Welcome to Week 17 of the NFL season! The San Francisco 49ers are on the road facing the Los Angeles Rams with a lot on the line for both teams. The Rams can secure a first round bye with a win, while a loss would guarantee the 49ers would finish no worse than third in the 2019 NFL Draft order. The 49ers are guaranteed on worse than fifth with a win. The 49ers are a ten-point underdog against their long time rival.
The 2018 NFL season is coming to a close this weekend, which means one last week Westgate SuperContest picks. SB Nation’s partners over at Odds Shark are sponsoring my entry again. The contest requires selecting 5 games each week and picking them against the spread. I went 2-3 in Week 16, falling to 38-38-4 for the season. Overall for last week, I finished 8-8.
I’m back including one last 49ers game in my picks. Since falling out of the running in the contest, I decided to include the 49ers game in my picks the rest of the way. This is my sixth and final week since changing to that strategy and I am 3-2 to date.
This week, I’m laying the points with the Rams. I’d love to see the 49ers beat them, even if it cost draft position, but I just don’t see it happening, primarily because of Aaron Donald. He’s a one-man wrecking crew, and he’s facing a 49ers offense that will be without Matt Breida, Dante Pettis, and Marquise Goodwin. The absence of Pettis and Goodwin means Kendrick Bourne is the primary pass catcher among the wide receivers. If the Rams blanket George Kittle, it’ll be Bourne, Trent Taylor, Richie James, and Steven Dunbar picking up the slack. That’s not exactly a great combination.
Where this could get interesting is if the 49ers defense gives Jared Goff some trouble. He’s struggled for much of the past month, and with the 49ers defense showing serious signs of life in that same timeframe, maybe they give him problems. This could very well end up a low-scoring affair, but I think the Rams end up covering.
Here are my five SuperContest picks for Week 17:
Lions (+8) over PACKERS
Browns (+6) over RAVENS
Falcons (+1) over BUCCANEERS
VIKINGS (-4.5) over Bears
RAMS (-10) over 49ers
Here are all my picks for Week 17 (home team in caps):
GIANTS vs. Cowboys (+6.5): Giants
CHIEFS vs. Raiders (+13.5): Raiders
SAINTS vs. Panthers (+8.5): Saints
PATRIOTS vs. Jets (+13.5): Patriots
WASHINGTON vs. Eagles (-6.5): Eagles
PACKERS vs. Lions (+8): Lions
TEXANS vs. Jaguars (+6.5): Texans
RAVENS vs. Browns (+6): Browns
BUCCANEERS vs. Falcons (+1): Falcons
BILLS vs. Dolphins (+3.5): Bills
TITANS vs. Colts (-3): Colts
STEELERS vs. Bengals (+14.5): Steelers
VIKINGS vs. Bears (+4.5): Vikings
BRONCOS vs. Chargers (-6.5): Chargers
SEAHAWKS vs. Cardinals (+13.5): Cardinals
RAMS vs. 49ers (+10): Rams