The Final Countdown! Week 17 Forecast!

Alright folks. Put away that delicious Christmas goose and stop playing with the kiddies, its time to get back into the fold. Its Week 17. The final week. The last chance for middling teams to make their push for the playoffs. Will it be Chicago or Minnesota? New England or Miami? Can Dallas last long enough to lose their Wild Card game again? Lots of drama coming this Sunday, lots of sweet, delicious, fattening drama. So let's get into it. I'm riding solo this time, seems everyone else is out of town or not working or just being lazy. But us MEN still have jobs to attend to. Jobs in cubicles. And cute little schnoodles at home. I went 3-2 last week... here's my super-sized fearless forecast for NFL Week 17:

1. STL at ATL: its the rams, its at home, and there's a playoff bye on the line, Falcons by 17
2. NE at BUF: tom brady jr. steps up again and wins in the snow, but not into the playoffs, Pats by 14
3. NYG at MIN: giants have nothing to play for, but they're still damn good and need some work recovering from injuries and Burress' absence, sorry Vikes, Giants by 6
4. CAR at NO: a win means a bye, but brees needs 400 yards for the single season record, and he'll come up short, so will the panthers, Saints by 6
5. OAK at TB: raiders overmatched in tampa, russell spends half the game on his back, Bucs by 17
   
6. CHI at HOU: the weather might.... matt schaub could... but kyle orton.... hmm. Bears by 14, take the division
7. JAX at BAL: the only thing the jags have left to prove is whether del rio should coach them next year, he probably wont, Ravens by 10
8. MIA at NYJ: poor favre. enjoy actual retirement. Dolphins by 14.
9. DAL at PHI: will mcnabb return? reid? nothing would be sweeter than to keep dallas out of the playoffs, romo should have won last week when he had the chance. Eagles by 8!
   
10. DEN at SD: san diego doing what they do late in the season: winning. broncos gave away this division weeks ago, sorry cutler. Chargers by 6.

How's this all shape the NFL playoff picture you might be asking yourself, reading this blog alone in your uncomfortable tent made of bed sheets and a wooden pole? Here's what we're left with:

AFC
Bye: (1) Titans, (2) Steelers
(3) Dolphins vs. (6) Ravens
(4) Chargers vs. (5) Colts

NFC
Bye: (1) Giants, (2) Falcons
(3) Bears vs. (6) Buccaneers
(4) Cardinals vs. (5) Panthers

NFC East eat your heart out.