Game Plan for Week 17

The last week of the calendar is here and with it, the option to live a historic day. There are still seven places for the Playoffs to be defined, nothing less than the highest number to fill in the final weekend of the season in 31 years, after there were also seven in 1989.

A total of 18 teams, more than half of the league, are still pursuing their aspirations for a playoff spot. The NFL hadn’t had that many teams involved on the last calendar date since 2006, when 20 teams came in with an option to qualify.

With all these implications per scenario, the experts at ESPN Deportes offer their analysis and their choices to keep the 2020 forecasting race interesting.

NOTE: The picks of each expert are in capital letters and bold.

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ALFONSO MANCILLA / Twitter: @poncho_mancilla

– HOW HIGH IS THE CHANCE THAT WE WILL SEE THE LATEST REGULAR SEASON GAME FROM DREW BREES?

During this week, bettors in Las Vegas, who have to be believed because they have their money in, gave an 88 percent probability that the legendary New Orleans quarterback will not play the 2021 season.

If we focus on the fact that the last two seasons have been very difficult for Drew Brees due to injuries, the option of watching his last minutes on the field is very high; however, the NFL has also shown that age is not necessarily a factor that determines the continuity of quarterbacks.

Brees, who is about to turn 42, appears to be in the same group as Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and Ryan Fitzpatrick, who maintain a high level of competition despite having more than 15 years in the league.

As if that were not enough, the season finale also endorsed that the team’s defense and Alvin Kamara’s role in the running game could give Brees the necessary support to return in 2021. With all this in mind, it seems to me that the probability Brees’ return rises to 50 percent.

FANTASY PREDITIONS

QB with the most yards through the air: Deshaun Watson (Houston), 380 yards
RB with the most rushing yards: Derrick Henry (Tenneesse), 145 yardas
Defensive that will allow fewer points: Indianapolis (12 points)

PICKS

Miami vs. BUFFALO

ARIZONA vs. LA Rams

GREEN BAY vs. Chicago

Washington vs. PHILADELPHIA

TENNESSEE vs. Texans

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INDIANAPOLIS vs. Jacksonville

EDUARDO VARELA / Twitter: @LaloVarelaTV

– WILL THE MATCH AGAINST CHICAGO BEARS SHOW THE REAL LEVEL OF GREEN PACKERS AND IF IT IS A BETTER VERSION COMPARED TO THE ONE LAST YEAR LOST THE NFC FINAL?

Green Bay has improved a lot in the last month on both sides of the ball, mainly in the running game which has given Aaron Rodgers another perspective and open the game by air. Likewise, the defense is more aggressive and dominant against the run this season.

FANTASY PREDITIONS

QB with the most yards through the air: Andy Dalton (Cincinnati), 350 yardas
RB with the most rushing yards: Derrick Henry (Tennessee), 150 yardas
Defensive that will allow fewer points: Cleveland (10 points)

PICKS

Miami vs. BUFFALO

ARIZONA vs. LA Rams

GREEN BAY vs. Chicago

Washington vs. PHILADELPHIA

TENNESSEE vs. Texans

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N. ORLEANS vs. Carolina

SEBASTIÁN M. CHRISTENSEN / Twitter: @SebastianMCESPN

– DOES COACH BRIAN FLORES MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION IN KEEPING TUA TAGOVAILOA OVER RYAN FITZPATRICK IN FRONT OF BILLS?

Of course you made the right decision. Not only does Tua Tagovailoa have a much higher ceiling than Ryan Fitzpatrick, but he’s also the ideal fit for this specific Dolphins roster.

While Fitzpatrick he’s more vertical, and the offense has more punch with him behind center, the reality is that the Dolphins were 3-3 with Fitz starting.

Miami has a top-of-the-line defense and special teams have done their bit, so a quarterback who limits errors is just what the doctor ordered. Having said that, Tagovailoa you must take more risks and attack more vertically. Miami is not a true contender this year, and experience in these types of games will help Tua going forward.

FANTASY PREDITIONS

QB with the most yards through the air: Deshaun Watson (Houston), 402 yards
RB with the most rushing yards: Derrick Henry (Tenneesse), 202 yardas
Defensive that will allow fewer points: Indianapolis (13 points)

PICKS

Miami vs. BUFFALO

Arizona vs. LA RAMS

GREEN BAY vs. Chicago

WASHINGTON vs. Philadelphia

TENNEESSE vs. Texans

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Pittsburgh vs. CLEVELAND

CARLOS NAVA / Twitter: @TapaNava

– REGARDLESS OF WHAT EITHER OF BOTH REACHES POST-SEASON, WHICH TEAM MADE THE BEST USE OF THE 2021 SEASON BETWEEN COWBOYS AND GIANTS?

