have. The Chiefs will give the Broncos a game because it’s Christmas and everyone is watching. I do not like the Chiefs chances in this. Broncos will want to get that bad Jaguars loss out of their mouths quickly and take care of business in this one. They are very close to securing the number 1 seed which gives them the first round bye in the AFC post-season. The Broncos defense shuts down the Chiefs offense which seals the deal and keeps the number 1 seed in their grasp.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

SATURDAY GAMES

HOUSTON TEXANS (10-5) AT LA CHARGERS (11-4)

Last time the Chargers and Texans got together was in January of 2025 in the wild card round. The Texans defense devoured Justin Herbert as they sacked him while picking him off 4 times in a 32-12 rout. I would say the Texans defense is better this go round. The Texans have won seven straight games but did not play the Raiders, a bottom feeder of the league, very well. The Chargers aerial attack bombarded the Cowboys defense with Herbert having a big game. The Chargers have won 4 straight. The Chargers have the top wild card and probably will not catch the Broncos. The Texans still have a chance at the AFC South division title. The Chargers are in the post-season while Houston still needs to nail down their berth. The Chargers have the Bills on their heels with the second wild card spot so a loss and Bills win would not go well for LA. Who wins this game? I think Jim Harbaugh’s teams are hard to beat a second time around even though these teams have not played each other since the wild card round. Herbert is the better QB than the Texans’ CJ Stroud. Can the Chargers defense contain Stroud and the Texans offense? Even though this a road game for Houston, it may look like a home game for them as Chargers have no fans. I think Herbert’s memories will play a factor as the Texans change the entire structure of the AFC post-season seedings with a win.

OUR PICK: TEXANS

BALTIMORE RAVENS (7-8) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-5-1)

Ravens running back Derrick Henry needs only 64 rushing yards to pass up former Cowboys star Tony Dorsett on the NFL all-time rushing list. Henry will then be in the top ten running backs in yards all-time in NFL history and could continue to move up the charts in years to come. The running game is what both teams will need in this Saturday night game. The Packers will not have their starting QB. Jordan Love has been ruled out with a concussion he suffered versus the Bears. For the Ravens, Lamar Jackson is doubtful due to a back injury he suffered in the loss to the Patriots. The back up QB for the Packers is Malik Willis who suffered a shoulder injury versus the Bears filling in for Love. The Packers 3rd string QB is Clayton Tune. The Ravens will have to rely on Tyler Huntley in a must win game for the Ravens if Jackson can’t go. The Packers are still chasing the Bears for the NFC North title and are in the post-season due to the Lions losing on Thursday vs the Vikings.

The Packers should thank the two former Aaron’s who once suited up for the green and gold. Aaron Rodgers helped his old team beating the Lions last week. While Aaron Jones helped his former team beat the Lions once again on X-mas as he is suiting up for the Vikings these days. Huntley is 1-0 this season filling in as a starter for the Ravens as he beat the Bears this season. Huntley is 6-9 all-time as a starter in the NFL. Willis went 2-0 as the Packers starter last year in 2024. He was running the ball with big chunks of yardage last week vs the Bears. Huntley was not impressive filling in when Jackson left the game vs the Patriots. I like Willis.

The Packers are at home. The Ravens have not played well most of the year even with Jackson behind center most of the time.

OUR PICK: PACKERS

THE SUNDAY TILT

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-10) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (3-12)

Is this the farewell stretch for the Mormon Missile, the Saints’ Swiss Army Knife for the last 9 seasons? Hill is 35 years old, will be a free agent next season, and could decide to call it a career. The Saints have been marching winning their last three games in a row. The Titans may no longer be the laughing stock of the league as they are 2-1 in their last three coming off a win versus the Chiefs minus Patrick Mahomes. Cam Ward has thrown six touchdown passes in the last three games. He had only seven in the first 12 games. You have to like what Tyler Shough has done for the Saints this season. He has already set the franchise record for most wins as a quarterback breaking Archie Manning’s rookie record of 3 wins. The Saints head coach Kellen Moore has got something in Shough who has played well and is 4-3 as the starter now. The Titans have been doing well with their running game. I like the Saints defense stopping Tony Pollard, bringing the Titans running back to a grinding halt. Shough will do his thing which is not fancy but gets the job done. The Mormon Missile will have a big play in this one to end his career with somewhat of a bang. But not a whimper as Saints marched to their 4th in a row.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (12-3) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (8-7)

