So now the 2017 playoffs are upon us and the wildcard round offers the most interesting slate in years as the Titans, Jaguars, and Bills all return to the playoffs after lengthy absences. The Bills drought is of course the longest, dating to the 1999 season, while the Jaguars last made the playoffs in 2007 and the Titans in 2008, while the Titans look for their first win since Steve McNair upset the Ravens in 2003.
The Buffalo Bills look for their first playoff win since 1995 when they owned Don Shula and Dan Marino.
The Bills bring some swag into this playoffs after this brawl in the season finale at Miami.
A quick comment on the slate of NFL coach firings - the most fascinating and bizarre is the story that Jon Gruden will get not only the head coaching job with the Raiders but also part-ownership. With the firing of Jack Del Rio that rumor becomes more credible - with Mark Davis reportedly in heavy debt - a figure indicated by Boomer Esiason is $125 million - it makes sense to bring in ownership help, plus it's a selling point for the move to Vegas.
Titans over Chiefs - This is the matchup Andy Reid didn't want because the Titans have won six of the seven career meetings they've had with Andy Reid teams.........
Tennessee Titans vs Andy Reid teams -
2000 @ Eagles - W 15-13
2002 vs Eagles - W 27-24 2006 @ Eagles - W 31-13 2010 vs Eagles - W 37-19 2013 vs Chiefs - L 26-17 2014 @ Chiefs - W 26-10 2016 @ Chiefs - W 19-17
.....and the last time the Titans traveled to Arrowhead they clawed out a clutch win. The Titans have now beaten nine playoff contenders (the Jaguars twice this season, making ten such wins) in the eighteen wins they've clawed out the last two seasons. Mike Mularkey may still not last into 2018 with the story Titans ownership is frustrated at seeming slowness at developing Marcus Mariota (an interesting matchup here per John Glennon is when Mariota was blitzed he was deadly accurate in completions); certainly the targeting of Patriots coordinator Josh McDaniels makes sense and the Titans are a good fit, but give Mularkey credit for reestablishing a culture with accountability in the Titans locker room.
The last Rams playoff game was 2004 at the Falcons. Falcons over Rams - The Rams enter unfamiliar territory - not only the playoffs for the first time since 2004 but also a playoff game at home, and in LA. The Rams' last playoff win was at Seattle in 2004, so for the Rams this is something new, while for the Falcons it's become old hat. While not necessarily as good as in 2016 the Falcons enter with momentum, and Matt Ryan is unbeaten against the Rams - but then this is not the same old Rams.
The only other playoff meeting between the Bills and Jaguars was Jacksonville's first ever playoff game.
The last time the Jaguars hosted a playoff game against someone other than the Patriots or Titans, it went swimmingly - and against another AFC East team Jaguars over Bills - Tom Coughlin's rebuild of the Jaguars has paid off in their first division title of the AFC South era and their first division title since the AFC Central. They face a Bills team that played well enough to make it but hasn't shown they've really taken the next step. A key matchup - per John Glennon, when Blake Bortles was blitzed, he was abysmal. So this game could be closer than the reputations of the two teams may suggest.
Where was this out of the Buccaneers all season? Maybe being home dogs helped.
Panthers over Saints - Beating one team three times in a season is rare, and New Orleans' loss to the Bucs when they had to win to secure the NFC South (Atlanta's win over Carolina backed the Saints into the division title) raises a red flag; the Saints have gone just 3-3 entering the playoffs even with the season sweep of the Panthers, who won four of their last six and committed fewer turnovers in that span than the Saints. The comeback of both teams has been remarkable, New Orleans from going 7-9 four of the last five seasons and Carolina from slumping to 6-10 in 2016. The memory of back-to-back 41-38 games hangs over this matchup.
The NFL's playoffs are on the horizon with one more week of regular season games to go. Fifteen teams are fighting for twelve playoff spots, though there is little realistic chance the present top six in each conference will change.
The game that defined the Rams season is this Week 3 shootout with the 49ers - ironically it has wound up also telegraphing the Niners' future, as they finally found the quarterback they need in November
Texans over Colts - Suddenly scuttlebutt has it Bill O'Brien may not come back in 2018, surprising and seemingly unlikely as the Texans have a genuine quarterback in Deshaun Wartson and thus a bright future. Lions over Packers - The Packers got humiliated against the Vikings and it would seem there's no fight left, but then after getting smoked by a seemingly listless Bengals squad we're not sure about the Lions, either. If Jim Caldwell is fired the new coach has to start holding Matthew Stafford accountable, as he approaches his tenth season and has never gotten better beyond merely good.
