Lance's Week 17 Predictions

The final regular season week of 2020. I will be putting out my weekly picks through the playoffs, plus a little article before the playoffs kick off with my picks for the major awards and my Super Bowl pick. This article will not include fantasy starts and sits. If your commish makes you play through week 17 you should revolt and put in a new commish in charge. One who understands that championships are hard enough to win without having to plan for teams sitting starters at the end of the year. Here are my picks for this week:

Overall Record: 150-89-1

Tampa Bay over Atlanta

Tampa needs to win, or the Rams to lose in order to ensure they play the NFC East champion in the opening round of the playoffs. That means they should have all of their starters in to control what they can to lock up the 5th seed, and with the way they’re playing right now, that should lead to a win over the ever-confusing Falcons.

Dallas over NY Giants

The Giants looked like they had things figured out and then they fell right back into playing like hot garbage. Dallas on the other hand has played very well the last three weeks and Dalton has things clicking with his Receiving corps.

New England over NY Jets

I’ve gone back and forth on this one, but I see Belichick securing yet another win against the team he left standing at the altar.

Detroit over Minnesota

Minnesota’s defense has looked worse lately than it did at the beginning of the year, and without Dalvin Cook, Detroit will be able to focus more energy on slowing down Thielen and Jefferson, allowing Stafford and Swift to lead them to victory.

Cleveland over Pittsburgh

Both teams need the win for different reasons, but the Browns need it more and after their embarrassing loss to the Jets they’ll be more determined to get the win.

Baltimore over Cincinnati

The Ravens have started to look like they did during the 2019 regular season and a win gives them a shot at making a run in the playoffs. Their secondary will force Brandon Allen to shift back to looking like his normal self, not that monster that tore apart the Texans last week.

Buffalo over Miami

A win for Buffalo locks up the #2 seed and potentially knocks a divisional foe out of the playoff race. The Dolphins defense gives them a shot at winning, but Buffalo’s defense has really stepped up, holding four of their last five opponents to under 20 points. If it comes down to choosing an offense to get it done I’m gonna have to go with the Allen-Diggs connection.

Seattle over San Francisco

The #1 seed is still in play, so Seattle’s starters will be on the field. As feisty as San Fran has been, I’m gonna stick with Wilson as he starts to slide into his postseason mode.

Arizona over LA Rams

Goff is out, so this comes down to can the Rams defense play well enough to cover up the deficiencies that arise with John Wolford under Center? Short answer is no, I don’t think they can. The long answer: I think Arizona’s improved defense takes advantage of the backup and Murray and company do just enough to prevent LA’s defense from being the deciding factor.

Indianapolis over Jacksonville

The Jags have the #1 pick locked up, so there’s no reason for them to throw this one, but that won’t make much of a difference. Rivers knows that this is potentially his final shot at getting a ring and he does everything he can to ensure his team is in the playoffs.

Tennessee over Houston

With how poorly the Titans defense is playing this could be a real barn burner, but Henry and company will come out on top, securing the AFC South title.

Denver over Las Vegas

Vegas is playing very poorly, I mean the Broncos aren’t really doing any better, which is why this one is anyone’s game. I see Lock having one of his games that makes you go “yep, he is definitely a franchise Quarterback” even though it’s against one of the worst pass defenses in the league.

LA Chargers over Kansas City

KC will be resting their starters as they are the only playoff bound team in the NFL that has nothing left to play for. That opens the door for a nice confidence boosting win for Herbert as his rookie season draws to an end.

Green Bay over Chicago

Thanks to the NFL’s scheduling, Green Bay will not know if they have the #1 seed locked up before kickoff, so they will have to play their starters. Home field advantage in the playoffs for a cold weather team can make a world of a difference with or without fans, so they’ll be giving it their all. Plus, there’s the added benefit of possibly ending their bitter rivals playoff hopes all in one fell swoop.

New Orleans over Carolina

The Saints need quite a bit of help to get the #1 seed, but it’s still in play and for now all they can do is win. Kamara just got done torching the Vikings and for his encore I think he goes for over 250 total yards and tacks on another three touchdowns.

Washington over Philadelphia

Hurts has thrown for over 300 yards in back to back games and accumulated over 130 rush yards total in those two games. Now he has a real test against a defense that ranks 3rd in passing yards allowed and 12th in rushing yards allowed. I think Washington’s defense gets the better of him and Alex Smith takes advantage of a depleted Philly secondary. (If Smith doesn’t play I’m gonna switch my pick to Philly)