Trav’s 2023 Week 17 NFL Predictions

Week 16 is in the books and we’re down to the final two weeks of the season. My record last week was 7-5 and my overall mark goes to 95- 56. My winning percentage dipped from 63.3 to 62.9%. Only the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins are the only AFC teams to clinch a playoff berth. In the NFC, the 49ers, Eagles, Lions, and Cowboys all have clinched playoff berths. There are five remaining spots left to be filled in the AFC and only 3 in the NFC. My first defeat came when the Atlanta Falcons beat Indianapolis at home 29-10. The Falcons are a game behind in the NFC South and Wild Card. The Miami Dolphins beat the Dallas Cowboys with a walk-off field goal. The New England Patriots pulled off an upset over Denver in the Sunday Night game.

The loss by the Broncos could eventually prevent them from making the playoffs. My fourth defeat came when the Las Vegas Raiders beat Kansas City on the road in the first Christmas Day game. The Raiders frustrated Patrick Mahomes the entire game. The final loss came when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the 49ers in the Week 16 finale on the road. Many believe this was a Super Bowl preview and Lamar Jackson proved why he’s one of the best. Baltimore could clinch the top seed in the AFC with a win over Miami on Sunday. San Francisco travels to Washington and Brock Purdy is looking to rebound from his 4 INT performance. Just about every game will have some sort of playoff implications I’ll be predicting every game this week. Let’s get this thang started!

As always, we kick things off with the Thursday night game. The New York Jets will travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. The Jets are officially eliminated from playoff consideration, but they can play spoiler to the Browns. New York have won two of three games as they try to build momentum towards next season. Can the Jets upset the red-hot Browns? Cleveland have won three in a row and Joe Flacco has rejuvenated the offense. Flacco continues to put up big numbers and Amari Cooper is coming off an historic 265 yards receiving. Cleveland can clinch a Wild Card berth with a win and still have hope for the AFC North. Will the Browns make it four in a row against the stout Jets defense? I’m going with the Browns to win again. Cleveland Win 27-17

We have a special Saturday Night game as the Detroit Lions travel to Dallas to meet the Cowboys. Detroit has clinched the NFC North and now have their eyes set on the top seed. The Lions are tied atop the NFC with the 49ers and Eagles. Detroit won the division for the first time in 30 years and this team is ready for a playoff run. Can the Lions go into Dallas and pull off the upset? The Cowboys are on a 2-game losing streak and those losses came on the road. Dallas is a different team at home, and they will be honoring Jimmy Johnson at halftime. I’m expecting this Dallas team to play at the highest level as they still have hopes of winning their division. This will be a good game and I’m picking the Cowboys to win. Dallas Win 34-30

We have an AFC East battle as the New England Patriots head to Buffalo to face the Bills. The Patriots are in the middle of a season they will never forget. The Patriots have won two of three games as they continue to play spoiler. New England is coming off a very impressive win over Denver on the road. Can the Patriots spoil the playoff chances of Buffalo? Four weeks ago, the Bills were trending towards missing the playoffs after losing to Philly. They have won three in a row and that includes wins over Dallas and Kansas City. The Bills now hold onto to one of the Wild Card spots. They still must travel to Miami in the final week but should take care of business against the Patriots. I’m picking the Bills to leave with the win. Buffalo Win 27-17

We have the Atlanta Falcons traveling to Chicago to face the Bears. The Falcons ended their 2-game losing streak last week with a win over Indianapolis. Atlanta is a game behind the Bucs in the NFC South with two games remaining. They are hoping for the Saints to win over Tampa and win this one over Chicago. If that happens, they face the Saints in New Orleans with a chance to win the division. Chicago is a much different team from the beginning of the season. They have won three of four games and two of those victories were against Detroit and Minnesota. The defense continues to get better, and Justin Fields is looking good also. Will the Bears spoil the Falcons postseason hopes? I’m going with the Bears to win this one. Chicago Win 24-17

