2017 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 17

San Francisco 49ers (5-10) at Los Angeles Rams (11-4)

Since Jimmy Garoppolo took over as the starter in the Bay Area, the San Francisco 49ers have gone 4-0. The crazy part is that, every week it seems, the young gunslinger is getting better. No one expected him to put up 44 points against the NFL’s top defense, but he did in Week 16.

So why would we expect anything different against the Los Angeles Rams? There’s no evidence that would suggest Garoppolo is going to slow down in Week 17, even with the 49ers playing for nothing more than pride. The Rams won’t make it easy, but I’m predicting that Jared Goff and Todd Gurley fall just short of knocking off San Francisco.

Just look at the 49ers’ last few games. Their defense has done a great job of capitalizing on mistakes and creating turnovers. It hasn’t just been the offense, though. The San Francisco defense hasn’t been perfect, but they’ve taken the “bend but don’t break” approach and ran with it.

This one should be an exciting showdown between a playoff team and a squad on the rise. While the Rams will keep this one interesting until the end, a last-second missed field goal courtesy of Sam Ficken drops them to 11-5.

Prediction: 49ers win 31-30