Regular season is almost over, what an NFL football year it has been. The Terrell Ownes saga reared its ugly head, Carolina Panthers cheerleaders go berserk in a bathroom at a Tampa bar, Minnesota Vikings sex cruise, Ricky Williams back in action, Indy Colts went 13 straight… Bookies are glad this brutal season with favorites winning a LOT is almost over, with all the stats, info and inside information lurking on the Internet - bettors are very smart indeed!

Playoffs picture. Don’t dismiss the games this last week of the 2005 NFL football season, these games matter and these teams give a damn. There is no sure money betting these games so tread carefully.

In the NFC the Bears and Seahawks clinched division titles and first-round byes. The Giants secured a postseason appearace as potential East Division champions with a win at Oakland. The Redskins can clinch with a victory at Philadelphia, and would advance as East Division champion if New York loses. The Buccaneers can clinch the South Division with a victory over the Saints. The Panthers can advance to the playoffs with a win in Atlanta, as a wild-card team, or - if Tampa Bay loses - as South Division champion. The Cowboys need to win against the Rams and a loss by Carolina or Washington to qualify (that’s tough!).

In the AFC The Bengals (North), Colts (South), Patriots (East) and Broncos (West) have clinched division titles while the Jaguars have clinched a wild-card berth. The Steelers have wild-card hopes with a victory over the Lions (done deal!) or a San Diego Chargers victory over Denver (done deal). The Chiefs need to win against Cincinnati, a San Diego loss and a Pittsburgh loss to qualify (tough!).

Odds to win Super Bowl 2006 [Bodog]
Indianapolis Colts 10/11
Seattle Seahawks 6/1
Denver Broncos 9/1
Carolina Panthers 30/1
New England Patriots 6/1

NFL Week 17 Free Picks

San Francisco 49ers +2.0

This is a meaningless game between arguably the worst teams from each respective conference, but we see no reason why Houston should be favored on the road here. After all, the 2-13 Texans are still winless on the road at 0-7 SU. Yes they have managed to go a fine 5-2 ATS in those games, but they have been underdogs in every single road game to this point. They are getting outscored on the road by a horrendous average score of 23.3-11.9, which we feel makes them an automatic fade as road chalk vs. ANYONE! Finally, this is uncharted water for a Houston franchise that has NEVER been a road favorite in the 4-year existence of the team. LT Profits at Who2beton

Jacksonville Jaguars -3.0

The Tennessee Titans come into this contest against the play off bound Jacksonville Jaguars with one of the NFLs most futile defenses allowing 25.4 PPG on a whopping 318 .3 YPG. The 25th ranked run D has been especially porous of late allowing 175.6 YPG over the L/3 weeks. With that said look for the Jags to feed the Titans a steady diet of their vaunted ground attack behind the legs of RB Fred Taylor this Sunday as looks for a repeat performance of his 101 yard outing last time to the gridiron. Bottom line: I know this contest means little to the Jags, and they may rest a lot of starters. But with the Titans coach Jeff Fisher auditioning a lot of his young talent for jobs next year , I feel the advantage still rests with the home team in this meaningless tilt. Final note: Jacksonville QB Bryan Leftwich may play this week. While the Titans pivot Steve McNair may sit. Play on Jacksonville minus the points. Alex Smart at Who2Beton

OddJack NFL Week 17 Picks - To Win Game

pick New England Patriots to win vs Miami Dolphins
Pick Jaguars to win vs Titans
Pick Chicago Bears vs Vikings
Pick Redskins vs Eagles
Pick Broncos vs Chargers
Pick Giants vs Raiders
NFL Week 17 Odds at Sports Interaction

NFL Week 17 Power Rankings [DocSports]

1) Indianapolis (13-2) � How could they fall so far, so fast. I refuse to bump them out of the top spot because of two shady losses.
2) Denver (12-3) � The Broncos are this year�s money team at 10-4-1 ATS. Linebacker Al Wilson (broken finger) will be fine and ready to go in the playoffs.
3) Seattle (13-2) � Shaun Alexander will start on Sunday in his quest for the touchdown record. He scored three times in his last trip to Green Bay.
4) Pittsburgh (10-5) � Rumor has it that this will be Jerome Bettis� final home game. Sources close to The Bus have let out that he intends to retire following this season.
5) Chicago (11-4) � The Bears defense can set a franchise record for points allowed if they give up 18 or less.
6) New England (10-5) � In the Pats first six games of the season without Tedy Bruschi, they were getting rolled over for 125 rushing yards per game. That would qualify them for 25th in the league.
7) Cincinnati (11-4) � Needing a last-second field goal to beat Cleveland was curious. Losing by double-digits at home to Buffalo is a serious red flag. They�re losing steam.
8) Tampa Bay (10-5) � For the second straight week, pass protection was a huge problem for the Bucs. They yielded four sacks, and tackle Kenyatta Walker is 50/50 this week with a sprained foot and ankle.
9) Washington (9-6) � Mark Brunell will likely start this weekend against Philadelphia. Also, Lavar Arrington has been popping off again about how unhappy he is in D.C.
10) Carolina (10-5) � This team just isn�t as good as everyone thought. They went on an 8-1 run in the middle of the season by beating seven non-playoff teams. Since then they�ve gone 1-2, losing both games at home.