After a schedule adjustment, the NFL will play games on five of the next seven days.
The action starts on Christmas when the Steelers face the Chiefs followed by the Texans vs. Ravens in a pair of potential playoff matchups.
The Seahawks need a win Thursday to keep pace in the NFC West. After that, Seattle will be watching with great interest on Saturday night as the Cardinals try to beat the Rams for the second time this season.
The Packers play the Vikings on Sunday in a matchup that will have major NFC playoff implications.
It all concludes Monday when the Lions seek revenge against the 49ers for last season’s NFC Championship Game.
Let’s take a look at the Week 17 slate and predict the winners.
📰 Table Of Contents
Christmas Games
Kansas City Chiefs @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers need a bounce-back win after losing to rival Baltimore in Week 16.
Pittsburgh’s third-down defense will be the difference in this game. Against arguably the most intimidating offensive duo in the league (quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry), the Steelers held the Ravens to just four conversions on ten attempts. Pittsburgh will have an easier time with a Kansas City team that doesn’t have as much firepower on offense.
The Steelers will hand KC its second loss of the season, especially with George Pickens returning to the lineup.
Steelers win 23-22
Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans
The Texans will want to win this game for their fallen brother, Tank Dell, who suffered a brutal, season-ending knee injury against the Chiefs in Week 16.
Unfortunately, Houston will have to contain Lamar Jackson, who just set a new personal single-season best with 37 passing touchdowns this year.
Lamar Jackson will continue to set new career highs against one of the league’s worst passing defenses, which has allowed an NFL-high 28 passing touchdowns this season.
Ravens win 31-27
Thursday Night Football Game
Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago Bears
Both of these teams are reeling right now. Seattle has lost two straight to push them out of first place in the NFC West, but the Bears are way worse as they come into this matchup riding a nine-game losing streak. Their last win came on October 13th.
The Seahawks are just a better-coached group right now. Firing Matt Eberflus was the right decision for Chicago, but they haven’t won a game since he was the team’s head coach.
Seattle will get right against the Bears, who fail to win a game for the rest of the season.
Seahawks win 27-19
Saturday Games
Los Angeles Chargers @ New England Patriots
A letdown usually comes after a team clinches a playoff berth. Thankfully for LA, they follow up their divisional win over the Broncos with a road game against the lowly Patriots, who have been winless since November 10th.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (who has a 96.8 quarterback rating this December) should make mincemeat of New England, which is 25th in quarterback rating allowed.
The cold weather will make this game close, but LA should defeat another bad team to improve to 10-6.
Chargers win 28-18
Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Broncos couldn’t stop Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who finished the Thursday night game against Denver with a 110.1 quarterback rating after completing 74.2% of his passes for 284 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Cincy quarterback Joe Burrow, the league’s leading passer with over 4,220 yards and 39 touchdowns, will shred the Broncos’ defense, which allowed 9.2 yards per completion last week.
Cincinnati’s miraculous push toward the playoffs continues with a massively important victory over the AFC’s current seven seed.
Bengals win 33-29
Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams
These are two teams trending in opposite directions. The Rams have won five of their last six while the Cards have lost four of their last five.
More importantly, Arizona was eliminated from the playoffs with a Week 16 loss to the Panthers, so they have no reason to try very hard in this game.
It would actually make sense for the Cardinals to shut down quarterback Kyler Murray so that he avoids suffering any injuries that could affect next season. That probably won’t be the case, but if it does happen, then the Rams take this one with ease to all but guarantee a playoff spot.
Rams win 32- 26
Sunday Early Games
Indianapolis Colts @ New York Giants
There’s not much of a reason to watch this game if you’re not a fan of either team. The Colts will likely miss the playoffs, and the Giants have already been eliminated from postseason contention.
New York does have something to prove because they haven’t won a game at MetLife Stadium this season. They’re an abysmal 0-9 at home coming into this weekend, including a neutral-site “home” loss to the Panthers in Germany.
Sadly, New York Giants fans will not know the pleasure of a home victory during the 2024-25 season.