The New York Giants made much more progress because they advanced their program, they grew on both sides of the ball, especially their quarterback Daniel Jones.

It is true that they had more lows than highs, but if you consider that they did not have an offseason program, nor preseason games under a new coaching staff, they even exceeded some expectations in their rebuilding. For the Cowboys, the season was a setback in almost every respect.

FANTASY PREDITIONS

QB with the most yards through the air: Tom Brady (Tampa Bay), 382 yards
RB with the most rushing yards: Derrick Henry (Tenneesse), 190 yardas
Defensive that will allow fewer points: Indianapolis (10 points)

PICKS

Miami vs. BUFFALO

Arizona vs. LA RAMS

GREEN BAY vs. Chicago

WASHINGTON vs. Philadelphia

TENNEESSE vs. Texans

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Pittsburgh vs. CLEVELAND

PABLO VIRUEGA / Twitter: @PabloViruega

– DESPITE JARED GOFF’S BAD STREAK AND INJURY LOSS, WILL RAMS BE ABLE TO BEAT CARDINALS AND ENTER PLAYOFFS?

It won’t be enough to beat Arizona, but they may make the playoffs. Right now, the team that can support the Rams is the Packers and they beat the Bears, which is very likely.

First, Rams has a good defense, which has not played at its highest level in the last two weeks, especially against the Jets. That defense must keep Los Angeles in the game to have a chance against Arizona, which is already eliminated but will want to close the season with a victory.

It is complicated only with the defense to win games and more if they go against a team with the attacking potential that Cardinals has. On the offensive side, they will have John Wolford, who will be the first quarterback to start a game (in the Super Bowl era, 1966) in the last week and where his team defines its pass to the Playoffs.

Wolford will need a great running and defensive game, which seems insufficient to beat Arizona, for that reason, the Rams will depend on the Packers, who are in the fight to rest in the first week of the playoffs, and for that they have to beat Chicago.

FANTASY PREDITIONS

QB with the most yards through the air: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) 300 yards
RB with the most rushing yards: Derrick Henry (Tenneesse) 140 yardas
Defensive that will allow fewer points: Baltimore (16 points)

PICKS

Miami vs. BUFFALO

ARIZONA vs. LA Rams

GREEN BAY vs. Chicago

WASHINGTON vs. Philadelphia

TENNEESSE vs. Texans

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Miami vs. BUFFALO

IVIS ABURTO / Twitter: @IvisAburto

– IS CHIEFS ‘DECISION TO REST PATRICK MAHOMES IN THE LAST WEEK EXAGGERATED, WHEN TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT THIS YEAR WILL ONLY REST THE NUMBER ONE SEED OF EACH CONFERENCE ON THE FIRST WEEK OF PLAYOFFS?

It is a decision that can be seen from the perspective of the glass half full or the glass half empty.

Giving Patrick Mahomes and other starters such a long break does not seem ideal, as two weeks seem too much in relation to pace of play and competitive. Maybe treating the game against the Chargers as a preseason game, in which the starters play a quarter or first half helps in this regard.

Just a cold fact: Mahomes he will be the seventh quarterback to rest in the final week of the regular season, after his team secured the conference’s first seed.

Of the six above, only one (Drew Brees with the Saints in 2009), won the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, it is not that the Kansas City offense is going through its best moment, after having problems in the last two games, against New Orleans y Atlanta.

When considering how the Saints’ defense made things difficult for Mahomes and their receivers and how they made several mistakes against the Falcons, the hiatus may not be so bad for the Kansas City attack to regroup and reach the Playoffs with new vigor.

FANTASY PREDITIONS

QB with the most yards through the air: Drew Brees (N. Orleans), 380 yards
RB with the most rushing yards: Derrick Henry (Tennessee), 135 yardas
Defensive that will allow fewer points: Baltimore (13 points)

PICKS

Miami vs. BUFFALO

Arizona vs. LA RAMS

GREEN BAY vs. Chicago

Washington vs. PHILADELPHIA

TENNEESSE vs. Texans

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DALLAS vs. NY Giants

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