Thursday Night Football concluded its first season on FOX with its highest-rated game in nearly two years. Ratings were up across the board from 2017, which had to make both FOX and the NFL happy. Of course, it helps that this year's Thursday night games were significantly better than the Thursday night schedules have been in the past.
Speaking of the Thursday night games, the Chargers' bold decision to go for the win sure changed things, didn't it? The Chiefs went from locking up home field to now potentially not even having a home game. And the Patriots are suddenly in contention for the AFC's No. 1 seed (they get it if all three of them finish 12-4). This despite last week's results where every AFC playoff team except for the two in the West lost.
And that was just the start of Week 15. With so many teams involved for the other AFC wild card and the second NFC wild card, virtually every game is a big one. Then there are the teams who can clinch divisions and are battling for playoff positioning. Out of the 15 remaining games, 10 of them have at least some playoff relevance.
Thursday Night: Kansas City (Loss)
Texans (9-4) at Jets (4-9): Houston-Houston missed its chance to clinch the AFC South last week, yet stayed at No. 3 in the AFC playoff standings. The Texans are still very much alive for a first-round bye, but first they have to take care of the division. It's not entirely in their hands anymore, and I'm sure they'll be paying attention to the other game being played at Met Life Stadium this weekend (why were they both away last week, and both home this week?!). They'll do their part, then see how things play out on Sunday, after which they could be AFC South champions.
Browns (5-7-1) at Broncos (6-7): Denver-When the season started, did anybody really think the Cleveland Browns would be featured in a Saturday night game a week before Christmas? Denver, meanwhile, really screwed itself with that loss to San Francisco last week. I've been saying for a while that the Broncos are that one team no one wants to face in the playoffs. Now I don't think any of them are going to have to worry about it. Because Denver's not leapfrogging four teams (not to mention the fact that they play the Chargers in Week 17). They will get to .500, though.
Cardinals (3-10) at Falcons (4-9): Atlanta-This is the Falcons' last home game of the year, so they're gonna have plenty of time to get Mercedes-Benz Stadium ready for the Super Bowl (they're, of course, holding the Peach Bowl there first). Atlanta United just wrapped up the MLS Cup at home, so back-to-back major professional champions will be crowned in the stadium. As you can tell, this is one of the five irrelevant games. I forget where I saw it, but this line summed up the Falcons perfectly: "They've got a great offense, but their defense is so bad that it can't stay off the field." Pretty much. They are better than the Cardinals, though.
Lions (5-8) at Bills (4-9): Detroit-Another one of the irrelevant games pits Detroit against Buffalo. The Bills love these December home games against teams not used to the wintry Buffalo weather. Detroit is only four hours away across the lake (or Southern Ontario), but the Lions play in a dome, so they count as one of those teams. I like the Lions in this game, though. I don't really know why. Just call it a hunch.
Packers (5-7-1) at Bears (9-4): Chicago-Back in Week 1, when Aaron Rodgers led one of his signature comebacks, it looked like this season would be business as usual in the NFC North. As it turns out, not so much. Although, the Packers can have the joy of preventing the Bears from clinching the division at home. Chicago is actually still technically alive for a first-round bye after that outstanding defensive performance against the Rams last week. A win here wraps up their first division title since 2010 and guarantees Green Bay's first back-to-back losing seasons since 1990-91 (some guy named Favre showed up in '92).
Raiders (3-10) at Bengals (5-8): Cincinnati-It sure was an eventful week for the Raiders, huh? First, they beat the Steelers. Then they get sued by the City of Oakland for their "illegal" move to Las Vegas. Then they withdraw their lease offer for 2019, meaning we have no idea where they'll play next season. Then Martavis Bryant gets suspended indefinitely. With what appears to be their final game in Oakland looming next week, the Raiders head to Cincinnati in what could be Marvin Lewis' final home game as Bengals coach (how many times before have I said that?). He'll get one more for the road. Too much turmoil in Raider Nation this week.
Cowboys (8-5) at Colts (7-6): Dallas-Remember when the Cowboys were 3-5 and everyone thought Jason Garrett might get fired? Yeah, I'd say their season has changed a bit. They were two games back in the NFC East after that Monday night loss to the Titans. Now they have a two-game lead and can wrap up the division title with two weeks left! They've been winning in different ways, too, which bodes well for them in the playoffs. First things first, they'll beat the Colts and clinch the division.
