Our Christmas present from the NFL this year? Four straight days of football, including the only Friday game of the season! Friday was the only day left, but Vikings-Saints will take care of that, and there will have officially been an NFL game played on every day of the week this season. I'm sure they'll mention it on the broadcast, but I'm not sure that's ever happened (especially since Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday games are so rare).
Anyway, as usual, Week 16 brings us plenty of matchups that have playoff implications for one or both teams. In fact, there are only two games on the entire slate that are completely irrelevant--Cincinnati at Houston and Broncos-Chargers. The other 14 all matter to at least some extent. So this extended NFL weekend will be a holiday treat indeed.
Vikings (6-8) at Saints (10-4): New Orleans-After dropping two straight, the Saints have seen their chances at claiming the NFC's only bye all but disappear. They haven't even officially clinched the NFC South yet. They can take care of that by knocking off a Vikings team whose playoff chances are on life support. A loss officially knocks Minnesota out. But, more importantly, a Saints win puts New Orleans back on the right track heading into the playoffs. The Vikings do have a history of making life miserable for the Saints though.
Buccaneers (9-5) at Lions (5-9): Tampa Bay-It's seemed inevitable for most of the season, and it can become official this week. With a win, the Tampa Bay Bucs will clinch their first playoff berth since 2007. That's certainly the least they were hoping for when Tom Brady picked Tampa. And you know Brady wants to take care of business this week!
49ers (5-9) at Cardinals (8-6): Arizona-San Francisco returns to its home away from home, this time for a true road game against the Cardinals. Arizona got a much-needed win last week, and jumped back into the 7-seed with the Bears' win over the Vikings. They know that 9-7 will probably be good enough to do it, but with a Week 17 game in LA, they don't want to be in a position where they need to beat the Rams to get in. So, Arizona will go all out to get that ninth win this week in the Amazon Prime exclusive game (which is stupid for so many reasons).
Dolphins (9-5) at Raiders (7-7): Las Vegas-If not for a last-second miracle against the Jets, the Raiders would be on a five-game losing streak. As it is, dropping four out of five has left them clinging to incredibly faint playoff hopes. A loss to the Dolphins will drop those chances to zero percent. Miami, meanwhile, is tied with Baltimore, so they need a win to still control their own fate in Week 17. In other words, one of these teams will leave the desert with its playoff hopes severely depleted (or, for the Raiders, gone entirely).
Falcons (4-10) at Chiefs (13-1): Kansas City-As incredible as it may seem, Kansas City can wrap up the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a week to go! That's, of course, partially the Chiefs and partially the Steelers' collapse, but the bottom line is they're on track to not leave Kansas City again until February 7. They won different ways in road games against playoff teams Miami and New Orleans. Beating Atlanta at home should be a much easier proposition. Which leaves you wondering if they'll rest starters in Week 17.
Browns (10-4) at Jets (1-13): Cleveland-Over the past two weeks, Cleveland has looked like a playoff team. And the Browns can officially end the longest playoff drought in the NFL with a win and some help this week. They aren't even thinking about that anymore, though. They're still alive in the AFC North thanks to the Steelers' three-game losing streak. Should the Browns earn their second straight victory in Met Life Stadium...which they should...and the Steelers lose again, that's your Sunday night game next week.
Colts (10-4) at Steelers (11-3): Pittsburgh-What happened to the Steelers team that started 11-0? The losses to Washington and Buffalo can be explained away, but that game in Cincinnati was just ugly! Now they need to get themselves righted before the playoffs. Their seed has dropped from 1 to 2 to 3, and, if they're not careful, they could end up as a wild card! A loss here would also give Indianapolis the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh should the Colts win the AFC South. So, for the first time all season, the Steelers really need a win.
Bears (7-7) at Jaguars (1-13): Chicago-Suddenly, the Chicago Bears are right back in the playoff race! They aren't just in it...they're in the thick of it! And they're headed to Jacksonville with a chance to keep their roll going! A few weeks ago, not many people thought the Bears-Packers Week 17 game would matter, yet we're looking at that exact situation! Now that the Jaguars are two games away from Trevor Lawrence, are their fans rooting against them like Jets fans were?
