Week 16 is in the books, and we only have two weeks remaining in the regular season. We have a few other teams eliminated from playoff consideration. Dallas, San Francisco, Arizona, and New Orleans are some of the teams that were eliminated. My record for my Week 16 picks was 10-5 and now my overall mark is 110-50. My winning percentage drops a little from 68.9% to 68.8%. The Rams beat the Jets was my first loss and moved them one step closer to winning the division. The second defeat came when the Washington Commanders beat the Eagles to remain in contention for the NFC East. In that game, Jalen Hurts exited with a concussion on the 11^th play of the game. Arizona went to Carolina and fell to the Panthers in overtime. The loss eliminated the Cardinals from playoff contention, and it was my third loss.

My fourth defeat came when the Miami Dolphins beat the San Francisco 49ers at home. The 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the day. The fifth and final defeat came when the Dallas Cowboys beat Tampa in the Sunday Night game. The Cowboys played an inspired game despite already being eliminated from playoff contention. The loss was vital to the Bucs because it allowed the Falcons to take over the NFC South. There is still a lot of positioning to be done these last couple of weeks. I’ll be picking 14 games this week and it starts with the doubleheader on Christmas Day. Check out Trav’s 2024 Week 17 picks below.

We have the Kansas City Chiefs heading to Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers. This is a crucial matchup between two division leaders. The Chiefs need to win one of their final two games to clinch the top seed in the AFC. Pittsburgh is tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North and still controls their own destiny. If they win their final two games, they clinch the division and would host their Wild Card game. The Chiefs must travel to Denver in the season finale and that Broncos team almost beat them. This feels like this will be a defensive battle between two of the best defenses in the league. Pittsburgh dropped two in a row, but they could get George Pickens back for this one. Pickens will make the difference, but the Steelers haven’t played their best ball.. Chiefs Win 20-17

In the second Christmas game, we have the Baltimore Ravens heading to Houston to battle the Texans. Baltimore clinched a playoff berth a week ago, but they still eye the NFC North crown. The Ravens finish the season at home against Cleveland. They need a loss by Pittsburgh in one of their final two games while they win. Lamar Jackson is looking like the league MVP, and the defense is improving. Can they pull off the win in Houston? The Texans had their two-game winning streak snapped last week in Kansas City. Unfortunately, they lost Tank Dell to a horrific knee injury in the process. Houston did claim Diontae Johnson off waivers, but how will this affect the Texans offense? How will the Texans defense contain Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Ravens offense? I’m going with Baltimore to leave with the win. Ravens Win 27-21

The Thursday Night game will see the Seattle Seahawks travel to Chicago to take on the Bears. Seattle will finish the season on the road. They travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams and it could be for a playoff spot. The Seahawks had a four-game winning streak but lost their last two games. Seattle is also alive for the final Wild Card spot. They are tied with Tampa, and both are two games behind the Washington Commanders. The season can’t end fast enough for Chicago. They are on a 9-game losing streak, but Caleb Williams is improving. Chicago is wanting to finish the season on a positive note. Could they find a way to spoil the Seahawks playoff hopes? This will be a close game, but I’m taking Seattle to win on the road. Seahawks Win 24-20

The Los Angeles Chargers will make the cross-country trip to New England to battle the Patriots. The Chargers need to win one of their final two games to make the playoffs. They are coming off a tough win against the Broncos. The win over Denver catapulted them above the Broncos into the second Wild Card spot. Los Angeles is hoping to have J.K. Dobbins back from his knee injury. Can the Chargers wrap up a playoff spot? With the shakeup from last weekend, the Patriots are second in the latest NFL Draft order. The Patriots lost five in a row, but they took the Bills to their limit last week. They held MVP favorite, Josh Allen to the limit and held him in check. The Patriots did that to a division rival and won’t happen to Los Angeles. Chargers Win 27-17

The second Saturday game will see the Denver Broncos going to Cincinnati to battle the Bengals. The Broncos road to the playoffs is simple, winning one of their final two games. Denver finishes the season at home against Kansas City next weekend. Denver had their four-game winning streak snapped last week in Los Angeles. Despite giving up 34 points to the Chargers, the Broncos still has one of the best defenses. Cincinnati is on a 3-game winning streak, but it may be too late for a playoff push. They are two games out of the final Wild Card spot and with two games remaining. Cincinnati is once again making a postseason at the end of the season. The defense isn’t what it was in past years, but the passing game is the best. I’m going with Cincinnati to edge the Broncos. Bengals Win 31-30

The Saturday Night game will see the Arizona Cardinals traveling to Los Angeles to take on the Rams. Arizona is eliminated from postseason consideration, but they can still play spoiler. They blew out this Rams team in the second game of the season at home. A little over a month ago, this Cardinals team was in first place. They have dropped four of their last five games. Can they take down the Rams despite this game not meaning anything? The Los Angeles Rams can do the impossible and win this game and clinch the NFC West. This team started the season with a 1-4 record but have gone 8-2 in their last ten games. The young defense has given up an average of less than 10 points in three of their last four games. The Los Angeles defense will give Kyler Murray fits, and they win. Rams Win 23-17