Vikings over Bears - John Fox may not make it after this game, and one wonders about Mitchell Trubisky.
Redskins over NY Giants - The Kirk Cousins deal remains a head-scratcher in inability to work out any deal between the Skins and him, to where his future more and more looks away from Washington. The Giants have named Dave Gettleman as their new GM, and whoever the new coach is has to clean up a locker room culture that is completely toxic, full of me-first players; the Landon Collins fight with Eli Apple got headlines and showed the toxicity of this team; as refreshing as it is for a player to call out a teammate for being an all-around jerk it still reflects badly. Of course the big cancer there is Odell Beckham, enabled throughout his time. I would recommend against taking this job.
Eagles over Cowboys - Suddenly the Cowboys no longer appear to be a contender, and the fixation by Jerry Jones to keep Jason Garrett strikes one as myopic hope in a coach who can't deliver no matter how much you want him to succeed. Nick Foles' atrocious performance against the Raiders is a red flag; if he improves here then Philly's playoff chances will look a lot better.
Patriots over NY Jets - The bizarre fixation by media on Alex Guerrero and a supposed power struggle with Bill Belichick strikes one as a media-driven campaign to get him out of Foxboro; from the time it became clear Guerrero was a major training force for Brady and others there has been literally no media coverage conceding the legitimacy of his training methods, instead coverage pushes via implication that he is some kind of ripoff artist - and as Dan Le Betard's idiotic rant indicates, media believes he's giving steroids to Brady even though they can't say it in the open (the fact of it not being true of course doesn't matter). And angry reaction about trading Jimmy Garoppolo shows media myopia continued; the fact is time (and cap math) ran out on the Patriots to be able to keep him, and trading for one draft pick isn't cause for alarm given the Patriots don't lean on the draft to build their rosters. Media belief in a power struggle between Belichick and Robert Kraft once again is narrative-driven, not factual.
With all that the Patriots hope to iron out kinks before the playoffs while the Jets may unexpectedly lose Todd Bowles to the Cardinals with a reported retirement by Bruce Arians.
Steelers over Browns - The Steelers fanbase's deranged reaction to James Harrison's signing with the Patriots (not to mention angry reaction by some players) showed anew a team not disciplined or focused enough to be a true contender even after a wire-to-wire rout of the Texans. They nonetheless get a hopeless Browns team that looks incapable of ever doing anything right. DeShone Kizer looks like the worst quarterback failure in a decade.
Niners over Rams - This may rival Week 3's shootout with both teams exploding; Jimmy Garoppolo has the upper hand with nothing beyond further momentum for 2018 to play for, and thus unburdened by playoff pressure. For the Rams it's realistically a throwaway game.
Chargers over Raiders - Winning eight of their last eleven games is an encouraging surprise for the Chargers but they didn't elevate when they needed to against Jacksonville and Kansas CIty, so we feel this will just be a decent non-playoff year. For the Raiders it's the old question "Now what?" Del Rio may be gone and one wonders about Derek Carr, especially after his biggest laughfest since Tillie's Punctured Romance at the Eagles.
Saints over Buccaneers - The Jon Gruden rumor suddenly appears legitimate with reports he is assembling a staff for the Bucs. One wonders if he can get it right if he does take this job, though one holds out hope he or whoever can get Jameis Winston back on a winning track. For the Saints the question now is whether they can win a playoff game.
Panthers over Falcons - Last week's embarrassment by the Saints was a major blow for the Falcons' momentum and they get a Panthers team with a genuine shot at the division despite the season sweep by the Saints. Last week's comeback win over the Bucs was only the second time in their last six games the Panthers haven't reached 31 points scored.
Chiefs over Broncos - Now we get to see Patrick Mahomes, and he should be better than the Broncos' Paxton Lynch. Denver's fall could be seen approaching, but to have collapsed this badly is surprising. Now with no credible quarterback and an overrated and aging defense, the Broncos have to start all over.