If the Panthers beat the Seahawks in this game, since they beat the Rams weeks ago you could say they would have wins over the best two teams in the NFC conference. The Seahawks are already in the playoffs and need to win this while hoping the 49ers and Rams lose to clinch the NFC West. If the Seahawks win the division, they certainly will have the first round bye which is the number one seed in the NFC. The Panthers win and Buccaneers lose, they win the dreaded NFC South. The Panthers beat the Buccaneers last week and play them again in week 18. The Seahawks won a wild one that went to OT to knock off the Rams last week. If Seahawks lose, they may be coming back to Carolina in the post-season in the wild card round. Can Sam Darnold knock off one of his former teams he has played for? Seattle is the better team. I think their defense can halt the Panthers rushing attack and limit Bryce Young. Darnold will focus on getting the win rather than getting any kind of revenge on a former team. The Seattle offense will be able to generate enough points to give Panthers fans high blood pressure for a rematch against the Buccaneers in week 18.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (11-4) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-7)

Imagine if Phillip Rivers had a few more games than only the two recent ones in this comeback tour, he may have better outcomes. On Monday in the Colts loss to the 49ers, in that first half Rivers was wheeling and dealing. He finished the night tallying 277 passing yards with two touchdown passes but could not stop the bleeding. The Colts have lost 5 straight games now. They face one of the hotter teams in the league, the division rival Jaguars who have won six straight. Earlier this month, the Jags held Jonathan Taylor to 74 rushing yards and won big in Jacksonville versus the Colts. If the Colts want to win this game, they need Taylor and Rivers to have their biggest games of the year. The Colts are still alive somehow but need to win out. They need help as well. The Jags win the division with a win and need a Texans loss. Taylor at home in the last 3 games versus the visiting Jaguars has torched them for 546 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns.The Jags have a top notch run defense this season like earlier in the month. Trevor Lawrence is red hot and the Colts defense has too many injuries to stop the Jaguars QB and running game. Old man Rivers is good for at least one pick in this game. Say good bye to the Colts season after this game. It was a nice run by Rivers though as he played well coming back at 44 years of age.

OUR PICK: JAGUARS

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (9-6) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-12)

Can Shedeur Sanders join two other Browns rookie quarterbacks by beating the Mike Tomlin-led Steelers in their first start against Pittsburgh? He can join the Browns greats such as Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Brandon Weeden. The Browns defensive end, Myle Garrett, tied the single season sack record last week versus the Bills. With one more sack, he could break both TJ Watt’s and Michael Strahan’s previous record of 22 sacks. The Steelers are in control over the AFC North. They need a win or a Ravens loss on Saturday to win the division and cement themselves into the post-season. The Browns gave the Bills a battle last week on their home turf. Mistakes by the Bills may have kept the Browns alive. I like the Steelers in this one to get the job done. Garrett gets the sack. The Steelers get the win and will get a takeaway or takeaways from you know who, Shedeur Sanders, who has 8 interceptions already and is 1-4 as the starring QB for the Browns this season. The Steelers will run the ball down the Browns throats and keep Cleveland perhaps looking at another QB in next year’s draft.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-8) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-9)

Right now the Miami Dolphins are the only Florida NFL team that will be home for the post-season. They have time to take down their X-mas lights. The Dolphins can also prevent the Buccaneers making the post-season by giving them a loss this weekend. The Buccaneers have to win out to be able to win the NFC South, their only way to get into the post-season. The Buccaneers started off hot at 6-2. Since then they have dropped 6-7 games. Last week they lost to the Panthers and play them once again in the final week of the season. The Panthers could be dropped by Seattle this week which a Buccaneers win keeps them alive. The Dolphins are starting their rookie QB once again. Quinn Ewers will be making his second start of his NFL career. In his first versus a bad Bengals defense, he tallied up 260 passing yards but threw two picks as the Dolphins were blown up. Bake Mayfield has not shone in weeks, however I think he has a big game here to get by the Dolphins and make week 18 a showdown versus the Panthers.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-12) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-10)

Before Arizona, the Cardinals played in St.Louis. Before Arch-town they played their home games at the old Comisky Park in Chicago, where they probably played the most cold games of their franchise history at home. In present day I would say the Cardinals will be affected by the cold weather in Cincinnati being from Arizona in the dry heat. Maybe Cincinnati has a dry cold. Joe Burrow put up over 40 points of offense on the Dolphins last week. The Cardinals have given up 40 points or more twice in the last three games. The Cardinals defense has been decimated with injuries. They have lost seven straight games. They have locked in a definite top ten pick in next year’s draft. Jacoby Brissett will face a bad Bengals defense in this match up. Burrow vs Brissett in cold conditions, even in warmer conditions, I have to give the nod to Joe over Jacoby. The Bengals will light up the scoreboard. The Cards will score about 20 points and lose by two scores or more.

OUR PICK: BENGALS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (12-3) AT NEW YORK JETS (3-12)

The Jets rookie quarterback Brady Cook is not doing any cooking on the field as he started two games and played in 3 total contests. The Patriots are still looking to clinch the AFC East and go perfect on the road as they come in 7-0. In 11 quarters of frozen meats with Cook: He has 6 interceptions, 3 fumbles which he lost only 1, while being sacked 17 times. He has engineered two touchdown drives. He has thrown 1 touchdown pass. Meanwhile Drake Maye engineered a comeback win over the Ravens in a big win they needed in order to stay ahead of the Bills last week on Sunday night football. This game seems unfair for the Jets. Perhaps losing out they can get a better draft pick come April. This one should be a blow out for the Patriots.

