Our panel of NFL experts predicts Week 17's biggest upsets, makes its picks for the huge 49ers-Seahawks game, looks ahead to 2020 with its prognostications and looks back on the past decade in the league.
Plus, our experts evaluate the Bengals' choices with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
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What's your top upset pick for Week 17?
Mina Kimes, NFL writer: Falcons (+1) over Buccaneers. It seemed inevitable that Atlanta coach Dan Quinn would be fired this offseason, but I'm no longer certain, because his team seems bent on saving his job. The Falcons' defense has improved by leaps and bounds as of late, so give me Atlanta in a weird one.
Jason Reid, The Undefeated, senior writer: Cardinals (+7) over Rams. Rookie quarterback Kyler Murray is dealing with a minor hamstring injury, but he is expected to play. Murray has validated the Cardinals' decision to select him first overall in the 2019 draft, and his season will end on a high note against the Rams, who failed to reach the postseason for the first time in three seasons under coach Sean McVay.
Aaron Schatz, editor of Football Outsiders: Bengals (+3) over Browns. For a 1-14 team, Cincinnati is less horrible than you might think, especially when you consider only games started by Andy Dalton instead of Ryan Finley. The Bengals are 28th in our weighted DVOA ratings that give less strength to early games. The Browns are down to 23rd in those same ratings.
Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: Bengals (+3) over Browns. The Bengals have already locked in the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 draft, so there is nothing holding them back from a Week 17 release of competitiveness. And if there is any team likely to blow off a meaningless Week 17 game on the road, it's the Browns.
Field Yates, NFL analyst: Falcons (+1) over Buccaneers. Atlanta has been far better since its bye week on defense and should end its season on a positive note after a disappointing start.
49ers at Seahawks will decide the NFC West. Who are you taking?
Kimes: 49ers. The return of Marshawn Lynch should give the Seahawks (and fan base) an emotional boost, but the loss of left tackle Duane Brown is brutal. You saw what Arizona's defensive line did to Russell Wilson last week. Now imagine Nick Bosa & Co. bearing down on Seattle's battered unit. The Seahawks should get some core contributors back on defense on Sunday, but the injuries across the board will be difficult to overcome.
Reid: 49ers. Although I totally love what Wilson has done this season -- if not for Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, Wilson would be the league's MVP -- he has only so much magic. Losing top running back Chris Cason for the remainder of the season was a major blow, and Brown is out because of knee surgery. The return of Lynch is cool and all, but Beast Mode is 33 and hasn't played this season. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan will win his first division title.
Schatz: 49ers. I think it's actually a good thing for the Seahawks that injuries in the backfield might prompt them to run less and depend on Wilson more. But the offensive line already has been problematic all year, and now it has lost its best player in Brown. There's only so much Wilson can do to will his team to victory, even with the help of the 12s. Poor in-game decision-making by the Seattle coaching staff doesn't make his job any easier.
Seifert: 49ers. I have been primed to pick the Seahawks for weeks, if not months. If the teams that played the first matchup in Week 10 were rematched in Seattle, this would be pretty easy. But the Seahawks have suffered too many injury hits, and the loss of Brown alone -- leaving the Seahawks vulnerable to a highly active 49ers front -- is reason alone to pick against them.
Yates: 49ers. While San Francisco is dealing with its own injuries, two key injuries to Seattle's backfield have them in a pickle for this massive matchup. Even when it's playing at home, I think the lack of a dominant running game -- which has catalyzed the team this season -- will be Seattle's undoing.
The Bengals locked up the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. Todd McShay says they should take LSU QB Joe Burrow. What would you do if you were the GM?
Kimes: Pick Burrow. It's impossible to say if he (or any quarterback) is a sure thing, and it's always risky to drop a rookie into a bad team, but his upside is too high to pass on.