Dolphins over Bills - Neither Jay Cutler (who may finally go away after this year) nor Tyrod Taylor inspire anything. Miam's 4-3 home record stands better against Buffalo's 2-5 road record, so that may be enough. One feels bad for Adam Gase as he had something good going with Ryan Tannehill and no doubt awaits Tannehill's return to health.
Titans over Jaguars - Tennessee is not getting much respect for making the playoffs even though the Titans smoked the Jaguars in their own building earlier this year. For all of Tom Coughlin wanting his players to keep playing and thus not develop rust the fact remains the Jaguars cannot advance beyond #3 seed in the AFC plus the Titans are fighting for their playoff lives, plus two bitter losses to the Niners and Rams show Tennessee is not just knuckling under to opponents - and Coughlin has a losing record (8-13) against the Titans as either coach or GM.
Bengals over Ravens - Cincinnati's win over the Lions after Marvin Lewis announced his coaching retirement shocked a lot of people and indicated the Bengals want him to go out a winner, and in the Andy Dalton era the Bengals have a 7-6 record against the Ravens, the seven wins coming in the last ten meetings. Baltimore's improvement has been impressive nonetheless, especially in forcing 33 turnovers (plus-17 in differential).
Cardinals over Seahawks - A new candidate for changing coaches has suddenly appeared with rumor Pete Carroll may quit after this season, even with last week's pivotal win at Dallas. The Seahawks, however, have major holes all around beginning with lack of discipline, resulting in a 4-4 record over their last eight games and the loss of home field advantage thanks to three home losses in their last four. We think the Seahawks have run out of Carroll magic.
So we await the playoffs and also NFL Coach Black Monday.
A new analysis indicates the Jones Act - a 1920 law known then as the Merchant Marine Act, it regulates maritime commerce - indicates the Act has been a failure and responds to criticism of an earlier analysis of the Jones Act by the American Maritime Partnership, which benefits from reduction in competition, the kind of reduction of Jones Act enables.
And all of a sudden the NFL's 2017 playoff race has turned ugly.
Steeler fans and a lot of people on social media were furious that a Steelers touchdown got erased (it followed the worst effort against a pick route ever seen by New England's defense, and that gaffe came after one of the worst gameplans and execution ever seen by the Patriots) on the league's preposterously tight definition of a catch; the result was disaster for the Steelers on an endzone interception that won the game for the Patriots. Being the top rivalry in the AFC right now this finish will earn more controversy than usual, and one has to ask why the league fears letting receivers get benefit of the doubt on catches.
It also got worse for the Steelers with ankle injury to Antonio Brown, which reportedly has cost him the season and maybe the playoffs.
Brady's former backup meanwhile pulled off a clutch last-second win in a game where both he and Marcus Mariota displayed clutch delivery. Garoppolo's turnaround of the Niners shows anew the reality that quarterbacking is what wins. The Titans offense went to a no-huddle attack and it clearly works. Tennessee can still make the playoffs by beating the Rams and Jaguars at home.
One of the wildest games of the weekend came amid media eruption about investigation of Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, now putting the team up for sale, for reputed sexual harassment and use of a racial slur against a former scout with monetary settlements in at least four cases reported. For what it's worth Cam Newton and other players vouched for Richardson's character after the game, and one should disabuse the notion that selling the team is any kind of lark based on a league investigation - it's way too big an investment for that. The Panthers are a worthwhile purchase for a new Carolina owner with a quality team, fanbase, etc. and a playoff run pending.
Carolina's win all but ends the forlorn playoff hopes of the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers' return from injury - surprising in and of itself - ended with a lot of yards and two touchdowns but also three picks and his 33rd loss (to just six career wins) when trailing by at least two scores.
Games between the Eagles and NY Giants at East Rutherford, NJ have shown a habit of bringing out the barrel of laughs from Joe Pisarcik to 1988's blocked field goal score to 2008's playoff grinder to Michael Vick's preposterous comeback in 2010. 2017 was the most competitive running of this series in years and the Eagles are in the NFC's first-round bye and still alive for the top seed and beyond. For Eli Manning his NY Giants career looks to be ending, and struggle against the Eagles continues.
