With Christmas falling on a Thursday this year, the NFL decided to have three different teams play on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Dallas also played in the NFL Kickoff game, and the Cowboys always play (usually against the Lions) on the Thursday night after Thanksgiving. So, this is the Cowboys' fourth Thursday game this season! That's a quarter of the schedule! And the Packers have become the Saturday night team. This is their second straight Saturday night game, and it wouldn't be a complete shock if they end up playing on Saturday again next week.
We obviously won't know which games are picked for Saturday and Sunday night next week likely at least until after the 49ers-Bears game. If I had to guess, I'd say the chances of seeing San Francisco again are pretty good. And it could very well be Broncos-Chargers and/or Panthers-Bucs, too. But that all depends on what happens this week.
Cowboys (6-8-1) at Commanders (4-11): Dallas-Christmas Day in the Nation's Capital. This matchup looked so much better when it was set in May than it does now. That's what happens with late-season games sometimes, though. Washington's been out of it for weeks, while it really depends on the week with Dallas. The Cowboys looked awful against the Chargers after being eliminated on Saturday, so what will their intensity level be?
Lions (8-7) at Vikings (7-8): Detroit-Detroit is hanging by a thread in the playoff race. The Lions need to win out just to have a chance, and even then, it's a slim one. Obviously not how they anticipated this season going. But I guess that's what happens when both of your coordinators leave to become head coaches. That wild finish against Pittsburgh basically sealed their fate...and was a microcosm of the Lions' season. They stay alive, but maybe only for a few days until the Packers play on Saturday night.
Broncos (12-3) at Chiefs (6-9): Denver-When they put this one on Christmas night, it sure seemed like a good call. The team that's won five of the last six AFC championships against a division rival that made the playoffs last season. The Chiefs' 2025 campaign has obviously been pretty forgettable. Denver has held up its end of the bargain, though. Losing to Jacksonville might've been the best thing for the Broncos. Especially losing in that way. It reminded them they aren't invincible heading into the playoffs. Kansas City, meanwhile, will be down to its third quarterback in as many games.
Texans (10-5) at Chargers (11-4): Chargers-The Saturday afternoon NFL Network special is between two playoff-bound AFC teams. The Texans aren't officially in yet, but they just need to win one of their last two. The Chargers play the Broncos next week and would love it if that game is for the division. At the very least, this one is for seeding between two wild card teams, which looks like the most likely scenario. I'm taking the Chargers, but with the way Houston's defense has played over the past few weeks, it'll be anything but easy for Justin Herbert & Co.
Ravens (7-8) at Packers (9-5-1): Green Bay-How did the Packers lose that game last week?! I'm still amazed by that Bears comeback that basically sealed Green Bay's fate as a wild card team. And a dangerous one at that! The Ravens, meanwhile, know their playoff chances are on life support. They need to win out and have Pittsburgh lose in Cleveland this week to get in as the AFC North champions. Otherwise, Baltimore will be watching the playoffs at home. Which is exactly what'll happen.
Cardinals (3-12) at Bengals (5-10): Cincinnati-Last week in Miami, the Bengals' offense showed what it can do. They won't be in the playoffs, which is great news for the playoff-bound teams in the AFC. They've got a real chance to finish with a 7-10 record and set the stage for next season. They scored 45 points last week and play home games against Arizona and Cleveland to wrap up their schedule. Can they match that offensive output against the Cardinals, who've lost seven in a row?
Steelers (9-6) at Browns (3-12): Pittsburgh-Death, taxes and Mike Tomlin finishing with a winning record. Some things are constants. And the Steelers can wrap up their first AFC North title since 2020 with a victory in Cleveland. This is what they envisioned when they signed Aaron Rodgers for one last hurrah. They're looking at a difficult playoff game as the 4-seed, but that's not a concern for right now. All they can do is secure the home game. Which they should this week, rendering next week's showdown with the Ravens meaningless.