The New York Jets will stay in-state and make the trip to Buffalo to battle the Bills. The Jets have had a season to remember, and it has been for the wrong things. New York is playing for pride and seeing who will be a part of this team moving forward. Will Aaron Rodgers be a part of this team next season? New York could be facing a Bills team that couldn’t be playing for much. Buffalo is still eyeing that top spot in the AFC. They are a couple of game behind the Chiefs with two games remaining. If Kansas City wins on Christmas, the Bills could possibly rest some players. They still will need to win this game just in case the Ravens win. Buffalo tries to win and secure the second seed, and they will succeed. Bills Win 27-17

The Indianapolis Colts will make the trip to New York to take on the Giants. The Colts are tied with the Dolphins and Bengals, being two games behind for the final Wild Card spot. Jonathan Taylor had his best games last week against Tennessee by rushing for over 200 yards. Indianapolis finishes their season at home against Jacksonville but will need help to make the playoffs. Can they win and get help to have a playoff chance? If the season ended today, the Giants would have the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They could have a chance to end the playoff hopes of the Colts with a win. If the Broncos and Chargers win their games, the Colts will be eliminated. No matter what happens with those games, I’m going with Indianapolis to win. Colts Win 27-14

We have the Dallas Cowboys traveling to Philadelphia to take on their rival Eagles. Dallas has been playing great football for over the last month. They have won four of their last five games. They are eliminated from playoff consideration, but it hasn’t stopped them from playing great ball. There has been a lot of talk about the future of Mike McCarthy. If they beat Philly, it could be enough to retain him. Philadelphia is coming off their first loss in almost three months a week ago. The big talk around the organization is the health of Jalen Hurts. Hurts suffered a concussion early in last week’s game against the Commanders. Kenny Pickett was also hurt in that game, so there’s a lot of uncertainty at the QB position. This could be interesting because I’m going with Dallas to find a way to win. Cowboys Win 31-27

We head to the NFC South as the Carolina Panthers travel to Tampa to face the Buccaneers. Carolina has been playing some good football for the last couple of months. They took down Arizona in overtime last week to end the playoff hopes of the Cardinals. The win ended the Panthers four game losing streak. Can the Panthers go on the road and possibly end the playoff hopes of the Bucs? Tampa had their four-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Dallas. The loss and win by Atlanta tied them atop the division. Atlanta has the tiebreaker, and the Bucs need to win both games and have the Atlanta Falcons lose one. The Bucs barely edged the Panthers about a month ago in overtime. I’m going with Tampa to win again and put pressure on Atlanta. Bucs Win 31-20

The Miami Dolphins will head up north to Cleveland to battle the Browns. Miami beat the Niners in a tough game last week. With the win, they still have an outside shot at the playoffs. They remain a couple games behind the final Wild Card spot. Miami is also tied with Indianapolis and Cincinnati with all of them having 7-8 records. Can they overcome the cold weather in Cleveland to keep their playoff hopes alive? Cleveland would have the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if the season ended today. They are on a 4-game losing streak and have gone to Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the quarterback position. The first start against the Bengals didn’t go well. Can he have a better game at home against this Dolphins defense? Miami should play well in the cold weather and win this one. Dolphins Win 27-20

We have one of the best games of this weekend and it’s a battle between NFC North titans. The Green Bay Packers will head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. The Packers have won five out of their last six games. They blanked the Saints on Monday Night to clinch a playoff berth. They are trying to hold off the Commanders for the 6^th seed in the NFC. Will the Christian Watson injury affect the Pack offense? Minnesota is arguably the best team in the NFC. They are riding a 8-game winning streak and control their destiny for the division and top seed. The Vikings travel to Detroit next weekend and it could be for the NFC North and top seed in the NFC. Minnesota should win and head to Detroit for a huge game next weekend. Vikings Win 31-28

The Atlanta Falcons will make the trip up north to Washington to take on the Commanders. This is a battle between two quarterbacks that were top 10 picks in the past draft. The Falcons benched Kirk Cousins last week in favor of Michael Penix Jr. With their win over the Giants and Bucs losing, the Falcons took over first place. Atlanta controls their own destiny by winning the final games. Can they go to Washington and pull off the upset? Washington is coming off their biggest win of the season by beating Philadelphia. The Commanders still have an outside shot at winning the NFC East. If they win one of their final two games, they clinch a Wild Card spot. If they win both games and the Eagles lose, they win the division and I’m picking them to win. Commanders Win 30-20

The Detroit Lions will make the trip out west to San Francisco to face the Niners. Detroit got back on the winning side of things last week against the Bears. The week prior, they had their 11-game winning streak snapped. The Lions continue to deal with so many injuries, but they can earn a bye if they win their next two games. They go back to San Francisco after losing to the Niners in the NFC Championship game a year ago. San Francisco is officially out of the playoffs after last week. They also continue to battle injuries on both sides of the ball also. Can they play spoiler to the Lions by beating them again? Do this Niners team have one more big game in them? Detroit should go to San Francisco and get revenge for their loss in the title game. Lions Win 31-21

What do you think about my Week 17 picks? What games would you pick differently. Below you can check out my top 5 teams from the AFC and NFC. Leave some feedback below about anything related to my Week 17 picks.

Trav’s Top 5 AFC Teams

1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Buffalo Bills
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Los Angeles Chargers

Trav’s Top 5 NFC Teams

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Detroit Lions
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Washington Commanders

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