I went 2-1 straight up and against the spread this past week. Last week I wrote, "There's due to be one huge upset this week." That upset was the Rams beating the Seahawks in Seattle as 13-point underdogs.
I have little interest in games this week that are meaningless, therefore I will focus on games that have playoff implications. But, I do like the Saints as four point underdogs in Atlanta. The Falcons will now revert to how they played most of the season, which is awful.
They won their Super Bowl this past week, so I am not sure how much they will have left. Another incredible game is the "Loser Goes to London Bowl." If the Giants lose you can be sure Tom Coughlin resigns so as not to go to London.
Week 17 Upset Picks
I think there will be a lot of blowouts this week. The only two games that I can see close with upset potential are the Seahawks-Cardinals and Vikings-Packers.
Seahawks +7 at Cardinals
For some reason the Rams love to play the Seahawks and Cardinals. It's the only games the Rams seem to wake up for. St. Louis dominated defensively, holding Seattle to their lowest point total since week 8. The Seahawks will rebound this week.
They do not want to go into the playoffs on a losing streak. The Seahawks defense played well though, holding the Rams to 207 total yards. The Seahawks have played phenomenal defense in the second half, and they will stop the Cardinal's high powered offense.
The Cardinals are off back-to-back blowouts, winners of nine in a row, and the hottest team in football. In weeks 2 and 3 the Cardinals blew out the Bears and Niners, and followed that up with a shocking loss to the Rams. They then blew out the Lions, but lost a shocking game to Landry Jones and the Steelers. I think the Cardinals experience a let down game, and lose to the Seahawks.
Vikings +3.5 at Packers
The NFC North crown will be on the line. Green Bay isn't good - seriously. For most of the season, their offense hasn't clicked. I won't buy the Lambeau Field factor in this one. Green Bay has lost two of their last three at home, against the Bears and Lions.
The Packers looked horrendous this past week in Arizona. Could it have been because of back-to-back west coast games in Oakland and Arizona? The offensive line is a mess and they better get that fixed for the playoffs. The golden boy Aaron Rodgers is taking way too many hits back there, which can't be good for his health and their success.
I like the Vikings a lot. They run the ball well, play great defense, and most of all are a cold weather team built for the playoffs. The Packers handled the Vikings earlier this season in Minnesota and I think the Vikings play with revenge on their mind. They can also rush the passer which will be a major problem for the Packers offensive line. I'm no longer scared to take the team going into Lambeau Field.