Dolphins (7-6) at Vikings (6-6-1): Minnesota-Not surprisingly, Minnesota went 0-2 on that New England-to-Seattle trek. What's amazing is that they maintained their playoff spot, with a favorable remaining schedule. Miami, meanwhile, Wow! That finish last Sunday was incredible. And suddenly the Dolphins are back in the AFC playoff discussion. One of their chances will take a serious hit with a loss here, though. Especially since the battle for those 6-seeds is so crowded.
Titans (7-6) at Giants (5-8): Giants-Don't look now, but the New York FOOTBALL Giants once again resemble a professional FOOTBALL team. They've won four out of five and it could easily be five in a row. There's no looking past them anymore. And you know the Titans won't be. After two straight wins, Tennessee is back in the AFC wild card hunt and one of the four teams in that 7-6 tie. It's still doable for them to get back to the postseason, too, with home games against Washington and Indianapolis left. Their final road game will be a tough one, though, and a Giants win will have the opposite effect and virtually eliminate the Titans.
Redskins (6-7) at Jaguars (4-9): Washington-Well, that Mark Sanchez thing lasted long. He was the Redskins' starter for all of a half before being replaced by Josh Johnson last week. Now it's Johnson who'll make the start as Washington heads to Jacksonville. If you're the Redskins, you've got to be tortured by the what ifs. Four losses and four quarterbacks later, all they can do is wonder. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have lost eight of their last nine since starting 3-1. They've got to be reminiscing about 2017 and remembering it fondly. The good news is one of them has to not lose.
Buccaneers (5-8) at Ravens (7-6): Baltimore-Despite losing to Kansas City last week, the Ravens own that four-way tiebreaker among the AFC's 7-6 teams, so they're still holding on to that No. 6 seed. And, because the Steelers have suddenly forgotten how to play football, the AFC North is suddenly back in the picture. They visit the Chargers next week, so they know the importance of getting this one. Then they'll watch what happens in Pittsburgh to see if they're in first place at the end of the day.
Seahawks (8-5) at 49ers (3-10): Seattle-After starting 0-2, the Seahawks are now in a position to wrap up a wild card with two games to spare. They'll get a chance to do it against the rival 49ers, a team they scored 43 points on two weeks ago. Why would this one be any different? Especially with the way the Seahawks have been playing?
Patriots (9-4) at Steelers (7-5-1): Pittsburgh-We all remember what happened when these two met in Pittsburgh in Week 15 a year ago. The Steelers sure do. (Although, we should all be thankful to that game for getting the NFL to finally change the ridiculous old interpretation of what constitutes a "catch.") Last season's game was for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and for a while it looked like this year's might be for a bye. That was before the Steelers' free fall. Now it doesn't even matter if they win. Because they're not going to go ahead of the Patriots anyway. They can at least get the satisfaction of beating them, though. And stay ahead of the Ravens. If they don't, they're in danger of missing out altogether. Because, don't forget, they play the Saints next week.
Eagles (6-7) at Rams (11-2): Rams-Last year's Eagles-Rams game in LA was a classic. It's also the game where Carson Wentz got hurt and everyone thought Philly's season was over. Well, we all saw how that worked out. This year it's the Rams who come into this matchup as the Super Bowl contenders. They need their second straight Sunday night to go better than last week's, though. The Bears' defense completely shut them down, and now they need to rely on either the Panthers or Steelers to help them out if they want to get the 1-seed back from the Saints. The loss to the Bears also means that they have to wait until next week to clinch their bye, too, assuming they bounce back in this one.
Saints (11-2) at Panthers (6-7): New Orleans-Why are these two playing two of their final three games against each other? Anyway, for a while, it looked like these late-season head-to-heads would determine the NFC South champion. Instead, the Saints ran away with the division as the Panthers took themselves out of even the wild card race. Of course, they're only a half-game behind Minnesota, so if they can get one of these two against the Saints, the playoffs are still possible. And this seems like the more winnable one. That doesn't mean they will win, though.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 132-75-2
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