The playoffs thus are on the line for this coming week's games -
Ravens over Colts - The Ravens are fighting for their playoff lives with the Bills and face a team that has haunted them since their 1996 debut, the ghost of the team that quit its city in late-March 1984. The Ravens got the Colts at Indianapolis in their 1996 debut season and the rivalry has been woefully one-sided, a combined score 316-243 - an average of 22-17 per game. That doesn't matter this year with the collapse of the Colts, reaching a new low with the loss to the Broncos.
Vikings over Packers - The Vikings are NFC North champs and the Packers are effectively out of the playoffs. That's all one needs to know going into this game. Aaron Rodgers is back, and looks ready to witness a fall to 8-8 or 7-9. The question now is how far the Vikings can go; they've wrapped up the NFC North and can still get at least a bye.
Bears over Browns - 0-16 now beckons for the Browns after another rough outing for Mitch Trubisky of the Bears last week. DeShone Kizer's rookie season will go down as a failure, leaving one to wonder if there is anything even here with him; a presumptive coaching change - just the latest such with the ever-perplexed Browns - also looms.
Panthers over Buccaneers - Carolina's spectacular season rolls on; Tampa Bay's lost season stumbles to its conclusion. The regression of Jameis Winston has been disturbing, but his effort against the Falcons showed reason to believe he is improving.
Titans over Rams - There remains reason for optimism for the Titans after a dismal West Coast swing, with the switch to a no-huddle offense showing effectiveness at San Francisco. Certainly the Rams' attack has become the most destructive since the Greatest Show On Astroturf and winning the division is a cinch, but the Titans have fought back from behind all season and need this game more than the Rams do, especially as.............
Falcons over Saints - .......we expect the Falcons to finish the sweep of the Saints and thus end any hope of a playoff bye. It's clear now the Falcons have worked in their new offensive coordinator's schemes well, and they've won the last three meetings with New Orleans. Despite being plus-four in overall differential the Saints' turnover problems resurfaced against the NY Jets as well. We expect the Rams and Saints' playoff seeds to stay the same.
Broncos over Redskins - The Redskins, despite the win over the Cardinals, have transmuted back into the Deadskins, while the Broncos are on a two-game roll.
Chargers over NY Jets - The Jets once again stand for Just End The Season. San Diego's playoff hopes are gone so they need worry only about winning games, especially after their ugly no-show at Kansas City. One also has to wonder if San Diego will try to draft one of the hotshot quarterback prospects entering the 2018 Draft, for Philip Rivers has been in slow-motion erosion all decade, failing to reach ten wins even once.
Chiefs over Dolphins - The Chiefs have their swag back and the Dolphins are fried fish for Lamar Hunt's powwow.
Patriots over Bills - New England's stunner at Pittsburgh raised eyebrows for the struggle of the defense and also for the continuing inability - or unwillingness by Brady - to permanently engage other pass-catchers in the offense - Gronkowski had nine catches and Cooks had four; Amendola and James White were the only others targeted more than twice. This binky approach has always ground the offense to a halt and the need for Brady to engage the likes of Kenny Britt (one catch for seven yards in his Patriots debut) into the offense becomes ever greater with playoff seedings on the line. Buffalo's only chance at the playoffs is to win out, an unlikely prospect with a scuffling Patriots team looking to fix issues before the postseason arrives.
Forty-Niners over Jaguars - The Jaguars are for real again, but so are the 49ers (they've won four of their last five), and Jimmy Garoppolo is clearly better than Blake Bortles, though Bortles' 3,174 yards and nineteen touchdowns aren't anything to sneeze at. That edge is what will decide this outcome and put the AFC South into a one-game showdown on New Years Eve.
Cowboys over Seahawks - The Seahawks now appear to be in freefall. They still own the tiebreaker for the playoffs, but a loss will cancel that out, and where the Cowboys have won three straight the Seahawks have lost four of their last seven, three of them at home. Seattle's abandonment of discipline was in evidence again after last week's Jacksonville brouhaha as rookie Delano Hill attacked two Rams players and got ejected for it - it's a sign Pete Carroll's ethic increasingly doesn't work or he's not disciplining players.
NY Giants over Cardinals - The Cardinals are now 6-8 and falling to their worst record since 2012. The Giants have struggled to beat anyone but this looks like a morale-booster of a game.
Steelers over Texans - Overmatched - that is the word for the Texans.
Eagles over Raiders - The Eagles are flying to the top seed in the NFC, while the Raiders lament yet another lost opportunity.