Giants (5-9) at Ravens (9-5): Baltimore-All Baltimore can do is win its two remaining games and hope somebody in front of them loses. The Ravens have kept doing their part, scoring 34, 47 and 40 points in their last three games. To think they'll have another 30-point game against the Giants defense might be a stretch, but they certainly have enough to earn the win and keep the pressure on Cleveland, Miami and Indianapolis. And, don't forget, they play the Bengals nest week while the Browns play the Steelers and the Dolphins play the Bills. So, it's definitely doable if they take care of business.
Bengals (3-10-1) at Texans (4-10): Cincinnati-They were quick to point out throughout the Monday night game that the Bengals are much better than their record. And it's true! You wouldn't know it by watching them that they're 3-10-1. I'd even venture to say that their 3-10-1 is better than Houston's 4-10. The Texans should be better than their record, but they're not. Last week's Bengals win was a stunner. This one won't be.
Broncos (5-9) at Chargers (5-9): Chargers-Last week, the Chargers actually won a close game! That development was almost two years in the making and effectively knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs. Justin Herbert can cement his Offensive Rookie of the Year award if he turns in another performance like that against Denver. The first meeting between these two was one of the Chargers' trademark one-possession losses, 31-30. They're a much different team now, though.
Panthers (4-10) at Washington (6-8): Washington-Washington can put the NFC East out of its misery with a win over the Panthers and a Giants loss in Baltimore (which seems likely)...which would save the NFL from having to feature their game against the Eagles next week! It's also realistic to think they'll finish 8-8, eliminating that whole "under .500 division champion" worry so many people have had all season! Plus, you know Ron Rivera, who should get some serious Coach of the Year consideration, won't lose to his old team, especially with a division title on the line.
Eagles (4-9-1) at Cowboys (5-9): Dallas-Believe it or not, Dallas can still win the NFC East. The only way that can happen is if the Cowboys win both games and Washington loses both, but it's a possibility nonetheless. Philadelphia has been just as disappointing as Dallas, but also far more confusing. The Eagles have looked like crap in most games, then go beat the Saints and almost beat Arizona. If nothing else, they've figured out their quarterback situation. So, I wouldn't be surprised if Jalen Hurts leads them to a win this week, even though I'm sticking with Dallas.
Rams (9-5) at Seahawks (10-4): Seattle-Being the team that lost to the Jets was going to severely hurt whoever it was. But it was devastating for the Rams! Instead of being in a position to fight for the 1-seed in the NFC, they're stuck looking up at Seattle in the division. The Rams win, they clinch a playoff spot, regain the division lead, and control their own destiny in Week 17. The Seahawks win, they clinch the division and still have a shot of passing Green Bay for No. 1. So, yeah, big game for both.
Titans (10-4) at Packers (11-3): Green Bay-I'm still struck by how random this matchup is for the Week 16 Sunday night game! But, as it turns out, it was a good choice! The Packers are holding down the NFC's No. 1 seed and can even wrap it up if they win and the Rams beat the Seahawks. The Titans, meanwhile, hold the tiebreaker in the AFC South and will clinch the division with a win and a Colts loss. Which means one of them's probably gonna be playing for something. And you know how much Aaron Rodgers wants the NFC playoffs to go through Lambeau!
Bills (11-3) at Patriots (6-8): Buffalo-The AFC East champions will wrap up the Monday night schedule in Foxboro. But that division-winning team isn't the Patriots. It's the Buffalo Bills. In fact, the Patriots will be playing a game while officially eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2000 (when they finished 5-11). Truly remarkable! The Bills, meanwhile, have won their first division title in 25 years and still have an outside shot at the 1-seed. They're currently ahead of the Steelers on the tiebreaker, too, so they'll have plenty to play for even if Kansas City wins.
Last Week: 10-6
Season: 141-82-1
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