We head to the AFC as the Las Vegas Raiders travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts. The Raiders are coming off an impressive win over the Chiefs on the road. The defense had Patrick Mahomes frustrated the entire game while the offense ran the ball at will. Las Vegas still has an outside shot at the playoffs but will need a lot of help. They must win the remaining games and get a lot of help in the process. The Colts lost a critical game on the road to Atlanta last week. The team looked out of sync and the Falcons manhandled them. They remain tied atop of the AFC South with the Jaguars and Texans. Can the Colts take care of home and eliminate the Raiders in the process? I’m picking the Colts to win and eliminate the Raiders from playoff contention. Indianapolis Win 27-20

We have the Los Angeles Rams making the cross country trip to New York to battle the Giants. The Rams are one of the hottest teams in the league heading into these final two games. They have won five of their last six games and the offense is clicking on all cylinders. The only loss during this period was a 6 point loss to the Ravens in Baltimore. They currently are tied with the Seahawks for the last two Wild Card spots. New York is coming off an impressive game in Philadelphia, but they fell in the end. Tommy DeVito was replaced by Tyrod Taylor, and it lit a fuse in the team. Who starts in New York this week? In the end, the Rams are the better team and should leave with the win. Los Angeles Win 31-20

We have the Arizona Cardinals traveling to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. Arizona has been a tough and scrappy team all season and that should continue in Philadelphia. Jonathan Gannon makes his return to Philadelphia where he served as their defensive coordinator before taking this job. It looks like the Cardinals will have the 2^nd overall pick in this upcoming NFL draft. This team isn’t focused on that, and they would love to damage the Eagles playoff positioning. The Eagles had their 3-game losing streak snapped last week, but many are still concerned for this team. This is who Philadelphia is and many are comparing them to last year’s team. They are still one of the best teams in the league. If they establish the run and keep doing it they’ll win this one. Philadelphia Win 34-20

We have a battle for the top spot in the NFC South in this one. The New Orleans Saints will head down to Tampa to take on the red-hot Buccaneers. The Saints have a couple of ways they can make the playoffs this season. They can win out and hope the Bucs lose their season finale to win the division. They could also win out and have help to secure one of the Wild Card spots. Can the Saints beat this Bucs team? Tampa Bay has won four in a row, and they sit atop of the NFC South by one game. They can clinch the division with a win over the Saints and a Falcons loss. Baker Mayfield has looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the last month of play. This continues and the Bucs win to wrap up the division. Tampa Bay Win 28-24

The San Francisco 49ers will make the cross country trip to Washington to face the Commanders. The 49ers had their 6-game winning streak snapped on Monday Night at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. Brock Purdy tossed an unprecedented 4 picks in the loss, and he was pulled in the process. San Francisco was manhandled on the line of scrimmage, so they signed Sebastian Joseph-Day. Will the Niners get back on track against this awful Commanders team? The Commanders have turned into one of the worse teams in the league. They went from a 3-3 record to now having a 4-11 record. They lost six games in a row and Sam Howell was pulled for Jacoby Brissett in their last game. It doesn’t matter who’s at quarterback, the Niners will win this game. San Francisco Win 38-17

The Carolina Panthers will head down south to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. The Panthers are looking like they will finish with the worse record in the league. Unfortunately, the top pick they would have is going to Chicago as part of the deal last year. The offense showed life last week in their loss to the Packers. Bryce Young threw for over 300 yards and didn’t turn the ball over. Can this continue this week? The Jaguars have fallen from grace after it looked like they were running away with the AFC South. They have lost four in a row, and it looks like Trevor Lawrence could miss his first game. Whether the Jags have Lawrence or not, they need this win with the Texans and Colts tied with them. I’m going with the Jags to come away with the win. Jacksonville Win 25-17