The other big story percolating is that eleven and up to fourteen head coaches may be fired; one such domino has already fallen with Marvin Lewis of the Bengals retiring, presumably to Cincinnati's front office. The hot coaching prospect is Josh McDaniels of the Patriots, but Jon Gruden amazingly may actually return to the league as a head coach. A slew of coordinators will certainly be promoted to head jobs, and such turnover happens because - to use an old Ralph Kramdein-ism, one of these days, Morton, POW! Right in the kisser! - of finally finding the right coach.
With improvement in numerous teams the last two seasons, that's a chance teams should take.
It's the oldest fact of economics - government intervention in economics produces shortages. California refuses to learn, and botches housing as a result.
The NFL hits Week 15 and hits have become a concern the last few weeks.
With multiple bad hits in the Bengals-Steelers brawl the week before, the Seahawks' reputation as a dirty team was amplified with another brawl started by them in the wake of a hard-fought loss. Michael Bennett - he of the character assassination campaign in Las Vegas earlier this year - started the whole thing and his teammate got into it with a fan. While one doesn't endorse fans throwing objects at players, the Seahawks deserved it.
What may be Game Of The Year erupted in LA as the Eagles - despite losing Carson Wentz to an ACL - stormed to a 43-35 stunner after last week's ugly loss to the Seahawks. The NFC playoff byes race is now strictly between the Vikings and the Eagles
Another candidate for Game Of The Year was Pittsburgh's eye-popping shootout over the Ravens marred by Baltimore's idiotic lack of clock awareness at the end
A subplot of the season right now is the Tennessee Titans, dismissed as a fraud team from what I've been hearing within media. Fan reaction from the 12-7 loss at the Cardinals typifies the overreaction football breeds, with demands Mariota be benched, coach Mike Mularkey be fired, and even savaging of the Titans ownership group as somehow uncommitted to winning. Some sobriety is always in order - the Titans certainly acquitted themselves dismally on offense as the defense erupted to eight sacks and zero touchdown allowed; as for Mariota going forward as a quarterback, his ability should not be doubted, as he led comebacks in both Colts games - Tennessee's first sweep of the Colts since 2002 - and also triumphed in back-and-forth affairs against the Browns (a troublesome matchup for the Titans dating from 2001's 41-38 Browns win) and Ravens - both times where the game lead tied or changed at least four times - led the comeback drive against the Bengals, and has beaten eight playoff-contending teams (Detroit, Green Bay, Miami, Kansas City, Denver, Jacksonville, Seattle, and Baltimore) in the last two seasons (the 2016 win over division champ Houston was Matt Cassel's game); in all the Titans have won 17 of their last 28 games.
While the Titans may not reach the Superbowl the growth they've shown the last two seasons in undeniable - and legitimate. Mariota's volume stats this year aren't anything to shout about - but then situational execution is what wins, and for the most part Mariota has done just that.
Seven underdogs won in Week 14, so we can expect dogs to dog in Week 15 -
Colts over Broncos - Two teams with lost seasons finish out the season simply looking for some kind of positivity. Embarrassing the NY Jets gave the Broncos just that, but they are 0-6 in road games this year vs. Indy's 2-4 home record.
Lions over Bears - The Bears likewise got a boost by embarrassing the Bengals, but here they face a Lions team still with a playoff shot and which beats up on teams with losing records; it's quality opponents the Lions don't beat.
Chiefs over Chargers - San Diego has surged and Kansas City's beating of the Raiders doesn't fix all their problems, but the Chiefs have owned the Chargers the last five games, winning by an average score of 27-14; it gets worse considering San Diego hasn't beaten the Chiefs since 2013.
Saints over NY Jets - The old joke that Jets means Just End The Season is on again. The Saints look like NFC South locks though a playoff bye now looks out of reach.
Panthers over Packers - Carolina got a quality win over the Vikings and are just about clinched for the playoffs, while the Packers can only finish 10-6 and that is unlikely to be enough. Even if Aaron Rodgers returns for this game the Panthers have too much to grab to let this one go, especially as they are seventh in passing yards allowed per game.
Jaguars over Texans - Speaking of all but clinching the playoffs, the Jaguars are likewise close enough that they won't let this one slip away to a Houston team that is looking to 2018 and DeShaun Watson's return. Until then the Texans have only the string to play out. Noteworthy is that Blake Bortles has broken 80 in passer rating eight times this season.
