An NFC East title and playoff seeds are all up for grabs in these Week 17 matchups.
Detroit Lions (11-4) at Dallas Cowboys (10-5): The Lions won their first division title since 1993 on Sunday but a third straight win could be tough at AT&T Stadium on Saturday night. Detroit has a healthy 6-2 road record this year but quarterback Jared Goff doesn’t play so well away from Ford Field.
The NFL’s third-leading passer has seven fewer touchdowns on the road with six more sacks and a much lower quarterback rating. Dak Prescott’s road splits are worse, but like the Lions, his team plays much better at home.
Dallas haven’t lost at home all season and are 18-12 against the Lions all-time including wins in their last five meetings. Dallas averages 39.9 points at home compared to just 21.3 on the road.
Sunday’s two-point loss to Miami cost the team control of the NFC East, making them the No. 5 seed for the playoffs. Dallas must win to keep hopes of a division title alive and avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2020.
PREDICTION: Cowboys 30, Lions 21
San Francisco 49ers (11-4) at Washington Commanders (4-11): Three-game losing streaks are nothing to a Washington team that’s been outscored 208-118 in six straight losses. The 49ers were outscored, 33-19, on Monday night thanks to a combined five interceptions from quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.
BROCK PURDY THROWS HIS 4TH INTERCEPTION OF NIGHT.
San Francisco won’t let that happen again, especially against a Commanders defense giving up the most yards (384.3) and points (30.2) per game with a -10 point differential. Week 16 aside, the 49ers have scored the third-most points and allowed the third-fewest in 2023.
Currently the No.1 seed in the NFC East, look for Kyle Shanahan to take send a message with a blowout victory against his old team in what could be the last regular season game for many of his starters.
PREDICTION: 49ers 32, Commanders 10
Arizona Cardinals (3-12) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-4): Even with a 12-point victory over the Giants on Christmas Day, many Eagles were angry with the team’s overall performance. Wide receiver A.J. Brown refused to talk, which is something Cardinals coach and former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon should have done leading up to Super Bowl LVII.
Arizona was found guilty of tampering by talking to Gannon shortly after last year’s NFC Championship game with the two sides swapping third-round picks as part of the settlement. Needless to say, head coach Nick Sirianni and the Eagles front office weren’t pleased with Gannon, who will return to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since leaving for the Cardinals.
Philadelphia may be the ugliest 11-win team in football but few teams have looked worse than the three-win Cardinals. With the league’s 24th-ranked offense and 27th-ranked defense, a fourth victory isn’t likely against an Eagles team looking to stay atop the NFC East and become the first back-to-back winner of the NFC East since they did it in 2003 and 2004.
PREDICTION: Eagles 27, Cardinals 21
Los Angeles Rams (11-4) at New York Giants (4-11): Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito couldn’t cut it against Philadelphia as he was benched for quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the third quarter of Monday’s game. Now it seems cornerback Deonte Banks could join him on the bench after suffering a shoulder injury in the game.
That last part could be bad news for a team about to welcome Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and the league’s eighth-best scoring offense to MetLife Stadium. Nacua is the league’s fourth-leading receiver with 1,327 yards as a rookie and Kupp has a touchdown in three of his last four games.
Winners of five of their last six games, the Rams will have no problem against a Giants defense allowing the fifth-most yards (363.9) and sixth-most points (24.7) per game in 2023.
PREDICTION: Rams 24, Giants 17
More must-reads:
- NFC home-field advantage is still up for grabs — who’s favored for top seed?
- Cowboys’ Micah Parsons blasts officials following second consecutive loss
- The ‘NFL QBs with the most career rushing touchdowns’ quiz
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