Reid: Burrow has a fabulous story, and his Heisman speech was one for the ages. That established, it's not like he'll be evaluated as highly as John Elway once was entering the draft. His success at the next level isn't a sure thing. The Bengals need a whole lot of players. They should trade down and pick up as many picks as possible.
Schatz: The Bengals need a quarterback, but there's certainly no guarantee that Burrow is going to be an NFL star. The best scenario for the Bengals would be a trade down that picks up a significant number of draft-pick assets but also leaves them with a first-round pick high enough to select an alternate quarterback prospect.
Seifert: I can't imagine doing anything other than taking a quarterback. In a 1-13 season, they benched longtime starter Andy Dalton and returned him to the lineup only when they realized that his replacement -- Ryan Finley -- was not the answer. The idea of trading down and accumulating additional assets is tempting, but not when the quarterback cupboard is bare.
Yates: Take a quarterback. The makings of a nice offensive nucleus are actually in place if Cincinnati can find a long-term quarterback answer. I hear Joe Burrow is available.
Let's talk 2020. Give us one prediction for next year that you feel strongly about.
Kimes: The Cowboys win the NFC East next year. This team has been completely befuddling; its underlying statistics tell us it should be much better than it is, but it got unlucky and failed to execute in big moments. Its cap situation isn't as dire as advertised, and after the organization brings in new coaches, I wouldn't be surprised if it bounces back in a big way.
Reid: Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson will wage an epic three-QB battle for the MVP award that won't be decided until Week 17. These guys are the future of the NFL. And the league's future is bright.
Schatz: New England's days of dominating the AFC East are over. Tom Brady's decline will likely continue, assuming he doesn't retire. I don't expect the big moves needed to solve the team's wide receiver/tight end weaknesses. Defense is far less consistent from year to year than offense, and the Patriots will have major defensive regression, compounded by the fact that a number of major players are free agents (Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton) and/or rumored to be considering retirement (twins Devin and Jason McCourty). They still might win the division at 9-7 or something, especially if Buffalo's defense regresses as well, but they won't be competing for a top-two seed and first-round bye again next year.
Seifert: The NFL won't totally give up on its safety net for pass-interference calls and non-calls. I don't know if owners will renew the identical review process, if they'll tweak it or if they'll consider a "sky judge." But there are plenty of people in and around the league who think this year's fiasco has been a failure of execution, not process.
Yates: Kyler Murray will be in the Pro Bowl. There was so much promise during his rookie season. Arizona should benefit from all of the young wideouts who will have a full offseason together to develop, while Murray will be that much further along. He's a prodigious talent.
OK, we've reached the end of 2010s. What was your favorite NFL moment from 2010 to '19?
Kimes: Richard Sherman's tip. Super Bowl XLVIII was a dud, but the NFC Championship between Seattle and San Francisco that year was one of the greatest games I've ever seen -- an epic, angry rivalry that culminated in a single moment on the field, capped with a truly incredible interview.
Reid: Eli Manning to Mario Manningham in Super Bowl XLVI. Trailing the Patriots 17-15 with under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Giants were at their 12-yard line. On first down, Manning dropped back and threw deep along the left sideline to Manningham, perfectly placing the ball between the corner and safety. Manningham did the rest, stretching out and making the catch -- one of the greatest in Super Bowl history -- for a 38-yard gain. The Giants capped the drive with the go-ahead touchdown and held on to win the championship 21-17.
Schatz: The Immaculate Interception. Malcolm Butler's pick to end Super Bowl XLIX. This was my first year covering the Super Bowl, and I managed to see the team I root for win the championship on the most important single play in NFL history for Super Bowl win probability.
Seifert: Butler's interception in Super Bowl XLIX. You could write a book about the backstory, execution and consequence of this one play. Having sat in NFL stadiums for two decades, I can remember only a handful of other plays that so completely reversed the expected tide. And none of them transferred a near-certain championship from one team to the other. The Seahawks were 1 yard away from a title!
Yates: Every #BigGuy touchdown. Those were awesome, and the celebrations were almost always glorious.