Vikings over Bengals - So when does AJ McCarron finally start for the Bengals? By now it's clear Andy Dalton can't get it done.
Eagles over NY Giants - Eli Manning - forget it. The question is how well Nick Foles plays.
Cardinals over Redskins - Oddly enough the Cardinals are salvaging a respectable season despite losing Carson Palmer. Blaine Gabbert is validating Bruce Arians' praise that he can play; meanwhile the Redskins have lost six of their last nine games and have been downright awful in their last two.
Bills over Dolphins - Salvaging a winning season is a reachable goal for the Bills, salvaging anything for the Dolphins this season disappeared when Ryan Tannehill went down even with Jay Cutler actually winning a game against the Patriots.
Ravens over Browns - Blowing a 21-7 lead to a vulnerable Packers squad is the kind of loss bad teams don't recover from. The sad part for the Browns is DeShone Kizer finally showed actual winning ability. The Ravens for their part have to be bashing their heads at blowing clock management at Pittsburgh last week.
Rams over Seahawks - The Rams and Seahawks both lost last week and the Rams hold only a one-game lead having lost earlier this year at the Coliseum. Seattle, however, does not have the same muscle they had before and while they can put up points they've struggled on their vaunted defense and homefield advantage isn't as effective anymore after losses to the Redskins and Falcons.
Patriots over Steelers - Pittsburgh has long struggled against the Patriots, losing twelve of the last seventeen meetings, but the injury to Ryan Shazier not only is a traumatic development on a personal level, it has hurt the Steelers defense as shown by the Ravens. New England's tight ends have long had success against Pittsburgh's defense and now the secondary has gelled to where we can expect Stephon Gilmore to hold his own against Antonio Brown. The caveat is Tom Brady's poor play at Miami, with some reportage his Achilles is hurting him; we doubt he will let it ruin this game, and the other wildcard is newly-signed ex-Titan Kenny Britt, the tallest pass-catcher other than Gronk on the New England squad.
Titans over 49ers - As of this writing Marcus Mariota's status is questionable, but given how he gutted it out despite a bum knee at Arizona we think he will play. He certainly didn't dodge blame for his poor performance at Arizona. The Niners meanwhile have finally begun playing better now that they have Jimmy Garoppolo, and he has shown unquestionable ability. The Titans need this game a lot more than the Niners and we think this will tip the balance.
Raiders over Cowboys - This is our Upset Pick of this week. The Cowboys are 7-6 and have won five of their last eight while the Raiders are 6-7 and 4-3 in their last seven. The Cowboys have struggled against Western-division teams in both conferences (a combined 2-3 in such games with wins over the Niners and Chiefs and losses to the Broncos, Rams, and Chargers) and their playoff hopes are realistically gone; the same is true of the Raiders. Both teams have been schizophrenic, we think being in Oakland on prime time will tilt to the Raiders.
Falcons over Buccaneers - The Falcons hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks so every win from here on is vital; they get a break against a Bucs team that has nothing to play for now and with a quarterback in Jameis Winston who is just 2-8 this year, a stunning regression after a promising 2016.
The NFL's 2017 season is now hitting the stretch for the playoffs, and that pressure has shown.
The meltdown of Kansas City's season was personified when Marcus Peters threw a referee's flag into the grandstands. The switch of playcalling on offense by the Chiefs helped in that they scored 31 points in one of the games of the year..............
................but Alex Smith's inability to seize control to win the game showed again, and suddenly San Diego is in position to steal the division.
If that scenario sounds familiar, it is, albeit the last time San Diego helped cost the Chiefs the AFC West was 2013 in the immortal Seyi Ajirotutu game.
Here are the top seeds in the AFC -
North - Steelers - bye East - Patriots - bye
South - Titans West - Chiefs
WC1 - Jaguars WC2 - Ravens
Remaining teams at .500 - Chargers Bills Raiders
While in the NFC - North - Vikings - bye East - Eagles - bye
West - Rams South - Saints
WC1 - Seahawks WC2 - Panthers Remaining teams .500 or better - Falcons Lions Packers Cowboys
So realistically we have four spots in the AFC with seven teams in contest, and three in the NFC with five teams in contest. Every Seahawk win knocks the Packers further and further away from a playoff spot while San Diego is the big challenger to the faltering Chiefs and the South is a Titans-Jaguars showdown that may come down to Week 17; and the way both teams are playing both look like playoff locks.
