The AFC North's two playoff teams meet Sunday, with pickers evenly split over whether the Baltimore Ravens or Cincinnati Bengals will come out with a win in their season finale.
NFL picks and predictions Week 17: Ravens vs. Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens are both trying to improve their playoff seeding in a Week 17 matchup between divisional rivals, with a slim majority of pickers expecting Cincinnati to win.
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Cincinnati has come a long way since a season-opening 44-13 loss to Baltimore, but the Ravens have already sealed up the division. There’s still playoff seeding in play, although with a postseason berth assured for both teams, a loss wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. The Ravens could earn home field for their first playoff game with a win, while the Bengals can’t. It’s worth noting that there’s a distinct possibility that these divisional rivals play again just a week away in the AFC Wild Card round.
Joel Thorman of SB Nation thinks it will be a close game sided with the home team in his Week 17 NFL picks, giving the Bengals a one-point margin of victory:
A meaningful AFC North game in December that doesn't involve the Steelers. You don't see that very often. The AFC playoff field is set, with only seeding to be determined. The Bengals are going to do something I never thought was possible -- beat the Steelers and Ravens to end the season.
The Bengals also have the edge according to two out of three pickers at Yahoo and five out of eight at CBS, with Yahoo’s pick’em pool siding with Baltimore and CBS’ prediction algorithm going for Cincinnati. The Bengals are favored by under a field goal at most books.
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