IT’S week 17 of the 2012 NFL regular season. It’s also Christmas week, and if I neglected to wish you NFL fans a happy and peaceful Christmas, I do so now, even if a little belatedly. I hope it was an enjoyable one and I trust you enjoyed the Week 16 games as much as I did.

The Playoffs begin next week and at that time it will be clear who is in, who is not, and who is playing who and where. As of now, the AFC division winners and wild card teams are set. The final playoff roster for the NFC is yet to be determined. It will all come into focus when Week 17 is done.

As you may recall, I said last week the Seattle Seahawks are the most dangerous team in the NFL. They proved that correct in their game against the San Francisco 49ers with a 42-13 win over a team most considered to be the best.

With this win, the Seahawks clinched a playoff spot and there is no telling just how far they will go in the post-season. My gut feeling tells me they could go all the way. These guys are scary. In their last three games they have scored 150 points: 58 against Arizona, 50 against Buffalo and 42 against a high-flying 49ers team.

The guys from the Pacific Northwest have to be some of the most exciting players in the league right now — their rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson, and running back Marshawn Lynch are just two of them. And if that’s not enough, they also happen to have one of the most dominant defences in the league.

Inasmuch as the Seahawks are looking good, another regular playoff team, the New York Giants, are looking bad and are in serious danger of not making it to the post-season, having lost five of their last seven games. Eli Manning and his pals ran into a Ravens defence that sacked him three times and batted away 11 of his passes. The Ravens’ offence also played a key role in their 33-14 defeat of the Giants.

A good-looking Joe Flacco turned in a solid performance, completing 25 of 36 attempts for a total of 309 yards and included two touchdowns. Wide receiver Torrey Smith put on a show with five catches for 88 yards and one touchdown, and so did running back Ray Rice, who gained 158 yards rushing. This victory for the Ravens secured their second AFC North title in a row. The Giants must now win and hope a bunch of other teams lose in Week 17 to make the playoffs. Certainly not a worthy effort this season by the defending champs.

The game of the week is undoubtedly the clash between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins for the NFC East title. A healthy RG3 is back at the helm for the Redskins and his opponent, Tony Romo, has a lot to prove, and a lot of stake heading into this one. These two teams are basically in a must-win situation and something’s got to give.

The Redskins can actually make the playoffs even if they lose to Dallas on Sunday — provided both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings also lose — but that seems unlikely. The Cowboys though, MUST win to advance to the post-season. I can’t wait to see this one.

There are a couple other intriguing match-ups this weekend with playoff implications this week. The Indianapolis Colts are at home to the Houston Texans, as the Texans look to lock up the No1 overall seed in the AFC and a first-round bye. As it stands now, Houston and the Denver Broncos are in line to finish one and two in the AFC, but don’t look now….

The New England Patriots can leapfrog both those teams and grab the No 1 overall seed, IF the Patriots beat Miami this week, and both the Texans and Broncos lose. The Green Bay Packers are at home to the Minnesota Vikings as the Packers try to lock up the No 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye, ahead of the San Francisco 49ers, who must beat the Arizona Cardinals and hope the Packers lose in order to leapfrog Green Bay into that coveted No 2 slot.

Things have really turned around for me in the last few weeks as far as making picks against the point spread. I again led the way last week with a 12-4 record to extend my overall lead over my colleagues Andre Hutchinson, Peter Lindo and Andrei Roper. Things are still very tight and anything can happen as we head into the final week of the season. Let’s see how it goes.

Well, that’s it for now folks, enjoy the last week of the regular season. I can’t wait for the playoffs to begin. Take care, and remember to place your bets on the games with JustBet !!!

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EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

TONY SCOTT’S Week 17 Picks (in bold)

Falcons v Buccaneers

Bills v Jets

Bengals v Ravens

Lions v Bears

Colts v Texans

Vikings v Packers

Patriots v Dolphins

Saints v Panthers

Giants v Eagles

Steelers v Browns

Titans v Jaguars

Redskins v Cowboys

Broncos v Chiefs

Chargers v Raiders

Seahawks v Rams

49ers v Cardinals

Last week: 12-4

Season to date: 127-113

ANDRE HUTCHINSON’S Week 17 Picks (in bold)

Falcons v Buccaneers

Bills v Jets

Bengals v Ravens

Lions v Bears

Colts v Texans

Vikings v Packers

Patriots v Dolphins

Saints v Panthers

Giants v Eagles

Steelers v Browns

Titans v Jaguars

Redskins v Cowboys

Broncos v Chiefs

Chargers v Raiders

Seahawks v Rams

49ers v Cardinals

Last week: 10-6

Season to date: 122-118

ANDREI ROPER’S Week 17 Picks (in bold)

Falcons v Buccaneers

Bills v Jets

Bengals v Ravens

Lions v Bears

Colts v Texans

Vikings v Packers

Patriots v Dolphins

Saints v Panthers

Giants v Eagles

Steelers v Browns

Titans v Jaguars

Redskins v Cowboys

Broncos v Chiefs

Chargers v Raiders

Seahawks v Rams

49ers v Cardinals

Last week: 7-9

Season to date: 118-122

PETER LINDO’S Week 17 Picks (in bod)

Falcons v Buccaneers

Bills v Jets

Bengals v Ravens

Lions v Bears

Colts v Texans

Vikings v Packers

Patriots v Dolphins

Saints v Panthers

Giants v Eagles

Steelers v Browns

Titans v Jaguars

Redskins v Cowboys

Broncos v Chiefs

Chargers v Raiders

Seahawks v Rams

49ers v Cardinals

Last week: 12-4

Season to date: 122-118

NFL WEEK 17 SCHEDULE

* Point Spreads and Under/Over included*

* Point Spreads and Under/Over subject to change without notice, prior to kick-off

SUNDAY DECEMBER 30

ATL FALCONS v TB BUCCANEERS +6.5, U/O 48.5

BUF BILLS v NY JETS +3.5, U/O 40.5

CIN BENGALS v BAL RAVENS +2.5, U/O 42.5

DET LIONS +2.5 v CHI BEARS, U/O 45.5

IND COL_S +6.5 v HOU TEXANS, U/O 48.5

MIN VIKINGS +3.5 v GB PACKERS, U/O 46.5

NE PATRIOTS v MIA DOLPHINS +9.5, U/O 46.5

NO SAINTS v CAR PANTHERS +4.5, U/O 53.5

NY GIANTS v PHI EAGLES +7.5, U/O 46.5

PIT STEELERS v CLE BROWNS +8.5, U/O 42.5

TEN TITANS v JAC JAGUARS +4.5, U/O 41.5

WAS REDSKINS v DAL COWBOYS +2.5, U/O 49.5

DEN BRONCOS v KC CHIEFS +17.5, U/O 42.5

SD CHARGERS v OAK RAIDERS +6.5, U/O 44.5

SEA SEAHAWKS v STL RAMS +10.5, U/O 41.5

SF 49ERS v ARI CARDINALS +15.5, U/O 40.5