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Peter King's Weekend Pickoff

Posted: Wednesday December, 2008 11:23AM; Updated Wednesday December, 2008 11:31AM

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Matchup Week 17 Picks Make Your Picks
Grey_rt_rams Grey_lft_falcons
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

St. Louis Rams (2-14) at Atlanta Falcons (11-5)

Repeat this piece of 2008 NFL incredulity after me: The Atlanta Falcons are playing for a first-round playoff bye. They need help from the Saints, which just might be forthcoming.

Falcons 40, Rams 9

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

White_rt_patriots White_lft_bills
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

New England Patriots (11-5) at Buffalo Bills (7-9)

Tempted to pick the Bills. Very tempted, because the winds-will-be-strong-Sunday forecast from weather.com, on my PC, comes up in bright red letters "HIGH WINDS'' for gameday -- and my new underrated combo-platter at running back is Marshawn Lynch and Fred "Drag 'Em Into The End Zone'' Jackson. Last six games: 120 rushing yards per game, 5.0 yards per carry. But this game is too important for the Patriots' D to not bring the big-boy pads.

Patriots 28, Bills 20

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

Grey_rt_chiefs Grey_lft_bengals
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

Kansas City Chiefs (2-14) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-11)

Stupid Chiefs. They can't even lose right. They solidify third place instead of fighting for second in the Matthew Stafford Draft Derby.

Chiefs 20, Bengals 13

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

White_rt_lions White_lft_packers
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

Detroit Lions (0-16) at Green Bay Packers (6-10)

History, sweet history. Sports Quiz: Name the last quarterback of a winless NFL team. I'll give you a second. Need more time? Answer below, in Arizona-Seattle game.

Packers 31, Lions 13

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

Grey_rt_titans Grey_lft_colts
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

Tennessee Titans (13-3) at Indianapolis Colts (12-4)

Vince Young lives! Imagine on Draft Day 2006 if I told you Young would be reduced to the Jim Sorgi role by the end of Year 3 in the NFL. You'd have told me I was crazy. Well, you'd be right there, but not because of the Vince Young answer.

Titans 28, Colts 13

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

White_rt_giants White_lft_vikings
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

New York Giants (12-4) at Minnesota Vikings (10-6)

Desperate team wins. Plus, I can't see Tom Coughlin using knee-plagued Brandon Jacobs much, if at all, on the fake turf of the Metrodome. Smart thing here would be to make sure Jacobs has three weeks of real rehab before the Jints' playoff opener on Jan. 10 or 11.

Vikings 19, Giants 12

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

Grey_rt_panthers Grey_lft_saints
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

Carolina Panthers (12-4) at New Orleans Saints (8-8)

This defies logic, because John Fox is not going to be keen on his team finishing the season in a slump, nor is he going to be pleased that the Panthers have gone all the way from a 2 seed to 5 in the span of eight days. But Sean Payton's team has been explosive in home games this year -- scoring 24, 31, 30, 34, 37, 51 and 29 points at home -- and Drew Brees has an outside shot to make history, needing 402 passing yards to break Dan Marino's all-time single-season record. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but neither did Buffalo winning in Denver and the Jets losing in Seattle. It's football.

Saints 38, Panthers 35

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

White_rt_browns White_lft_steelers
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

Cleveland Browns (4-12) at Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

Game ends at 4:01. At 4:01.01, Randy Lerner is dialing Bill Cowher's cell number.

Steelers 38, Browns 11

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

Grey_rt_raiders Grey_lft_buccaneers
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

Oakland Raiders (5-11) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)

Ronde Barber is mad. Derrick Brooks is mad. Monte Kiffin, who doesn't have a mad bone in his body, is mad. The last game in the proud pro coaching history of Kiffin will not go like the past three.

Buccaneers 30, Raiders 0

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

White_rt_bears White_lft_texans
Sunday 12/28, 1:00pm ET
Preview

Chicago Bears (9-7) at Houston Texans (8-8)

Tough one to pick, because you don't know the Houston motivation, and the Bears obviously have hopes for a division title. It comes down to not trusting the Bears' offense to win a biggie.

Texans 24, Bears 20

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

Grey_rt_dolphins Grey_lft_jets
Sunday 12/28, 4:15pm ET
Preview

Miami Dolphins (11-5) at New York Jets (9-7)

Don't ask why. I don't know. I do know that Brett Favre, Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold, Thomas Jones, Tony Richardson and Kerry Rhodes are going to play every play like it's their last. Corny. Also true. I also think there's a chance Chad Pennington might be a little too geeked up for this seminal event in his life. And I think the crowd will go from angry at the start to euphoric once it sees the Jets in control of the game -- if not their destiny -- midway through the second half.

Jets 26, Dolphins 24

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

White_rt_cowboys White_lft_eagles
Sunday 12/28, 4:15pm ET
Preview

Dallas Cowboys (9-7) at Philadelphia Eagles (9-6)

Not sure what's louder by game's end -- boos for Terrell Owens or chants to fire Andy Reid. Dallas has won one road game in the past 13 weeks, by the way. I'm picking the Cowboys because I don't like the Philly offense -- at all -- and because I think Tony Romo's tired of hearing what a useless player he is when the games get very big.

Cowboys 24, Eagles 20

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

Grey_rt_seahawks Grey_lft_cardinals
Sunday 12/28, 4:15pm ET
Preview

Seattle Seahawks (4-12) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7)

Solving nothing. No one trusts the Cardinals to do anything but show up at the stadium for the Wild Card game.

Cardinals 20, Seahawks 16

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

White_rt_redskins White_lft_49ers
Sunday 12/28, 4:15pm ET
Preview

Washington Redskins (8-8) at San Francisco 49ers (7-9)

Job haiku for the Redskin coach:
Memo to Jim Zorn:
Don't trust an owner till the
Calendar says "JAN"'

49ers 23, Redskins 17

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

Grey_rt_jaguars Grey_lft_ravens
Sunday 12/28, 4:15pm ET
Preview

Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) at Baltimore Ravens (11-5)

In the past 10 games, Baltimore's lost to the full-strength Giants and replay-fortunate Steelers. That's it. The Ravens have won five road games, toyed with Philly and Washington at home, and built up the confidence of Joe Flacco for his first playoff start ever -- at either the Dolphins, Jets or Pats, most likely. Flacco played only one of them this year, Miami. At Miami. And he had his highest-rated game of the year (120.2), a 27-13 win over the Fish.

Ravens 27, Jaguars 9

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

White_rt_broncos White_lft_chargers
Sunday 12/28, 8:15pm ET
Preview

Denver Broncos (8-7) at San Diego Chargers (7-8)

Midway through the fourth quarter, a muscular man with sunglasses and Padres cap on sneaks into the stadium, stands in the end zone, and watches the final minute or so tick off the scoreboard, with Philip Rivers completing a two-point conversion pass to win the game. The man smiles knowingly, and sneaks out of Qualcomm while the fans blow the roof off the place. Strange. No one notices Ed Hochuli leaving.

Broncos 39, Chargers 38

This game is locked

Your pick: No Pick

The fans say: TBD

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