It's the final week of regular-season NFL football until September, so it's fitting that it will be an all-out extravaganza.
For the first and only time in the 2017 season, all 16 NFL games will air on the same day. Playoff seeds will be set. Seasons will end in disappointment...or triumph.
Because Sunday is New Year's Eve and there is no game that could air later in the day that would not affect the competitive balance of the earlier games, there will be no Sunday Night Football game in Week 17.
A few other games were flexed to later in the day to eliminate any advantages, including Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans.
Let's take a look at the games on the slate for Sunday as well as the early point spreads. Projected winners are indicated in bold.
NFL Week 17 Schedule, Odds and Picks
Sunday, Dec. 31
Green Bay at Detroit: 1:00 p.m. Fox
Houston at Indianapolis (Even): 1:00 p.m. CBS
Chicago at Minnesota (-12.5): 1:00 p.m. Fox
N.Y. Jets at New England (N/A): 1:00 p.m. CBS
Washington (-3.5) at N.Y. Giants: 1:00 p.m. Fox
Dallas at Philadelphia (N/A): 1:00 p.m. Fox
Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-14.5): 1:00 p.m. CBS
Buffalo (-2.5) at Miami: 4:25 p.m. CBS
Carolina at Atlanta (-3): 4:25 p.m. Fox
Cincinnati at Baltimore (-10): 4:25 p.m. CBS
Jacksonville at Tennessee (N/A): 4:25 p.m. CBS
New Orleans (-7.5) at Tampa Bay: 4:25 p.m. Fox
Arizona at Seattle (-7): 4:25 p.m. Fox
Kansas City at Denver (-2.5): 4:25 p.m. CBS
Oakland at L.A. Chargers (-7): 4:25 p.m. CBS
San Francisco at L.A. Rams (-6.5): 4:25 pm Fox
Biggest Week 17 Favorites
Pittsburgh Steelers
The 12-3 Steelers destroyed the Houston Texans 34-6 on Monday and earned the best Christmas gift of all: a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Most impressive of all, they did it without star wideout Antonio Brown, who missed the game with a torn calf muscle.
Pittsburgh's postseason bye is a big deal, since there's no possibility that Brown could have returned for the Wild Card Round, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported:
Adam Schefter@AdamSchefterAntonio Brown not expected to be ready if Steelers must play wild-card weekend: https://t.co/Vf0fshdLXY
2017-12-24 12:16:29
Before they get there, however, the Steelers will have to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. Or perhaps the correct term is get to?
The hapless Browns are still winless, and the chances that they'll earn their first (and only) win of the season against the squad are slim.
Pittsburgh is favored by more than two touchdowns, and the blowout could be even more brutal than that when all is said and done on New Year's Eve.
Minnesota Vikings
The 13-2 Philadelphia Eagles clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC on Monday night when they defeated the Oakland Raiders, but the Vikings can still land the No. 2 spot.
Case Keenum and his team of weapons, including Adam Thielen and Jerick McKinnon, have been nothing to sneeze at this season, but it has been the Vikings' stout defense that has truly carried them into the postseason.
After 16 weeks, the Vikings defense has given up the fewest points and yards on the season of any unit. Minnesota is allowing 16.1 points and 280.9 yards in each category.
Heading into their Week 17 matchup against the Chicago Bears, 12-3 Minnesota still has a shot at the No. 2 seed outright if it defeats Chicago. Even if the Vikings lose to the Bears, they can still secure home-field advantage as long as the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the New Orleans Saints.
On offense, the Vikings are moving forward with a lot of Plan B options, but the unit has turned out to be one of the NFL's most productive.
Though quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has returned from his brutal knee injury suffered two years ago, Keenum, who has done the heavy lifting in earning the team's 12 wins, has remained the preferred starter.
And at running back, where losing Dalvin Cook looked to be an insurmountable loss for the backfield, McKinnon has stepped up. In Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers, he rushed for 24 yards but caught seven receptions for 114 more.
Baltimore Ravens
The 9-6 Ravens have sunk their claws into the No. 5 seed in the AFC after defeating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16, and they can hang on to the top wild-card berth if they defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.
That game has been flexed to the 4.25 p.m. ET slot on Sunday given its potential implications in the AFC playoff race.
The Steelers have locked up the AFC North, but the Ravens' crucial wins this season against the Bengals and Cleveland Browns (twice) helped them remain in contention for second place in the division.
In Week 17, the Ravens will host a Bengals team that has gone 2-5 away from home this season. Baltimore, meanwhile, has cleaned up at M&T Bank Stadium, going 5-2.
Even so, why are the Ravens favored by 10 points? They let the Colts hang around until the end in Week 16, skating by with a narrow 23-16 result.
Meanwhile, the Bengals defeated the Detroit Lions handily, 26-17, and eliminated them from playoff contention.
Still, Baltimore has been the better team this season and has gotten hot at the right time, winning its last two games heading into the finale.
Odds according to OddsShark and current as of Dec. 25.
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