Welcome to the final regular season week of the 2022 season. What
a wild Week 17, culminating with Damar Hamlin and his cardiac
arrest during Monday night’s game.
What has your league decided to do with that game? Are you waiting
to see if the NFL decides to resume the game, or are you splitting
the pot? There is no wrong way to handle it, but it’s tough
to make everyone happy.
But that is not why we are here. If you are here to decide your
final pick of the season and win your survival pool, then you
are in the right place.
Question is… do you go bold and put your neck on the line?
Did you leave that magical last pick that no one else can use
(say Jacksonville over Tennessee or vice versa)? Do you have Seattle
left to choose from, or more so, do you gamble on Aaron Jones
and Green Bay at home?
#3: Minnesota at Chicago (9-8: BAL, cin, PHL, DAL, kc, tb, LV, ind, NE, SF, nyg, NYJ,
GB, sea, was, mia, LAC)
Rarely would I choose one divisional game, let alone two from
the same division, but that is what is left in the barrel. Good
news for Minnesota, Justin
Fields is out, sixty-three yards short of the single season
rushing record for a quarterback.
Meanwhile, the Vikings will want to close out the season with
a victory and put pressure on the Eagles to do the same. If they
can win, and the Giants pull off the win with their second string
in, then Minnesota would have that coveted bye week and home field
advantage throughout the playoffs.
As such, you may want to avoid this game in spite of its juicy
line. If the Bears get up by ten or more points, what incentive
will the Vikings have to risk injury trying to come back? Then
again, the Bears are looking for the 2nd pick in the draft and
a win will mess that up. Buyer beware.
#2: Green Bay over Detroit (11-6: NO, BUF, kc, det, PHL, sf, DAL, MN, MIA, chi, CIN,
WAS, SEA, ten, nyj, BAL, NYG)
Aaron Rodgers
was sitting on his couch in Week 2 and 3 acting like nothing was
wrong with his team. Fast forward to Week 18, and I bet he wishes
that the Packers had won one of those early games.
The Lions have been on a tear over the last eight weeks, winning
six of eight games. One more victory and a Seattle loss, and the
unthinkable will have occurred after a 1-6 opening record… the
playoffs. But this is not your typical final game and, it is being
played in “Title Town” against one of the best playoff quarterbacks
in the league. Yes, the Packers defense has been average this
season, improving slightly in the last six weeks, but it will
be the legacy of these teams that will carry more weight than
anything else.
Jared Goff
has had some great games this season, but it will be the cold,
and the ghosts of Vince Lombardi that will have this comeback
fall short of making the playoffs. The Lions will be very focused
on a Rams win over the Seahawks. That, and a win over Green Bay
will be the only way they can make the playoffs.
#1: Seattle over LA Rams (12-4: den, lac, GB, BUF, LAR, tb, PHL, KC, NYG, BAL, MIA,
CLE, DAL, CIN, SF, nyj)
The Seahawks aren’t completely in control of their playoff destiny.
They need to win, but they also need a Green Bay loss.
Last week, Seattle sent the NY Jets packing, and shut the door
on their playoff chances with a solid outing by Geno
Smith. He isn’t flashy, but Pete Carroll has found a game
manager for his offense, who complements a solid wide receiver
duo, and a ground churner in Kenneth
Walker.
Look for Seattle (-6.0) to do their part and keep their playoff
hopes alive against last year’s Super Bowl champions – who hardly
look like the team that won it all last year.