So the games remaining mean a lot to a number of teams -
Falcons over Saints - The Falcons are fighting for their playoff lives and need to just tie the Seahawks in standings with the head-to-head tiebreaker as their trump. This rivalry has been 5-5 the last five seasons with a 3-2 home record for the Falcons in that span. The Saints with their sweep of the Panthers - presently ahead of the Falcons in playoff seedings - all but have the division.
Bills over Colts - The Colts now have nothing to play for in a season that resembles 1997 all over again. The Bills, though, aren't in that much better shape with Tyrod Taylor showing why he was benched even before getting hurt against the Patriots.
Vikings over Panthers - The Vikings, for the moment the top seed in the NFC, more and more look like a machine and the Panthers loss at New Orleans ended any realistic hope of the division.
Packers over Browns - 0-16 is now in play for the Browns and the Packers are actually in a playoff race. The failure of the Browns as an organization just gets worse and worse, with no hope in sight - and the rumor of recruiting of Peyton Manning to take over the team will only intensify.
Chiefs over Raiders - The Chiefs have faltered badly, but the Raiders are 6-6 for a reason and the Chiefs showed improvement, especially on offense; we think this will help them here.
Forty-Niners over Texans - Jimmy Garoppolo's debut game wasn't much to write home about but it was a win, and now Garoppolo gets a Texans team whose collapse has gone unnoticed with the eye-popping fall of the Chiefs.
Bengals over Bears - The Bears blew it against the Niners and Mitchell Trubisky's rookie season slogs onward toward a forgettable end. The Bengals come off the ugliest loss in years, both in terms of on-field play and also in on-field violence.
Lions over Buccaneers - The Bucs put up a whale of a fight at Green Bay and it wasn't enough. Detroit failed yet again against a quality team and the Lions' playoff chances are gone. Taking on a team with an outright losing record is what the Lions need here; an injured thumb is not what Matthew Stafford needed.
Jaguars over Seahawks - Upending the NFC's top seed shows the Seahawks are racing to the playoffs, and they've won nine of their last eleven games against AFC teams. But this is not the Jaguars team that was easy pickings for the last four years; this is a solid outfit that's got the playoffs in sight and the last time the Seahawks traveled east to the AFC South it ended ugly.
Chargers over Redskins - San Diego has momentum, the Redskins don't. Suddenly Philip Rivers is playing like the franchise power he's long been, while Kirk Cousins looks like a petulant child.
Titans over Cardinals - The Titans have secured back-to-back seasons .500 or better for the first time since the 2006-09 period where they won 39 games. Their last two times against the Cardinals, oddly, were in Tennessee and both were stunning finishes in Vince Young's game-winning touchdown in 2009 and Ryan Fitzpatrick's overtime INT after erasing a 34-17 gap in 2013. Blaine Gabbert has one career game against the Titans and it was a loss. The Cards' playoff chances are unrealistic.
NY Jets over Broncos - History has been stood on its head in Denver - this is the 20th anniversary of the Broncos' stunning first Superbowl win, and on this anniversary the Broncos have collapsed into irrelevance. The Jets still have a slim playoff shot and face a Broncos team that has been outscored 421 to 108 since their bye week.
Rams over Eagles - The Eagles are shellshocked after a nowhere performance at Seattle and their West Coast swing goes to LA, with a playoff bye now possible for the Rams.
Cowboys over NY Giants - Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay may be hired as NY Giants coaches at this rate; Ben McAdoo certainly appears dead now, though the benching of Eli Manning was overdue after years of mediocrity and the angry sentiment for him is annoying. The Cowboys' playoff hopes are slim.
Ravens over Steelers - The Ravens have the playoffs in their sights and suddenly look strong enough to upend the Steelers, winners of the last two meetings but losers of nine of the last fourteen.
Patriots over Dolphins - The Patriots are headlong toward the top seed again and the Dolphins are playing out the string. Ding-Dong Suh hit Brady late several times the previous meeting, a rarity given he never even gets to Brady traditionally. The suspension of Gronkowski is surprising given his lack of retaliatory antics in the past.
