You know we're getting deep into the NFL season when the playoff clinching scenarios start appearing weekly. One of this week's scenarios has already been taken out of the equation with the Titans' win on Thursday night, which pushes back the Texans' chance to clinch the AFC South by a week (even though I think Houston is already guaranteed the tiebreaker over Tennessee).
That would've accounted for half the divisions with still nearly a month left! At least the remaining divisions have still have the potential to give us at least some suspense down the stretch.
Jets (3-9) at Bills (4-8): Buffalo-In Week 10, the Bills absolutely dominated the Jets in every way at Met Life Stadium. Now for the rematch in Buffalo, where the Bills' only losses this season have come against the playoff-bound Chargers, Patriots and Bears. Both teams are out of it, but the Bills at least still care. The Jets did almost beat the Titans last week, but they've really been just mailing it in for a while now.
Panthers (6-6) at Browns (4-7-1): Cleveland-The Panthers were sitting pretty for a wild card berth, and even had a decent shot at winning the NFC South. That was five weeks ago when they were 6-2. Since then, they've gone 0-4 and find themselves on the outside looking in with both of their games against the Saints remaining. Cleveland, meanwhile, has been playing some inspired football. The Browns see this one as winnable, and for good reason. I'm calling the upset here.
Falcons (4-8) at Packers (4-7-1): Atlanta-Both of these teams are in a free fall. Green Bay's season officially went down the tubes when they lost to Arizona last week, a loss that cost Mike McCarthy his job (which he was going to lose anyway). Now the Packers need to win out just to avoid back-to-back sub-.500 seasons. The Falcons haven't been much better. In fact, they've lost four in a row. Which means something's gotta give.
Ravens (7-5) at Chiefs (10-2): Kansas City-Kansas City clinches a playoff spot with a win, which would set them up to clinch the division on Thursday night against the Chargers. The Ravens beat Tennessee, so they'll hold onto their wild card even with a loss. The Chiefs got a game from the Raiders last week, but found a way to pull it out and stay in the AFC driver's seat. Back at home for the first time in a month, this week could go a long way in determining whether or not that Sunday night game in Seattle right before Christmas is the only time they leave Kansas City between now and the Super Bowl.
Patriots (9-3) at Dolphins (6-6): New England-When these two met in Week 4, Miami was undefeated and had a two-game lead in the division. Ten weeks later, New England has made up five games on the Dolphins and is now on the brink of its league-mandated division title. The Patriots are also inching ever closer to their league-mandated first-round bye. They'll wrap up their 10th straight AFC East title, and the 17th of the Bradicheck Era.
Saints (10-2) at Buccaneers (5-7): New Orleans-It seems kind of hard to believe now, but Tampa Bay beat New Orleans in the season opener. That, of course, marked the last time the Saints lost until last Thursday in Dallas. I had a feeling the Saints would have a game like that eventually, and right now it's given home field back to the Rams. New Orleans can't do anything about that right now, though. All they can do is take care of their own business. Which will start with a division-clinching win in Tampa.
Giants (4-8) at Redskins (6-6): Giants-Raise your hand if you thought Mark Sanchez would be an NFL starter again. Anybody? Didn't think so. The Redskins are on their third quarterback this season, and Sanchez has only been on the team since mid-November. Not coincidentally, that's when their offense started to struggle. They've still got a shot in the NFC East, but they're definitely facing an uphill climb. And it starts with a matchup against a Giants team that beat the Bears last week and is going to relish the role of spoiler over the final month.
Colts (6-6) at Texans (9-3): Houston-Indy's playoff chances, slim as they were, really took a big hit last week with that uninspiring 6-0 loss in Jacksonville. Now they visit Houston, where the Texans can essentially wrap up the division with their 10th straight win. It really is impressive what the Texans have done after an 0-3 start. They do have a game in Philadelphia remaining, but it's conceivable that they could enter the playoffs on a 13-game winning streak (and potentially get a bye if New England stumbles).
Bengals (5-7) at Chargers (9-3): Chargers-After what they did in Pittsburgh last Sunday night, the remaining doubters of the Chargers are few and far between. They're a legitimate threat to win the AFC. They can't clinch a playoff spot this week, but a win will virtually assure it (if they win and the Ravens lose, their worst-case scenario is a five-way tie at 10-6). Of course, they're still thinking about the division, too. But they can't look past Cincinnati. Not with Kansas City, Baltimore and Denver remaining on their schedule.
Broncos (6-6) at 49ers (2-10): Denver-If there's one team no one in the AFC wants to play, it's the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have won three straight, haven't lost since their bye week, and have a favorable remaining schedule. So Denver in the playoffs isn't that absurd a proposition as it might've sounded a few weeks ago. San Francisco, meanwhile, has lost its last two games by a combined score of 70-23.
Eagles (6-6) at Cowboys (7-5): Dallas-One word to describe that performance by the Dallas defense against the Saints: impressive. If the Cowboys continue to play like that, look out! Of course, I could also say the same thing about the Eagles, who've won back-to-back division games and would tie Dallas for first place with a victory. The Cowboys are simply playing too well right now, though, and they're on extra rest after the back-to-back Thursday games. Also, how did Joe Buck and Troy Aikman manage to work out this schedule? Three straight games in Dallas for that crew. Troy, who lives in Dallas, has only had to leave home once in the last three weeks--for the Vikings-Patriots game last Sunday.
Steelers (7-4-1) at Raiders (2-10): Oakland-Pittsburgh better get its act together. Fast. The Steelers went from a first-round bye to potentially not even winning the AFC North. And let's not forget who their next two opponents are. The Steelers need to rebound big time. Unfortunately, it's their third straight game against an AFC West foe, and they're 0-3 against the division this season. On paper, the Raiders are an opponent they should be able to handle. Except they always lose when they go out there. They haven't won in Oakland since 1995. And this is probably their last chance before the Raiders move to Vegas.
Lions (4-8) at Cardinals (3-9): Detroit-I'm not sure whether that win in Lambeau last week says more about the Cardinals or the Packers. It does mean that they have a victory over somebody other than San Francisco this season, though. In fact, both of these teams have beaten Green Bay this year. Now they face each other in what might be their last best opportunity to get another win this season. And, believe it or not, a Lions win and Packers loss drops Green Bay into last place.
Rams (11-1) at Bears (8-4): Chicago-Last week, NBC flexed in Steelers-Chargers, and that was certainly a good decision. This week, they flexed into Rams-Bears. The Rams have already clinched the NFC West, and they can lock up a bye with a win. The Bears, meanwhile, after those three straight division wins, lost in overtime to the Giants last week. I do expect a bounce-back game from Chicago. Enough to slow the Rams' offense down? Possibly.
Vikings (6-5-1) at Seahawks (7-5): Seattle-ESPN has sure lucked into some great Monday night games the past few weeks, haven't they? Seattle and Minnesota currently hold the NFC wild cards, and the winner has the inside track on the 5-seed. This is the toughest part of the Vikings' schedule. They were in Chicago, then played Green Bay before going to New England last week. Now they go coast-to-coast for a matchup with the red-hot Seahawks. This would be Seattle's fourth straight victory. Nice way to cap a week that started with getting a hockey team.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 122-69-2
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