This is arguably the most anticipated game of the week. The Miami Dolphins will travel up to Baltimore to face the Ravens. This game is to determine the top seed in the AFC heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Miami needs to win their final two games to secure the division and #1 seed in the AFC. The Dolphins have won 5 of their last 6 games including the nailbiter over the Cowboys. Baltimore has won 5 in a row and can clinch the top spot in the AFC with this win. The Ravens had arguably the most impressive win of the season when they destroyed the Niners on the road. Many believe Lamar Jackson clinched the MVP, but they’re wanting that elusive Super Bowl. The Ravens should win and clinch the #1 seed in the AFC. Baltimore Win 27-21

The Tennessee Titans will travel to Houston to take on the division rival Texans. The Titans have dropped two in a row and the future of Derrick Henry has been the talk of the organization. Henry is finishing up his contract and he could be donning a new uniform next season. Henry is still on pace for another 1000 yard season, but he’s obviously not the same back he once was. Can the Titans derail the Texans playoff hopes? Houston beat the Titans team a couple weeks ago 19-16, but it was without C.J. Stroud. Stroud has missed a couple of games due to being in the concussion protocol. Houston is currently tied with the Jaguars and Colts at the top of the AFC South. I’m picking the Texans to win as they head to Indy next weekend. Houston Win 20-17

We have the Pittsburgh Steelers heading across the country to Seattle to face the Seahawks. Pittsburgh is one of four teams that’s tied for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. They ended their 3-game losing streak in a big way last week against Cincinnati. The defense looked like the one we all praised at the beginning of the season. Mason Rudolph made his first start in over 2 years and ignited the offense. Can they keep this up in Seattle? The Seahawks are holding on to the final Wild Card spot in the NFC. They have beaten the Eagles and Titans in back-to-back games 20-17. They will finish the season in Arizona but must win against the Steelers. They are a game ahead of four other NFC teams. I’m picking them to win their 3^rd consecutive game. Seattle Win 20-19

We have the Los Angeles Chargers heading to Denver to meet the Broncos in an AFC West matchup. The Chargers have lost three in a row and 6 of their last 7 games. They almost pulled off the upset of the Bills last week. Los Angeles is still playing for pride and whoever will become their new coach next season. Can they spoil the chances of Denver making the playoffs? The Broncos have dropped two in a row and now they have made a major change. Russell Wilson has been benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the remainder of the season. This will likely end the tenure of Wilson with the Broncos. Wilson didn’t play badly, but maybe Stidham could provide a spark in the offense. I’m picking the Broncos to still win the game. Denver Win 17-13

We have the Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Kansas City to face the Chiefs. The Bengals had their 3-game winning streak snapped against Pittsburgh last week. Cincinnati is one of four teams with an 8-7 record and tied for the final Wild Card spot. This could’ve been another classic matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. With both teams fighting for their playoff lives, this should still be a great game. The reigning, defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are 9-6 entering this game. They have dropped three of their last four games. You can see the frustration in Patrick Mahomes and the entire offense. How will they respond in their final home game of the regular season? I’m picking the Chiefs to barely edge the Bengals. Kansas City Win 26-21

We have the final game of the weekend and it’s between NFC North rivals. The Green Bay Packers will head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in what could be an elimination game. The loser of this one will likely be eliminated from playoff consideration. They both have a 7-8 record and that’s good to remain a game behind the final Wild Card spot. Green Bay ended their 2-game losing streak by barely edging the Carolina Panthers last week. They lost to the Vikings earlier this season at home, but that team was led by Kirk Cousins. Aaron Jones looked like his old self last week. Minnesota on the other hand has dropped four of their last five games. Can they put together a great game before going to Detroit? I’m picking the Vikings to win this one. Minnesota Win 31-27

There we are my predictions for the 2023 Week 17 NFL season. What games intrigue you the most for the 2023 Week 17 NFL weekend? What do you think about my picks? Check out my top 5 teams in both conferences below. Leave some feedback below about anything NFL related or my 2023 Week 17 NFL predictions.