NFL 2012 WEEK 17 PICKS: Final Week of Season Has Everyone Depending on Others to Win or Lose

The NFL season finally comes to and end this Sunday. It’s been a great season, but cue Lauryn Hill’s “Nothing Even Matters” please. Eleven of the sixteen games played this Sunday will mean absolutely nothing. When there’s nothing on the line, players normally don’t play hard and have already mailed it in. Don’t trip though, because VIBE’s Week 17 NFL Picks this week all have something on the line, let’s check them out.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants

The Giants need a miracle to get into the playoffs. You know like, Jay-Z and Dame Dash being friends again kind of a miracle. Hell, kind of like a God and Satan being cool again kind of miracle. The Giants need to beat the Eagles, they need the Lions to beat the Bears, they need the Packers to beat the Vikings, and they need the Redskins to beat the Cowboys just to get in the playoffs. The chances of all these happening are 6%. So, the Giants are essentially playing for nothing.

The Eagles’ season has been over since Week 5. This game is going to be Andy Reid’s swan song and Michael Vick’s audition for next season. With Vick being everything but good this season and the Eagles owing him $15 million next season, this is Vick’s last game with the team because the Eagles will cut him after the season.

To the unclothed eye, you’d say this game is all about pride, but it’s really all about maturity. The Giants know their playoff chances are slim, but they’d mash for their dreams and give it their all even if there was zero shot of them getting in the playoffs. All you have to do is just look at the Eagles few games and you can tell they won’t be present for their last game on Sunday. The Giants are one of the leagues more mature teams and the Eagles are definitely the league’s most immature team. Giants win, 27 – 14.

Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings

For the Minnesota Vikings this weekend, it’s pretty damn simple: Win and you’re in the playoffs, worry about the record later.

Records will be falling like Manny Pacquiao in the final weekend of the 2012 NFL season. The record everyone will be checking for is the single season NFL rushing record of 2,105 yards held by Eric Dickerson since 1984. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is 208 yards away from breaking the record. Just a few weeks ago, he faced the Packers and ruptured the Packers defense for 210 yards. Even if All Day Peterson doesn’t get the record, he’s likely to become the 7th player to rush for over 2,000 yards only being 102 yard shy of the mark.

The Packers are playing for the golden cheesehead – a first round playoff bye, so they are going to do their best to stop Peterson. The key to beating the Viking is loading eight, nine, maybe the whole damn team up in the box and making second year quarterback Christian Ponder beat you. The Packers did that last time, and won the game — but yeah, A.D. got off like a porn star.

The record will be broken and the Vikings will be heartbroken. Packers win, 24 – 20.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins

This game is for all the NFC East marbles. Cowboys win, and they win the division and take America’s team into the playoffs. If the Redskins win, they’ll win the division and go go dance into the playoffs. The latter ain’t happening though, bruh.

The Cowboys have played with more heart than any other NFL team in recent weeks. Robert Griffin III has got a bad wheel. He played okay against the Eagles last week, but dawg, that’s the Eagles. It was like playing a scrimmage against a Big Ten school. RGIII’s bad wheel will be his Achilles' heel. The Cowboys are going to blitz him all game long and make him run. The only reason the Cowboys lost to the Skins on Thanksgiving was because they couldn’t stop Griffin when he was scrambling.

It’s not rocket science people. If RGIII can’t move the Skins can’t win. Cowboys win, 31 – 27.

For more from Richard Boadu, checkout 6Magazine.com.