One final post in the waning hours of 2016. And it's a confusing one...because it's the final week of the 2016 NFL season, but the game are all being played in 2017. Of course, the playoffs are in January, so this happens every year, which is exactly why Super Bowls are numbered with Roman numerals.
Anyway, a lot of the suspense for this week has been taken out. The Titans gave the AFC South to the Texans, meaning the only division up for grabs is the NFC North (which made the Sunday night choice very easy). Technically the AFC teams are playing for position, but even those are all essentially locked up. So, really, other than Packers-Lions, the only game with direct playoff bearing is Giants-Redskins. If Washington wins, they get a wild card and the Packers-Lions loser is out. Otherwise, both Green Bay and Detroit will get in anyway.
Ravens (8-7) at Bengals (5-9-1): Baltimore-You've gotta figure this is the last game of the Marvin Lewis Era in Cincinnati. Kinda like Andy Reid in Philadelphia (and even Tom Coughlin in New York), it's in the best interest of both parties for the Bengals to move on. The Ravens have had a lost season, too, as they were knocked out by Antonio Brown in that sensational Christmas game. I do think they beat the Bengals and end up 9-7, though.
Texans (9-6) at Titans (8-7): Houston-This one was supposed to be for the AFC South. But the Titans decided to lay a total egg in Jacksonville instead. As a result, the Texans clinched the division and the No. 4 seed when they beat the Bengals on Saturday night (is it just me, or were there a lot of last-second field goal attempts last week?). Ordinarily that would mean resting starters, but I think the Texans probably want Tom Savage to get as many reps as possible before next week. That and the fact that Marcus Mariota broke his leg last week leave me inclined to go with the Texans.
Jaguars (3-12) at Colts (7-8): Indianapolis-Is Jacksonville actually serious about bringing Tom Coughlin back? We'll find out in the next couple of weeks, but I just don't see that happening. Anyway, the Colts are looking at a .500 season if they can win this one, so that's at least something tangible to play for in an otherwise meaningless season-ending contest.
Patriots (13-2) at Dolphins (10-5): New England-Last season, the Patriots lost the final game in Miami to cost themselves the No. 1 seed. As a result, they went to Denver for the AFC Championship Game, and we all know what happened there. They haven't forgotten that, and they'll want to make sure the road to the Super Bowl goes thru Foxboro this season. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are essentially locked into the six-seed, so I'm very curious to see how long their starters stay in.
Bears (3-12) at Vikings (7-8): Minnesota-Adrian Peterson won't play. Which makes sense, seeing as there's no reason for him to. Minnesota's season tanked at the bye week. The Vikings are just 2-8 since their bye, and last week's loss at Lambeau officially ended things for them. For the Bears, things were over weeks ago. This will be the last time President Obama will get to watch his hometown team lose while in office.
Bills (7-8) at Jets (4-11): Buffalo-I was seriously considering going to this game. Tickets are going for like $25 on StubHub. Then the Bills ruined everything by firing Rex Ryan a week early. His last game as an NFL coach was supposed to be at the Meadowlands against the Jets. Now the appeal of this game has been lost. For what it's worth, I do think the Bills will win. They're much less dysfunctional than the Jets (and apparently much less dysfunctional than they were with the Brothers Ryan in charge).
Cowboys (13-2) at Eagles (6-9): Dallas-Philly locked up home field for Dallas, but don't look for the Cowboys to return the favor by resting their starters. They want to get Dak Prescott the rookie record for wins. They want to get Ezekiel Elliott the rookie rushing record. Sean Lee wants to play every defensive snap of the season. We will see Tony Romo (and even Mark Sanchez for some reason), but this won't be a complete fourth preseason game for the Cowboys.
Browns (1-14) at Steelers (10-5): Pittsburgh-When was the last time a team played on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's in the same season? I think the Lions did in the mid-90s, but they might be the last one. Anyway, the Steelers will probably give the Three B's at least a little time off against the red-hot Browns as they get ready for their wild card game. That's right. The red-hot Browns. It was so great to see Cleveland get a win last week. Then the 49ers won to give them the No. 1 pick back.
