Remember that difficult algebra test you had in school? Well, you can times that by 100 and it still won't be as confusing as trying to break down NFL variables against the spread (ATS) in Week 17.
OK, OK, maybe it's not that big of a task, but you get the picture. The Giants and Steelers had something to play for last week, unlike this week, and that's reflected in the point spreads. For example, if some of these games were played last week, the spreads would be nearly a touchdown difference (see: Eagles favored over Cowboys, Redskins giving Giants a TD-plus and the Steelers less-than-a-TD favorite among a few).
Week 17 consists of 16 division contests, but only half of them have playoff implications. The biggest, of course, is the Sunday night tilt for the NFC North title between the Packers and Lions. The rest of the playoff teams are pretty much locked up, but seedings could change. The wildest of all scenarios for Week 17 is that even if Washington beats the Giants earlier in the day, Green Bay and Detroit could still make the postseason. How? By playing to a tie. Could you imagine if that game went to overtime? "Let's flip a coin: Winner gets the division and loser gets the second wild card."
Favorites went 8-7 ATS last week, giving them the season lead by one game at 114-113-1. Look for favorites to have a big week in the regular-season finale, even if those favorites haven't technically been the better teams all season.