Saints (5-10) at Titans (3-12): New Orleans-Don't look now, but the Saints have won three in a row. They had those back-to-back one-score games against the two division leaders, then took it to the Jets last week. Yes, it was the Jets. But it's not like the Saints are a playoff team. Neither are the Titans, who also took it to their opponent last week in an upset of Kansas City. Make it four straight for New Orleans, which win or lose next week, has to be encouraged by this finish.
Jaguars (11-4) at Colts (8-7): Jacksonville-Remember when the Colts had the best record in the AFC? Sure seems like forever ago, doesn't it? Now it's looking like they'll miss the playoffs entirely. And it's the Jaguars who have control of the AFC South. Jacksonville's still alive for the No. 1 seed, in fact. And with the teams the Jaguars have beaten and the way they've beaten them this season, they're looking like they'll be a tough out on the playoffs.
Buccaneers (7-8) at Dolphins (6-9): Tampa Bay-Tampa Bay was 6-2. The Bucs are 1-6 since. Here's the crazy thing, though. None of that will matter if they win both of their remaining games. Because that would be enough to give them the tiebreaker over Carolina and another NFC South title. For next week to matter, they need to win this week. And who knows how the Dolphins will look after two utterly listless performances against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati?
Patriots (12-3) at Jets (3-12): New England-No team benefitted from Denver's loss to Jacksonville more than the Patriots. Suddenly, Mike Vrabel's squad is right back in the mix for the 1-seed in the AFC. And that's exactly what they looked like on Sunday night in Baltimore. What's crazy is that they still haven't clinched the AFC East yet. The division may go all the way to Week 18. Finishing off another season sweep of the Jets will set them up to be in the driver's seat going into the season finale.
Seahawks (12-3) at Panthers (8-7): Carolina-Seattle's crazy two-point conversions on Thursday night should've been an indication what was in store last week. Once the dust settled, the Seahawks were sitting on the No. 1 seed in the NFC...at least for the time being. If they win out, it's theirs. But you know the Panthers will have something to say about that this week. After beating Tampa Bay in that first-place showdown, Carolina now controls its own fate in the NFC South. They win here, they know all they need is a tie next week to clinch a home playoff game.
Giants (2-13) at Raiders (2-13): Giants-This matchup is just as big as the games between two playoff contenders. The loser clinches the No. 1 pick in the Draft. So, the Giants and Raiders both have plenty to play for. Except they both have more incentive to lose. Last season, the Giants had a chance to lock up the No. 1 pick and screwed it up by beating the Colts (badly) in Week 17. That's the sort of thing the Giants do. They'll win and give the Raiders the No. 1 pick.
Eagles (10-5) at Bills (11-4): Philadelphia-For the first time in two decades, we have a repeat NFC East champion! The Eagles are the only team in the NFL to have already clinched their division and pretty much guaranteed the 3-seed in the NFC. So, I'm curious to see if they play their starters and for how long in this one. It means everything for the Bills, who clinched their playoff spot when the Colts lost to San Francisco and still have a chance at winning the AFC East once again. Speaking of San Francisco, might this be a preview of a matchup we see again six weeks from now? There are many who think it could be.
Bears (11-4) at 49ers (11-4): San Francisco-Mike Tirico told a funny story at the end of last week's Sunday night game. He said how he was at a Bears practice in August and they were talking about how they had the Week 17 Sunday night game, but it would probably get flexed out. Not only was it not flexed, it has huge implications for the entire NFC playoff race. The 49ers can get the No. 1 seed if they win out. The Bears clinch the North if they win, and, if they do, they'll go into Week 18 with a shot at the 1-seed themselves. So, yeah, it's a massive matchup.
Rams (11-4) at Falcons (6-9): Rams-It's crazy how the NFC is so tight that one crazy loss can change everything. The Rams went from the 1-seed to the 5-seed and, even if they win out, can see the 49ers jump them. It doesn't change the fact that they're the best team. The road will just be a lot harder (potentially). And it's not like they'll have an easy time in Atlanta. The Falcons have given good teams tough games all season (and also lost to the Jets).
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 153-86-1
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