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N.F.L. Picks Week 17: Patriots and Steelers Seek Home-Field Advantage
By BENJAMIN HOFFMANDEC. 28, 2017

Much of the talk about the playoffs has centered on the inevitability of an A.F.C. championship between the Steelers and the Patriots, but games in Week 17 will decide where that theoretical matchup would be played. Credit Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Ten games in the final week of the N.F.L. regular season come with playoff implications, but in only one — the matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons — do both sides have something to play for. In the other nine, the best bet for drama will come from a nonplayoff team looking to play the spoiler.

The N.F.L. rearranged the schedule so that teams competing against one another for playoff spots on Sunday are playing at the same time, which should make for some good scoreboard watching. But the move also means there will be no prime-time game on Sunday night for the second consecutive week. Here are our picks against the spread:

Last week’s record against the spread: 7-9

Overall record: 123-107-8

Cardinals at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m., Fox

Line: Seahawks by 9.5

The Seahawks’ defense has been decimated by injuries, and in recent weeks, their offense disappeared. The Seahawks (9-6) were eclipsed by the Rams and then largely leapfrogged by the 49ers, but they have held together enough that a win in combination with a loss or a tie by the Falcons will put them in the playoffs. The resilience has not been replicated by the Cardinals (7-8), who have endured a second consecutive season of mediocrity. But the chance to play spoiler might be enough to at least make Seattle work hard to get past them. Pick: Cardinals

Redskins at Giants, 1 p.m., Fox

Line: Redskins by 3

While the game could not be less relevant, it may be Eli Manning’s last with the Giants (2-13) after a 14-year career that has included two Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Awards. It is also the latest crossroads in the relationship between Kirk Cousins and the Redskins (7-8), who will once again face the prospect of re-signing him, franchise-tagging him or letting him walk. Davis Webb has a chance to play some quarterback for the Giants, which will probably be good for the team in the future, if not on Sunday. Pick: Redskins

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/sports/nfl-picks-predictions-week-17.html?