Picking NFL Week 17

-How I did last week: 9-6

Not great, not horrible.

-Record on the season: 69-50

Hanging in there at almost 58%.

Colts at Bills: Don't expect anyone important on the Colts to play much in this one. Imagine the uproar if one of Indy's starters actually hurt themselves in Buffalo, with the hope of the perfect season already sacrificed to keep everyone healthy. Jim Caldwell would never be able to walk around in Indiana again....Bills.

Saints at Panthers: It may not appear so, but I think this match-up will actually matter more to both teams than a number of the weekend's other games. The Saints desperately need momentum heading into the playoffs. Should they lose here, they won't play until the division playoffs after a long layoff and entirely low on confidence. On the other side, Matt Moore has himself a NFL quarterback job to win. He'll have to do so without his favorite target Steve Smith, who was lost for the season with a fractured forearm. Panthers.

Jaguars at Browns: Hands up if you saw this Browns three-game winning streak coming? Well obviously not this writer, who picked against them all three weeks...I can't bear to miss another Browns pick so I'll justify picking them by telling myself that the Jaguars didn't look too comfortable in cold conditions in New England last week, which they'll get another taste of in Cleveland. Browns.

Eagles at Cowboys: The best matchup of the weekend, for the NFC East division title. The Eagles spanked the Cowboys when they played this same fixture last December, but the Cowboys beat the Eagles earlier this season in Philly. This also might just a warm-up act, as they could face each other in the wild-card round next week, but I like Dallas just because they looked good value for their win over the Eagles in November . Dallas.

Bears at Lions: If I'm a higher-up in the Bears organization, I'm watching this Brandon Marshall situation in Denver very closely. The chemistry Marshall and Jay Cutler had in Denver was undeniable, and I'm pretty sure the Bears faithful wouldn't mind seeing what their franchise QB could do with a receiver of Marshall's caliber in the Windy City. Only problem: the Broncos already own the Bears 1st round pick next year, and Chicago gave its second rounder to the Bucs for Gaines Adams (pretty sure that's not panning out the way they hoped). So I can't see it happening. Bears.

Steelers at Dolphins: Nice try, LaMarr Woodley: the man has obviously wielded the powerful weapon of reverse psychology before. Unfortunately for him, I doubt anything he could say could wind the Patriots or Bengals up enough to fight for the wins that Pittsburgh needs to make the playoffs. As for the Fins, they need a minor miracle. Steelers.

Patriots at Texans: If you were Bill Belichick, would you have any desire to face the defending champ Steelers in the first round of the playoffs?? Texans.

Giants at Vikings: Ah, back inside the warm indoor confines of the Mall of America field, where the Vikings are 7-0 this season. Unfortunately for Minnesota, they'll have to venture out of their comfy dome if they progress in the playoffs. But for right now, I think they'll just be happy to be home. Vikings.

Bengals at Jets: The Jets, along with the Ravens, are in the privileged position of controlling their own playoff destiny. Another piece of luck for New York: for the second week running, they face a team that will in all likelihood rest its starters (which makes this latest piece of Chad Ochocinco trash talk all the more bizarre). Jets.

Falcons at Buccaneers: Atlanta has found out the hard way that there's a big difference between a team that goes 11-5 and one that goes 9-7 (provided they win this one, of course). It's all part of second year quarterback Matt Ryan's learning curve though, I suppose. He'll know by now how special what the Falcons achieved in his rookie year was, and hopefully what he needs to do to get them back there. Falcons.

49ers at Rams: If you're trying to win a starting quarterback job in the NFL, as Alex Smith is (and not for the first time in his life either), it doesn't hurt to play the Lions and Rams in your last two regular season games. Especially a Rams franchise with next year's number 1 overall pick clearly in its sights. 49ers.

Packers at Cardinals: We might see this matchup again next week in a much more meaningful scenario in the wild-card round of the playoffs. In fact, we probably will, as the Giants, Dallas and Arizona would all have to win for the Cardinals to clinch the NFC's second seed and a bye. However if the Giants do prevail in the earlier game, things could get very interesting...Packers.

Ravens at Raiders: The Ravens just need to win their game in Oakland to claw its way out of the mire that the AFC playoff race has become. Let's face it, if they can't do that, they have no place playing in the postseason. Ravens.

Chiefs at Broncos: Josh McDaniels is one intense dude. Anyone see when NFL Network wired him? All I know is that I wouldn't want to be on his bad side, but I guess Brandon Marshall doesn't mind. Broncos.

Redskins at Chargers: How do you pick this one? Chargers back-ups against Redskins. Should be a no-brainer, if you've watched the Redskins the last two weeks, you know it's not. Still, I'll show Washington a little respect here. Redskins.

Titans at Seahawks: Chris Johnson, all eyes are on you in this one. The lightening quick running back can become the sixth player in NFL history to pass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season on Sunday if he can pick up another 128 yards. That's a big number for most players, but for Johnson, against Seattle's D...let's just say I wouldn't be too shocked. Titans.