Colts win 21-18
New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are still breathing down the Chiefs’ necks for the number one seed in the AFC, so they won’t need any extra motivation against a Jets team that has failed to live up to high expectations.
With Aaron Rodgers at the helm, the Jets will probably be competitive in this game, but Josh Allen will continue to put on MVP performances as the Bills move one win closer to the top spot in the AFC and home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Bills win 31-29
Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
This is a rare divisional matchup featuring two teams vying for the NFL’s worst record and the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This could be an entertaining game between bad squads. Both are bottom-five in terms of scoring defense. Jacksonville and Tennessee are also 28th and 25th in scoring offense, respectively.
Tennesee’s defense is (somehow) fifth in yards allowed per game, so they get a slight edge in this contest.
Titans win 17-16
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
It feels like we keep waiting for the Vikings to make a mistake and fall back down to the Earth, but that just isn’t happening.
Minnesota’s offense is this team’s bread and butter, averaging 33 points in its last three games.
The home-field advantage will be too much for the Packers to overcome in what will likely be a shootout.
Vikings win 35-32
Las Vegas Raiders @ New Orleans Saints
There are good football games. Then, there are bad football games. Then, there are bad football games that aren’t even funny or fun to watch. That’s the best way to describe this one.
Both teams come into this matchup with a third-string quarterback as their starter, so don’t expect a ton of passing yards.
Neither of these groups do anything particularly well, but the Raiders must continue losing if they want to secure a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Las Vegas will figure out how to return to its losing ways.
Saints win 18-16
Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Sunday night loss to the Cowboys squandered a golden opportunity to take a commanding lead in the NFC South.
While a game against the Panthers used to be a layup, that is no longer the case after Carolina eliminated the Arizona Cardinals from the playoffs with a 36-30 overtime victory in Week 16.
Tampa will probably complete the season sweep of Carolina since they have won four straight against the Panthers. However, it’ll be a closer game than expected a week ago.
Buccaneers win 27-26
Sunday Late Games
Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns
The Miami Dolphins could still theoretically make the playoffs. They’ll obviously need some help, but the most important thing they’ll need to do is win their next two games.
Luckily, the ‘Phins will host the collapsing Cleveland Browns, who haven’t won a game since November 21st.
If Dorian Thompson-Robinson is still Cleveland’s starting quarterback, then Miami will be able to lock up a win and move to .500 on the season with an outside shot at reaching the postseason. If Jameis Winston takes over as the QB though, then the Browns could end the Dolphins’ season.
Dolphins win 26-16
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
The way this game plays out will be solely determined by the availability of Jalen Hurts. If Hurts plays, then this should be a slam-dunk win for the Eagles. However, the Eagles could be in big trouble if Hurts is inactive.
Either way, expect Saquon Barkley to have a major impact on this contest. Over his last five games, he is averaging 139.4 rushing yards and has five touchdowns.
The Eagles will edge out the Cowboys in a game where Saquon has his most carries of the season.
Eagles win 22-20
Sunday Night Football Game
Atlanta Falcons @ Washington Commanders
There is a lot at stake for both of these teams. A W for the Commanders earns them a playoff berth. Meanwhile, the Falcons could take a one-and-a-half-game lead in the NFC South thanks to a pair of head-to-head wins over the Buccaneers.
Quarterbacking will determine how this one plays out. Atlanta QB Michael Penix Jr. was okay in his first game, but the Falcons really won so comfortably because New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock threw TWO pick-sixes.
Don’t expect any pick-sixes to bail out Atlanta’s rookie quarterback this time around. Washington defeats Atlanta to earn the team’s first playoff berth since 2020.
Commanders win 30-20
Monday Night Football
Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers
It doesn’t matter how injured the Lions are or how injured the 49ers are, Detroit is going to win this game.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell doesn’t seem like the type of guy who avoids getting his revenge on people (or teams, in this case) who wronged him.
The Niners will put up a respectable amount of points because Detroit’s defense has been devastated by injuries, but the Lions’ offense will be up to the task. Hell, they could put up a 50-piece against the 49ers.
Lions win 44-23