OUR PICK: PATRIOTS

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-13) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-13)

The Raiders will be without their star defender Mad Maxx Crosby who has been dealing with a lingering knee injury. He will be at home for the final two games of the Raiders season. He can quickly forget how bad this season was for the silver and black, and the visiting New York Giants. Both teams have the same record at 2-13 and have lost 9 straight games. The winner here snaps the 9 game losing streak. The loser here will get the number 1 draft pick next season. It’s a win/win. If it ends up in a tie, do they split the first pick down the middle? Which half would your team want? The Raiders offense had some life last week versus the Texans. The Giants lost another close game. Geno Smith will become the interception king after this contest because he is tied with Dolphins QB, Tua Tagovailoa. Give me Jaxson Dart to have his best game as a rookie this season as the Giants open the playbook and land their first road win of the season giving Pete Carrol the number 1 draft pick. Which he planned the entire time since he took the Raiders gig.

OUR PICK: GIANTS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (10-5) AT BUFFALO BILLS (11-4)

Can the Bills get their white whale? The Eagles are the only team that head coach Sean McDermott and Josh Allen have not beaten in their tenure. The last time these two teams met, it was an epic game where the Eagles won. Both Allen and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts threw multi-touchdown passes and scored multi-times. Can the Bills defense stop the Eagles running game with Saquon Barkley? The Bills have had plenty of injuries piling up but they have won 4 straight games. The Bills defense have made plays in crunch time in those 4 victories. The Eagles have already clinched the NFC East. They come into week 17 as the number three seed and want to improve their seeding by winning on the road and leapfrogging the Bears. The Bills have clinched a playoff spot and are one game back of the Patriots with two games left on the docket. Bills may not win the AFC East, but they need stay ahead of the Texans and could jump the Chargers who are one seed ahead of them. This will be a good game. I like the Bills at home. I can see them playing much better than their performance last week vs the Browns even though they won. The Eagles have beaten cream puffs the last two weeks. Before that, they took on losses to the Chargers and Bears.

OUR PICK: BILLS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

CHICAGO BEARS (11-4) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (11-4)

This is a big game for both the 49ers and Bears. Both teams have already clinched a playoff spot. Both teams are still in the hunt for the number 1 seed in the NFC conference. Both teams will be cheering for Seattle to lose who have a 12-3 record. The Bears lead their division after beating Green Bay last Saturday in an epic OT game. They need to win and with a Packers loss, they win the division. The 49ers are in the second spot in the NFC West with the same record as the Rams at 11-4 and both teams are chasing Seattle who is ahead of them by 1 game. This game is important for seeding for the 49ers just in case Seattle wins earlier, they want to keep ahead of the Rams who play on Monday night. The Bears have the most victories this season trailing in the last two minutes of the game with 6. The 49ers have won 5 straight games by double digits coming into this Sunday night melee. The Bears have gotten off to too many slow starts this season and have to make that comeback to win the game. The Bears converted on a onside kick last week versus the Packers late in that game which is unheard of nowadays. That play helped the Bears bring that game to overtime. When the Bears are good and face the 49ers when they are good, it has not worked out for Chicago over the decades. This game has a shoot out written all over it even though both defenses are not Bengals-like. Both offenses have a ton of talent and Brock Purdy and Caleb Williams are just clicking on all cylinders seeing the field perfectly. The slow start will doom the Bears as the 49ers will prevent the comeback as Chicago’s luck runs out, this week at least.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

LA RAMS (11-4) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (6-9)

Will the Rams continue to feast on Holiday bird by beating the Falcons on Monday night? I’m sure most of the Rams players indulge in turkey or perhaps goose on Christmas. Perhaps Kirk Cousins will be the jive turkey the Rams dogs on defense devour. The Rams come in already having clinched a playoff spot. A win over Atlanta and some help from other teams could help them get a better seed in the post-season. The Falcons have some insight information on the Rams. Will it help Atlanta that their former defensive coordinator, Raheem Morris, is the Falcons head coach? The Falcons are second in the league in sacks this season. Only problem is Matthew Stafford is very good versus the blitz and is very hard to sack because he delivers the ball out quickly. Cousins all-time on Monday football, his record is 3-10. However he is 3-1 in the last 4 games. The Rams are coming off that wild game versus Seattle with a debatable ending that did not go their way. I like Stafford getting the best over Cousins in this one. Falcons are too up and down for me to pick them even though Captain Kirk is playing better. Eventually Atlanta will bend and break, not being a part of the post-season.

OUR PICK: RAMS