Week 16 is here! Which means we're winding down the season, and, just as importantly, no more Thursday games! Instead, we've got a Saturday tripleheader that the league and NFL Network didn't finalize until midseason. As a result, there are three pretty good games on tap to begin the Week 16 schedule.
All three of our Saturday appetizers have playoff implications, but the playoff stakes are pretty high on Sunday, too. In fact, seven of the eight divisions and 11 of the 12 playoff spots could be locked up by week's end.
Texans (9-5) at Buccaneers (7-7): Houston-Can we please start giving the Houston Texans some credit? They beat New England, they beat Kansas City, and now they're set to win their fourth division title in five years. Tampa Bay won't make it easy for them, though. Bruce Arians has put the rest of the league on notice that the Bucs will be a force to be reckoned with next year. Regardless, Houston should clinch the division one way or the other, either with a win or a Titans loss. Worst case, they host Tennessee next week, so they've got two shots at it.
Bills (10-4) at Patriots (11-3): New England-Believe it or not, if the Bills win, they'll be in first place. The idea of somebody else being in first place in the AFC East, especially this late in the season, is really just such a joyous thought. And their playoff spot is already taken care of, so they're playing with house money in this one. A Bills win isn't completely out of the question, either. This is the Patriots we're talking about, though. You know they'll win, clinch the division, and stay in position for their league-mandated first-round bye.
Rams (8-6) at 49ers (11-3): San Francisco-Prediction: the 49ers-Seahawks game next week will be on "Sunday Night Football." It'll decide the entire NFC playoff picture. That is, unless the 49ers find a way to lose again. It really is remarkable. San Francisco has gone from the 5-seed to the 1-seed back to the 5 in the last three weeks. But, again, they need a win here to make next week winner-take-all for the West. The Rams, meanwhile, are on life support after that uninspired effort in Dallas last week. They were actually driving me nuts during the Monday night game last week. While it's true that the Vikings will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Packers, they'll have it clinched long before then if the 49ers win this one.
Jaguars (5-9) at Falcons (5-9): Atlanta-You've gotta give the Atlanta Falcons credit. Not only have they refused to give up on the season, they pulled off the massive upset last week that might disrupt the entire NFC playoff picture. (I've never seen a team win, then not win, then win again on one touchdown and one non-touchdown, both on replay review, both within the last three seconds.) And the news out of Jacksonville this week that led to Tom Coughlin's firing sure was interesting. We'll see how the Jaguars respond. I like the way the Falcons are playing, though.
Ravens (12-2) at Browns (6-8): Baltimore-A win here makes it 11 in a row for the Ravens. More importantly, it locks up home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs (which they'll clinch if they win either of their remaining games). Cleveland is still technically alive if there's a whole jumbled mess at 8-8, but we all know the Browns are essentially done. It'll be official once Baltimore wraps up home field.
Saints (11-3) at Titans (8-6): New Orleans-The Saints are in a very interesting position to say the least. They could win out, finish 13-3, and still be the 3-seed in the NFC! And a win here does nothing to change their position unless the Vikings beat the Packers. The Titans, meanwhile, need this to keep their wild card hopes alive. Problem is the Saints are a better team, and they need it, too. Expect a lot of points and a New Orleans victory.
Panthers (5-9) at Colts (6-8): Carolina-After beating Jacksonville in Week 11, the Colts were 6-4 and tied for first. Since then, they've dropped four straight and fallen out of the playoff race completely. They haven't exactly looked good during this little three-week run through the NFC South, either. They got smacked all over the Superdome last week! For their part, the Panthers have lost six straight. So, something's gotta give in this one.
Bengals (1-13) at Dolphins (3-11): Cincinnati-It's fitting that this game is in the midst of all those ridiculous bowl games between 7-5 mid-major teams that no one cares about. Granted, if the Bengals were still winless, there would be a lot of suspense going into this one. But they took care of that against the Jets three weeks ago. They can, however, clinch the No. 1 pick with a loss here. Which means the Dolphins will lose their shot at it, which they simply can't have. As such, I'm saying Cincinnati wins.