Panthers (6-9) at Buccaneers (8-7): Tampa Bay-Tampa Bay is still technically alive in the playoff race. The key word here is technically. They need a lot of crap to happen in order to get in. The first thing that they need is to take care of their own business at home against the Panthers. Of course, if they'd done that last week against the Saints, they'd likely be playing for a spot this week. Even though they know the hope is slim, the Bucs will cling to it and knock off the defending NFC champs.
Saints (7-8) at Falcons (10-5): Atlanta-Trying to figure out the seeding possibilities for the other three NFC division winners is enough to give you a headache. All of that only comes into play if the Falcons lose, though. If Atlanta wins it's easy. They get a week off and the final game at the Georgia Dome will be a Divisional Playoff. Also look for Matt Ryan to further his MVP case as the Falcons' offense looks to end the regular season with a bang.
Raiders (12-3) at Broncos (8-7): Oakland-Talk about bad luck. The Oakland offensive line allowed the Colts defense to get to Derek Carr exactly ONCE last week...and that hit broke his leg. Now the Raiders turn to Matt McGloin with the division still not clinched. And just to put it into perspective, a win means clinching the division and only having to win two games (one at home) to get to the Super Bowl. A loss likely means three playoff road games. And the Super Bowl ain't happening in that scenario. The defending champs want to go out with a win, of course, but they sure looked like they were phoning it in at the end of the Chiefs game. I'll say McGloin does what he needs to do, the Oakland defense does the rest, and the Raiders get their playoff bye.
Cardinals (6-8-1) at Rams (4-11): Arizona-How do you get swept by the 49ers, a team that hasn't beaten anybody else all season? The Rams' return to LA wasn't as glorious as anyone had hoped. The other team that used to play in St. Louis has had a disappointing year, as well. Although, Arizona did go 1-0-1 against Seattle. Small consolation, I know. At least they'll end the season on a winning streak.
Chiefs (11-4) at Chargers (5-10): Kansas City-Don't expect the Chiefs to hand Oakland that bye. Because it could be the difference between the Chiefs getting to the Super Bowl or not. Kansas City might be the only AFC team capable of beating New England. But they're not winning three road games. Unfortunately, only one part of the equation is in their hands. They'll take care of that part against the Chargers. Whether this will be the last NFL game in San Diego is a question that will be resolved during the offseason.
Seahawks (9-5-1) at 49ers (2-13): Seattle-The Seahawks are either going to be the No. 2, 3 or 4 seed in the NFC. They need a Falcons loss to get the No. 2, and a loss to the 49ers drops them to No. 4. Not that it matters, but the Giants don't want that. I don't see any way how the Seahawks lose to the 49ers, though, so they'll lock up at least No. 3.
Giants (10-5) at Redskins (8-6-1): Giants-They backed into the playoffs with the Bucs loss, but they're in nevertheless. And they're locked into the No. 5 seed. So, do the Giants play all-out or rest up knowing that they have to travel next week? The Lions and Packers (one of whom will likely be their opponent) sure hope it's the former, because they need a Giants win to guarantee they're both in. Otherwise, the Redskins get the second wild card. I think the Giants take kind of a combined approach. They can't afford to sit everyone after last week's dud, but they also don't care who the other wild card team is. Although, they do hate the Redskins, and they did lose to them earlier in the season.
Packers (9-6) at Lions (9-6): Green Bay-Because Green Bay won the first meeting, they win the division if the game ends in a tie (which is the only way Washington wins and doesn't get in). I want both of these teams to make the playoffs. Because it'll be so unfair if the Lions don't make the playoffs after their tremendous season. The Packers are doing what they always do, though. When they were 4-6, everyone was calling for Mike McCarthy's head. Now they've won five straight, the longest winning streak in the NFC, and are once again in a position to win the NFC North. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Expect to see the Giants headed to Lambeau next week.
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 156-82-2
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