Week 17 NFL picks: Browns beat Jets on Thursday night to clinch playoff berth; Cowboys defeat Lions
NFL.com editors Ali Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, Brooke Cersosimo, Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr will predict every game of the 2023 NFL season, using the unbeatable combo of football analysis and excessive punctuation. Check out their Week 17 picks below.
Why Tom is taking the Browns: The Jets will present the toughest defensive test yet of Joe Flacco's Cleveland revival, and the sailing is not likely to be as smooth as it was against the Texans in Week 16. Then again, smooth sailing hasn't exactly been the key to the Browns' success lately. New York could keep Flacco and Co. in check to some degree -- but I'll still take Cleveland at home, with a chance to clinch a playoff berth, over Trevor Siemian against the Browns' own imposing D.
Why Gennaro is taking the Cowboys: Fourteen months ago, the Lions traveled to Dallas and embarrassed themselves, committing five second-half turnovers in an 18-point loss. With another defeat seven days later, Detroit fell to 1-6 on the season and 4-19-1 in the Dan Campbell/Brad Holmes era. But something strange happened on the way to another "Same Old Lions" regime washout: Detroit started winning. A lot. Over the last 13 months, this team has posted a 19-6 record. This past Sunday, Detroit clinched its first division title in 30 years, cementing the notion that these are indeed the "Brand New Lions." So, why am I predicting another defeat in this week's return to Jerry World? Well, this is an extremely tough spot for the visitors. Fresh off two more road losses, an angry Dallas team returns home, where the 2023 Cowboys play like the 1993 Cowboys. Riding the weekly roller coaster that is this parity-driven league, it feels like a time for Dallas to go up and Detroit to go down.
Why Tom is taking
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