Week 17 NFL picks

At some point after this game, Mike Shanahan willl get canned and the LolSkins will be looking for their 8th head coach since Dan Snyder bought the franchise in 1999. Norv Turner was the head coach when Snyder took over. Here are the coaches he hired, and their records:

If the Skins lose today, Mike Shanahan will have same regular season winning percentage in Washington as Jim Zorn. Make that happen, Giants.

If the Panthers win, they secure the NFC South title and a first round bye in the playoffs. The Falcons are actually playing better lately. They won 2 of the last 4 games, and put a scare into the Niners last week. This isn't a gimme, but there's no way you can go against a team with as much to play for as the Panthers.

The Bears give up 5.4 yards per carry. That is the highest total since the 1961 Vikings, which was an expansion team. Here are the other teams over the past 30 years who gave up at least 5.2 yards per carry:

Oddly, the 2006 Colts and 2003 Chiefs had a combined 25-7 record (and that Colts team won the Super Bowl), although I'd chalk that up as an extreme oddity.

The Packers get Aaron Rodgers back today, but I would bet their gameplan will heavily involve RB Eddie Lacy.

The Texans are in danger of ending their season on a 14-game losing streak, which is mind-blowing for a team with so much talent. With a loss today, Houston will secure the #1 overall pick in the draft. If they win and the Redskins lose, the Rams (who own the Skins' pick) would likely get the #1 overall pick based on strength of schedule.

Ben Roethlisberger's record against the Browns is something like eleventy billion and 1.

With a win and a Patriots loss, the Bengals can secure a first round bye.

With a win and a Dolphins loss, the Ravens can secure the 6 seed.

Both teams have something to play for, although the Ravens are in more of a do or die situation. The Bengals are undefeated at home this season.

The Colts were the first team to clinch their division this year, which says more about the AFC South than the talent level of the Colts. They can secure a first round bye with a win over the Jags and losses by the Bengals and Patriots, so they'll be playing to win, and they happen to play the worst roster in the NFL Week 17.

If the Dolphins win, they're in. There shouldn't be any more motivation than that. However, this is a Jets team that will be playing for their head coach, who really did a terrific job this season, considering the Jets are completely devoid of offensive weapons.

I would say the Lions are ready to get their offseason underway, but I think they've been ready for a few weeks now.

With a win, the Pats clinch the 2 seed. They can also clinch home field advantage throughout with a win and a Broncos loss.

I kinda feel like the Patriots would be the 4th best team in the NFC, and they have a chance to be a 1 seed.

Here's how crazy the NFC is this season. The Saints can be as high as the 2 seed after everything unfolds today, or they can miss the playoffs entirely. They clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Bucs.

The Broncos still need this one for home field throughout if the Patriots win their game. The NFL moved the Pats-Bills game to 4pm, which will not allow the Broncos to sit back and watch the Pats to see if they should rest their starters.

If the Saints lose and the Cardinals win, the Cardinals are in. The Niners have already clinched, but could get a 2 seed with a win and a Seahawks loss.

The Cardinals are playing really well right now, and I like the team speed of the Arizona defense against Colin Kaepernick.

The Chiefs are locked into the 5 seed, and have nothing whatsoever to play for. Andy Reid has shown in the past that he rests his players in these situations.

The Chargers might already be eliminated by the time they kick off in this one, but either way, it'll still be starters vs backups.

If the Seahawks win they're the 1 seed. If they lose and the Niners win, they drop all the way down to the 5 seed. It would be incredible if this team, which has been so hyped all season, and so far comfortably out in front, to have a lower seed than whatever teams come out of the NFC East and NFC North.

So Tony Romo is out, huh? Who cares? Personally, while I do think that Tony Romo is a much more talented player than Kyle Orton, it's hardly the reason why the Cowboys should be looked at as underdogs at home in this game. For me, it's more about the Cowboys' awful defense. A sampling of where the Cowboys rank among the rest of the NFL in team defense:

The one and only redeeming quality the Cowboys have is their ability to create turnovers, but without Sean Lee on the field, even that will be diminished.

Eagles' offense dominates, all night long.