Steelers (8-6) at Jets (5-9): Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh is hanging on to that second wild card in the AFC, but a loss puts them into a straight tie with the Titans heading into Week 17 (and would give Tennessee the strength-of-victory tiebreaker). So, basically, losing to the Jets would not be good. That would take it out of the Steelers' hands and require a win over the Ravens to make the playoffs (which still might not be enough). Needless to say, Pittsburgh needs to take care of business.
Giants (3-11) at Redskins (3-11): Giants-Daniel Jones is back under center for the Giants, which I'm OK with. Since that was the perfect way to send Eli Manning off last week. Jones' first start was against the Redskins, and now he moves back into the starting lineup in the rematch with Washington. The loser here actually stands to benefit more. These two are battling Miami and Detroit for the No. 2 pick, which could be Ohio State defensive end Chase Young. So, do you play to lose?
Lions (3-10-1) at Broncos (5-9): Denver-Denver needs wins in its final two games to avoid three consecutive 10-loss seasons for the first time since the AFL days. Not that this season has been a total waste for the Broncos, though. They even look like they might've found a franchise quarterback in Drew Lock. However, the Broncos are better than their record, and it looks like Vic Fangio is safe for at least another year. The same can't be said for Lions coach Matt Patricia, who is likely coaching his last road game for Detroit with his team looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Raiders (6-8) at Chargers (5-9): Chargers-Talk about brutal losses! The Raiders were going to close out their Oakland tenure in style before the Jaguars went in a stole the game with that late touchdown. Now they hit the road for a pair of division games to end the season. Believe it or not, they were in prime position for a playoff spot until they got smacked by the Jets to start their current four-game losing streak. They also haven't beaten the Chargers in SoCal since 2016. And, if this is Philip Rivers' final home start, he deserves to have it go the same way his 2004 draft-and-trade partner Eli Manning's final home start did.
Cowboys (7-7) at Eagles (7-7): Dallas-Is everybody happy now? The NFC East winner won't have a sub-.500 record! AND...the Cowboys actually looked like they wanted to be a playoff team last week. Now Dallas is in a position to clinch the division with a week to spare and rest starters next week against Washington. But they have to beat the Eagles first. Philly has needed last-second miracles against the two NFC East also-rans in the last two weeks. They're in the driver's seat if they win, though. Problem is Dallas is the better team. And four of the Cowboys' seven wins have come within the division.
Cardinals (4-9-1) at Seahawks (11-3): Seattle-Well, well, well. Things have sure gotten interesting for the Seattle Seahawks. The No. 5 seed heading into last week, the No. 1 seed at week's end. We all know how well the Seahawks play at home, and they might not have to leave Qwest Field again until making a long trip to Miami in February. They control their own fate and finish the season with two home division games. It's very likely that the road to the NFC title will go through the Pacific Northwest.
Chiefs (10-4) at Bears (7-7): Kansas City-Other than the Bills, no team benefits from a Buffalo win over New England more than Kansas City. That, coupled with a win over the Bears, would move the Chiefs into the 2-seed in the AFC. Of course, I'm jumping ahead of myself a little bit here. But Kansas City really is in a great position right now. They followed up their victory over the Patriots with a dominant division win in the snow last week. Can they do the same on Sunday night in Chicago against a Bears team that has scored a grand total of 10 points in its two previous NBC games this season?
Packers (11-3) at Vikings (10-4): Green Bay-Even if the Vikings win, Green Bay will still control the division heading into the final game. And the degree of significance for Minnesota really depends on the Saturday night game. But if the Vikings don't want to play a road game on Wild Card Weekend, they need to beat their rivals. The Packers are thinking about a bye, though, which is something they'll likely need in the incredibly top-heavy NFC. Otherwise, there very well could be a rematch of this game in two weeks.
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 134-89-1
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