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Collapse. That sinking feeling that has been pulling at us like quicksand at our cement-encased shoes has finally caught up to us. For the first time all season, the Hecto-tron DA-42 has fallen below .500 against the spread:

Week 16 (no spread): 13-3, season to date: 163-77
Week 16 (spread): 6-10, season to date: 119-121

Although we've done a spectacular 68 percent heads-up, light years better than any of the local yokels in our hometown rag, that two games below even record versus the spread is nagging at our craw and causing us to lose sleep. Simply put, we must get 10 games correct in this final week to pull back over that hump of mediocrity, or we swear we will hang up our prognostication hat for the year. It's that simple. So, with that incredibly unbold statement of urgency, which matches the importance of most of the Week 17 tilts quite nicely, we give you our final picks of the 2007 season. Enjoy!

Saturday, Dec. 29

New England at New York Giants (+14½)

This game, like most of the affairs in Week 17, truly means nothing. At least it should, except that Tom Coughlin is apparently going to be suckered into the hoopla of trying to stop the Pats from reaching 16-0. If it were me, I'd boldly announce I'm resting my players, but add that my team will still prevent the Patriots from running the table … when we meet in the Super Bowl. Boo-ya! Instead, watch the Giants keep it close, fail to win, and likely lose someone to injury, causing them to lose in the playoffs when it really does matter.

Patriots, 37-24.
Spread pick: Giants

Sunday, Dec. 30

Buffalo at Philadelphia (-7½)

There's a chance this is Donovan McNabb's last game in Philadelphia. There's also a tiny chance this is Andy Reid's last game on the sidelines. Buffalo has absolutely nothing left in the tank after the emotional return of Kevin Everett to their locker room in Week 16. The Eagles are sure to have a party finishing off this otherwise disappointing season.

Eagles, 24-10.
Spread pick: Eagles

Cincinnati at Miami (+2½)

The Dolphins are all going to be looking over their shoulders, wondering if Bill Parcells is watching them, taking notes, making judgments. It's a big enough distraction to make a difference in this one. The Bengals and Carson Palmer will air it out all over the field and Ocho Cinco has about that many unused touchdown celebrations to show his fans before they reach their expiration date.

Bengals, 31-22.
Spread pick: Bengals

Carolina at Tampa Bay (+2½)

It says a lot that Carolina is the favorite in this game. Not about the Panthers, mind you, but about how little coach Jon Gruden cares about the outcome. He started resting his players about halfway through Week 14, it seems. And yet, even a squad led by Luke McCown is likely to outperform this Panthers team.

Bucs, 19-7.
Spread pick: Bucs

New Orleans at Chicago (+2½)

Yes, the Bears showed they have a lot of heart, taking care of Green Bay and costing them a shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC. But there's a big difference in getting up for a hated rival and doing it again a week later against a team that may not even get into the playoffs if they do win. The Saints will keep their hopes alive, at least for a few more hours.

Saints, 28-16.
Spread pick: Saints

Jacksonville at Houston (-6½)

Another team locked into its seed and can do what it wants in the way of resting stars and healing old injuries, the Jaguars have no reason to go all out. Except that if you've watched coach Jack Del Rio operate, you know that he demands full effort from all players at all times, so don't be surprised if the second unit puts forth one of the better efforts the team has produced all season.

Jaguars, 34-26.
Spread pick: Jaguars

Seattle at Atlanta (-2½)

The Seahawks are facing a very bad team in the Falcons. While it is true that the likes of Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander and Deion Branch probably won't go the full 60 minutes, they probably should. The offense hasn't exactly found it's rhythm yet, and there's something to be said for fixing all the problems against a weaker foe.

Seahawks, 30-13.
Spread pick: Seahawks

Detroit at Green Bay (-3½)

Brett Favre does not like to lose. The fact that he was still in the game Week 16 late in the fourth quarter shows that he's unwilling to sit down just because the game "means nothing," because to him, every game does mean something. He'll only agree to sit if the Packers are winning, so we expect them to run their regular offense and take care of business.

