The NFL's regular season concludes this Sunday with plenty of playoff implications left to be sorted out. This is also the final week of SB Nation's NFL picks contest, so bragging rights are on the line.
Stephen White holds the lead with 150 correct picks, while Danny Kelly and the OddsShark computer are close behind at 147. Matt Ufford has 146 correct picks and could pull the upset if a few of his bolder picks work out.
One playoff spot is still on the line in the AFC. The New York Jets can clinch a Wild Card berth by beating the Buffalo Bills, while the Pittsburgh Steelers need to take care of the Cleveland Browns and have the Jets lose to get in. The Jets are riding high at 10-5, their best record since 2010, but Rex Ryan's crew will be eager to spoil the fun. Our panel has New York as a slight 5-3 favorite, while Pittsburgh would have been a unanimous pick if not for known maverick PFT Commenter.
The Denver Broncos clinched a playoff spot and moved one step closer to the AFC West title after a dramatic overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals. This week, they get the San Diego Chargers, who were listless in a 17-3 defeat when these teams met in Week 13. Denver can clinch homefield advantage with a win and a loss by the New England Patriots, so there is still a lot left to play for. The experts favor Denver by a 7-1 margin.
After suffering their first loss of the season last week, the Carolina Panthers still have to win to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Arizona Cardinals can overtake them with a win and a Panthers loss. Carolina is a unanimous pick to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Cardinals have a tougher opponent in the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle dropped to the No. 6 seed after stumbling at home against the St. Louis Rams, so they'll need to win and get help to secure a road playoff game against Washington. Our experts are 6-2 in favor of Arizona.
The NFC North is on the line in the Sunday Night Football season finale, with the Green Bay Packers hosting the Minnesota Vikings. The winner of this game will clinch the division and lock up a No. 3 seed. Depending on what the Seahawks do, it's possible that we'll see this game again in two weeks. For now, the Packers are a 7-1 favorite on the panel despite their recent struggles.
Here are the complete picks for Week 17 (straight up, not against the spread).
| Week 17 | Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark |
| NYJ vs BUF | NYJ | NYJ | BUF | NYJ | NYJ | NYJ | BUF | BUF |
| NE vs MIA | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE | NE |
| NO vs ATL | ATL | ATL | NO | ATL | ATL | ATL | NO | ATL |
| BAL vs CIN | CIN | CIN | CIN | CIN | CIN | CIN | BAL | CIN |
| PIT vs CLE | PIT | PIT | PIT | PIT | PIT | PIT | CLE | PIT |
| JAX vs HOU | HOU | HOU | HOU | HOU | HOU | JAX | JAX | HOU |
| TEN vs IND | TEN | IND | IND | IND | IND | TEN | IND | IND |
| WAS vs DAL | WAS | DAL | DAL | DAL | WAS | WAS | DAL | WAS |
| PHI vs NYG | NYG | NYG | NYG | NYG | NYG | NYG | PHI | NYG |
| DET vs CHI | DET | CHI | CHI | DET | DET | CHI | CHI | DET |
| TB vs CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR |
| OAK vs KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC | KC |
| SD vs DEN | DEN | DEN | DEN | DEN | DEN | SD | DEN | DEN |
| SEA vs ARZ | ARZ | SEA | SEA | ARZ | ARZ | ARZ | ARZ | ARZ |
| STL vs SF | STL | SF | STL | SF | STL | STL | SF | STL |
| MIN vs GB | MIN | GB | GB | GB | GB | GB | GB | GB |
And here are the updated results for the season.
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark | |
| Last week | 8-8 | 10-6 | 8-8 | 10-6 | 9-7 | 11-5 | 9-7 | 12-4 |
| To date | 141-99 | 150-90 | 142-98 | 142-98 | 147-93 | 146-94 | 132-95 | 147-93 |
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