Tuesday, December 27, 2011

2011 NFL Week 17 Predictions and Playoff Scenarios

This is it, the final week of the 2011 NFL season and this year has been one wild ride and has had a lot of interesting things happen.

Carolina at New Orleans 1:00 PM FOX
Buffalo at New England 1:00 PM CBS
Chicago at Minnesota 1:00 PM FOX
NY Jets at Miami 1:00 PM CBS
San Francisco at St. Louis 1:00 PM FOX
Detroit at Green Bay 1:00 PM FOX
Washington at Philadelphia 1:00 PM FOX
Indianapolis at Jacksonville 1:00 PM CBS
Tennessee at Houston 1:00 PM CBS
Seattle at Arizona 4:15 PM FOX
Kansas City at Denver 4:15 PM CBS
Tampa Bay at Atlanta 4:15 PM FOX
Baltimore at Cincinnati 4:15 PM CBS
Pittsburgh at Cleveland 4:15 PM CBS
San Diego at Oakland 4:15 PM CBS
Dallas at NY Giants 8:20 PM NBC

Here are the playoff scenarios that should make things this weekend very interesting.

AFC 

CLINCHED: New England Patriots -- East Division and a first-round bye. 
Houston Texans -- South Division. 
Baltimore Ravens -- wild-card spot. 
Pittsburgh Steelers -- wild-card spot. 

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 
New England clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs: 
1) NE win or tie 
2) BAL loss or tie + PIT loss or tie 

BALTIMORE RAVENS 
Baltimore clinches AFC North Division and a first-round bye: 
1) BAL win 
2) BAL tie + PIT loss or tie 
3) PIT loss 
Baltimore clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs: 
1) BAL win + NE loss 

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 
Pittsburgh clinches AFC North Division and a first-round bye: 
1) PIT win + BAL loss or tie 
2) PIT tie + BAL loss 
Pittsburgh clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs: 
1) PIT win + BAL loss or tie + NE loss 

DENVER BRONCOS 
Denver clinches AFC West Division: 
1) DEN win 
2) DEN tie + OAK loss or tie 
3) OAK loss 

OAKLAND RAIDERS 
Oakland clinches AFC West Division: 
1) OAK win + DEN loss or tie 
2) OAK tie + DEN loss 
Oakland clinches a wild-card spot: 
1) OAK win + CIN loss + TEN loss or tie 
2) OAK win + CIN loss + NYJ win 

CINCINNATI BENGALS 
Cincinnati clinches a wild-card spot: 
1) CIN win or tie 
2) NYJ loss or tie + OAK loss or tie 
3) NYJ loss or tie + DEN loss or tie 

NEW YORK JETS 
NY Jets clinch a wild-card spot: 
1) NYJ win + CIN loss + TEN loss or tie + OAK loss or tie 
2) NYJ win + CIN loss + TEN loss or tie + DEN loss or tie 

TENNESSEE TITANS 
Tennessee clinches a wild-card spot: 
1) TEN win + CIN loss + NYJ win + OAK loss or tie 
2) TEN win + CIN loss + NYJ win + DEN loss or tie 
3) TEN win + CIN loss + NYJ loss or tie + OAK win + DEN win 

NFC 

CLINCHED: Green Bay Packers -- No. 1 seed in NFC 
San Francisco 49ers -- West Division 
New Orleans Saints – South Division 
Detroit Lions -- wild-card spot 
Atlanta Falcons -- wild-card spot 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 
San Francisco clinches a first-round bye: 
1) SF win 
2) SF tie + NO loss or tie 
3) NO loss 

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 
New Orleans clinches a first-round bye: 
1) NO win + SF loss or tie 
2) NO tie + SF loss 

NEW YORK GIANTS 
NY Giants clinch NFC East Division: 
1) NYG win or tie 

DALLAS COWBOYS 
Dallas clinches NFC East Division: 
1) DAL win

And now here the odds and lines from Vegas.com

National Football League
Time Caesars-
Hilton
MGM-
Mirage
Stations
Jan. 1Washington
10 a.m. at Philadelphia
FavoritePHIPHIPHI 
Point spread-9-9-9
Total46o/u46o/u46o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Tampa Bay
1:15 p.m. at Atlanta
FavoriteATLATLATL 
Point spread-13-13-13
Total47o/u46½o/u47o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1San Francisco
10 a.m. at St. Louis
FavoriteSFOSFOSFO 
Point spread-10½-10½-10½
Total35½o/u36o/u35½o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Chicago
10 a.m. at Minnesota
FavoriteCHICHICHI 
Point spread-1-1-1
Total41o/u41o/u41o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Detroit
10 a.m. at Green Bay
FavoriteDETDETDET 
Point spread-3½-3½-3½
Total46½o/u46o/u46½o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Dallas
5:20 p.m. at N.Y. Giants
FavoriteNYGNYGNYG 
Point spread-3-3-3
Total46o/u46o/u46½o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Carolina
10 a.m. at New Orleans
FavoriteNORNORNOR 
Point spread-9½-9-9½
Total55o/u54½o/u55o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Tennessee
10 a.m. at Houston
FavoriteTENTENTEN 
Point spread-3-2½-2½
Total40½o/u40o/u40½o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Baltimore
1:15 p.m. at Cincinnati
FavoriteBALBALBAL 
Point spread-2½-2½-2½
Total38o/u38½o/u38o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Pittsburgh
1:15 p.m. at Cleveland
 Point spreads have not been posted for this contest

Jan. 1Indianapolis
10 a.m. at Jacksonville
FavoriteJACJACJAC 
Point spread-4-4-4
Total37o/u37o/u37o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1N.Y. Jets
10 a.m. at Miami
FavoriteMIAMIAMIA 
Point spread-1½-1½-1½
Total41½o/u41½o/u41½o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Buffalo
10 a.m. at New England
FavoriteNWENWENWE 
Point spread-11½-12-12
Total51o/u51½o/u51o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1San Diego
1:15 p.m. at Oakland
FavoriteOAKOAKOAK 
Point spread-3-3-3
Total49o/u49o/u49o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Kansas City
1:15 p.m. at Denver
FavoriteDENDENDEN 
Point spread-3-3½-3
Total36½o/u37o/u36½o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110 

Jan. 1Seattle
1:15 p.m. at Arizona
FavoriteARIARIARI 
Point spread-3-3-3
Total41o/u41o/u41o/u 
Total money line-110-110-110