Packers, 27-20.
Spread pick: Packers

San Francisco at Cleveland (-9½)

How bizarre! The Browns actually have nothing to play for this week because the complicated tiebreaker could have them out with a win, yet in with a loss. So even though it might make sense to assume you'll get in, and use this game like all other "clinched teams" to rest your starters, that's unlikely to happen. For one, the Browns are playing their last home game of the season, and they'll want to perform well for the home fans, just in case they don't get in. And for two, if they rest their players and lose … how will they forgive themselves if somehow the Titans tie the Colts?

Browns, 25-9.
Spread pick: Browns

Minnesota at Denver (+2½)

The Broncos could put all 11 players in the box, and we're not sure if (a) they'd be able to stop Adrian Peterson, as bad a run defense as they are, or (b) if Tarvaris Jackson could complete enough passes downfield with uncovered receivers to make the Broncos alter that strategy. This game comes down to Jackson's ability to stop the defense from focusing its energies entirely on the run. Against Denver, we think he can do it … but it's not going to be pretty.

Vikings, 27-18.
Spread pick: Vikings

Dallas at Washington (-8½)

Terrell Owens is already hurt, and you don't want to risk injury to Tony Romo or anyone else, for that matter. Yet, this is a game against a divisional rival, and the Cowboys can eliminate them from the playoffs now, before they get Jason Campbell back … before the bad karma of laying down to an opponent causes a rematch later on in the playoffs.

Cowboys, 34-17.
Spread pick: Cowboys

Pittsburgh at Baltimore (+5½)

Stick a fork in the Ravens. They are done. Injuries and the lack of a true quarterback have turned this once-formidable team into a pushover that even the Dolphins can beat. The Steelers may not have any reason to play their starters more than a series or two, but Charlie Batch is more than capable of beating this shell of a franchise.

Steelers, 23-6.
Spread pick: Steelers

San Diego at Oakland (+6½)

The Raiders are letting JaMarcus Russell get his feet wet, and the Chargers will be there with a giant anchor, ready to watch him drown. After watching the taunting and trash talking that San Diego was doing Week 16, we can't imagine they'll let up against anyone, let alone the hated Raiders.

Chargers, 26-10.
Spread pick: Chargers

St. Louis at Arizona (-6½)

"The What Could Have Been Bowl" pits two high-powered offenses that both seemed to get on track only after it was too late to save their seasons. Expect a lot of offensive fireworks as Marc Bulger and Kurt Warner throw the ball all over the field. After a lot of touchdowns and a lot of interceptions, the dust will settle and the home team pulls out a close one.

Cardinals, 24-23.
Spread pick: Rams

Kansas City at New York Jets (-5½)

If a football game is held in a forest, and there's nobody around to watch it, do the players get any stats?

Chiefs, 14-13.
Spread pick: Chiefs

Tennessee at Indianapolis (+6½)

Last, but certainly not least, we have the Colts. Tony Dungy is not responsible for making sure that the Browns have a chance to make the playoffs. He'll rest his starters, probably after only one or two series at most. After that, it's up to Tennessee to stop the likes of Jim Sorgi and Clifton Dawson and Devin Aromashodu. If they can do that, then the playoffs await. We think the Titans are a little overconfident and end up falling short.

Colts, 29-14.
Spread pick: Colts

The ESPN Eliminator picks did OK for us in Week 16. We were 4-2 with Tampa Bay quitting around the time they realized a loss pitted them against the Giants in the first round. We're at 62-34 for the season, and we're going to get a little wacky with our picks for the final week. Why? Because it's nearly impossible to figure out who will actually show up, so we're going to throw caution to the wind and hope to finish with a flourish, even if we contradict ourselves in the process.

Gold Picks: Philadelphia, Houston
Silver Picks: Carolina, Atlanta
Bronze Picks: New York Jets, New Orleans

That's it for this week, and for the season as well. We hope you've enjoyed our projections each week, and we wish you the best of luck in Week 17, and throughout the offseason as well.