Week 17 National Football League Free Pick Predictions

Once again, Happy New Year to everyone – may all your bets cash in 2012! We closed out 2011 with a win by the Auburn Tigers last night, and we look to steamroll into the New Year with a couple of NFL wins today.

For the record; our 2011 NFL Free Picks, which began appearing during Super Bowl XLV, produced a 64-33-1 record in 2011. We ended the calender year with four straight wins. Happy New Year indeed!

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Lions vs. Packers: Week 17 Free Pick #1

Kickoff for both of our NFL Week 17 Free Picks is slated for 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 1, 2012, from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI, and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA.

Casual bettors will be shocked to find the 14-1 defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers as +4.5 underdogs at home against the 10-5 Detroit Lions. Green Bay is talking about resting their starters right of the gate in this one as this game means nothing to them.

At 122.5 Packers QB Aaron Rodgers currently holds the highest QB passer rating for a single season. Injured Colts QB Peyton Manning set the previous record at 121.1 back in 2004. Rodgers won’t see the field today and the new record will be preserved. Setting the record will cap the best regular season performance by a QB in NFL history.

Detroit on the other hand is playing to avoid a trip to the Bayou and a possible beat down by the Saints during the Wild Card Playoff Weekend. Additionally, the Lions are looking to show the world that their 5-2 NFL 2011 road record isn’t a fluke. We expect the Motown Cats to finish strong here.

SBR Free Pick #1: Take the Lions at -4.5 (-110) over the Packers!

Panthers vs. Saints: Week 17 Free Pick #2

As mentioned in the opening, it’s a tough week to handicap as some teams will rest players, some clubs are playing for something, while others are just looking forward to hitting the beach.

Carolina is one of the squads that will be hitting the beach but the Panthers would love to have a say in the Saints playoff future before they get out their shovels and pails.

New Orleans will be scoreboard watching as San Francisco is in St. Louis to face the Rams. A win seals the #2 seed and a first week playoff bye for the 49ers. We don’t see the Lambs keeping up here. Once the Niners get out to a comfortable lead, New Orleans will pull their starters.

That will allow Carolina QB Cam Newton & Co keep their version of Super Bowl XLVI close. The Saints are the #3 seed whether they win or lose here. Having a healthy squad, for their pending NFC Championship match-up with the Packers, is of paramount importance to the Saints.

As a point of reference, the Panthers have covered six of the last seven games against New Orleans. In those contests, the Saints were playing with a full deck while the Panthers basically sucked. A Saints half deck, and an improving Panthers squad, hints that Carolina could win outright here.

SBR Free Pick #2: Take the Panthers at +7 (-110) over the Saints!

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