2023 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 17

Las Vegas Raiders @ Indianapolis Colts (8-7)

Sunday, December 31, 1:00 PM ET

The Indianapolis Colts don’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves after getting their butts kicked against the Atlanta Falcons this past week. Right now, no one in the AFC playoff race can really afford to lose because everybody is jockeying for positioning, and the Colts needed that win against Atlanta to keep pace with a number of other teams.

Fortunately for them, their playoff chances aren’t dead, but they are going to have to come home now against the Las Vegas Raiders and find a way to stay in the thick of things.

A win against the Raiders might not be the easy feat it seems to be on paper. The Raiders have not been great this season, by any means, but they’ve had games like we saw a couple of weeks ago where the offense cannot be stopped (and scores 63 points).

As you look at this matchup from an NFL picks perspective, take into account the fact that teams traveling from the West to play in the 1:00 ET window don’t often fare very well. I don’t have stats to back that up, but it’s typically really hard for teams to come across the country and play well in that time window, or that’s what it feels like.

The Colts are three-point favorites in this matchup but I think the Raiders convince me that they come through with a clutch win.

Prediction: Raiders win 23-20