NFL Week 17

The Game Room
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In what may have been the game of the year on Thursday, the Seahawks overcame a 16-point deficit in the 4th quarter to defeat the Rams 38-37 in overtime. Seattle now has the inside track for the #1 seed in the NFC. On Saturday, the Eagles clinched the NFC East with a win over Washington, which also eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs. Then later on Saturday, the Bears also pulled off an improbable 4th quarter comeback, using a recovered onside kick to tie the game late and then won in overtime over the Packers, who lost Jordan Love to injury during the game. The Bears are now in position to win the NFC North and still have a chance for the #1 seed in the conference.

On Sunday, the Panthers took a huge step toward a division crown with a narrow home victory over the Bucs, although the two teams meet again in two weeks in Tampa. The Bills kept winning, notching their fourth consecutive victory in a win over the Browns. Jacksonville won their sixth straight, a big win in Denver which snapped the Bronco’s 11-game winning streak which was also their first home loss of the season. The Chargers kept their divisional title hopes alive with a win over the Cowboys, and the Texans did the same with a narrow win over the Raiders. The Lions lost to Pittsburgh by virtue of offensive pass interference on the game’s final play, which negated a potential game-winning Detroit touchdown. On Sunday night, the Patriots joined the 4th-quarter comeback club by scoring 2 late touchdowns to clinch a playoff spot and put the Ravens on the brink of elimination. On Monday night, the Niners overwhelmed the Colts. It was the fifth straight win for the Niners and the fifth straight loss for the Colts, who started the season 7-1.

After this week’s games, here are the teams who have qualified for the postseason:

AFC: Patriots, Bills, Jaguars, Broncos, Chargers. Texans and Steelers each need one win to qualify. Ravens need to win out and hope that the Steelers lose their last two games; Ravens and Steelers meet in the last week of the season. Colts need to win out and hope that the Texans lose their last two games; Colts and Texans meet in the last week of the season.

NFC: Eagles, Bears, Seahawks, 49ers, Rams. Either the Bucs or the Panthers will win the NFC South. Packers need a win to qualify. Lions need to win out and hope that the Packers lose their last two games.

Want to see all the playoff possibilities? Use the ESPN playoff machine.

There are three Christmas Day games on Thursday this week, two of which have playoff implications. Detroit tries to stay alive in Minnesota, while Denver will still be fighting for the top seed in the AFC when they visit Arrowhead. On Saturday, the Chargers host the Texans in a game between two probable playoff teams, and the Ravens and Packers both try to keep their playoff hopes alive on the frozen tundra in Lambeau. The Sunday slate includes the Steelers in Cleveland, the Jags in Indianapolis, and Seattle on the road against the Panthers. Buffalo hosts the Eagles, and the Bears meet the Niners on Sunday night in San Francisco. The Monday night game features the Rams traveling to Atlanta.

Here are this week’s lines. All spreads taken from ESPNBet on Tuesday the 23rd at 8:15 am CT.

Thursday:

Cowboys @ Commanders (+7)
Lions @ Vikings (+6)
Broncos @ Chiefs (+12.5)

Saturday:

Texans @ Chargers (-2.5)
Ravens @ Packers (-2.5)

Sunday early:

Cardinals @ Bengals (-7)
Steelers @ Browns (+3.5)
Saints @ Titans (+2.5)
Jaguars @ Colts (+6.5)
Bucs @ Dolphins (+5.5)
Patriots @ Jets (+13.5)
Seahawks @ Panthers (+7.5)

Sunday late:

Giants @ Raiders (-1.5)
Eagles @ Bills (-1.5)

Sunday night:

Bears @ 49ers (-3)

Monday night:

Rams @ Falcons (+8.5)

NFL Week 16
NFL Week 16
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I see the Giants listed twice, I know we’ve got Vegas in a battle for worst record, the Patriots are actually playing the almost as shitty Jets.

Back to the Giants, I hate to say it, but I’m hoping they lose these last two games and at least get a chance to f’ up the 1st pick in the draft.

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Whoops! Fixed it, and good catch. ESPN lists the name of the city with the logo, and my eyes aren’t that great anymore.

4

If I remember correctly, the NFC East hasn’t had a repeat champion in 21 years. The Eagles broke that streak this year when the locked up the division last week.

5

Pretty much.

6

I’m not sure it makes a big difference if they finish last or 2nd to last. The projections I’ve seen have the Giants and Jets trading picks so the Jets can nab a QB and the Giants can take a WR. Of the two QBs at the top of the chart, Mendoza (Indiana) and Moore (Oregon), there isn’t a clear winner, so the trade could probably go through either way. And if the Giants somehow drop to 3rd or 4th, a WR they want will likely still be on the board.

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That seems like a weird pick to me. I would much rather them take a lineman on either side of the ball or a generational linebacker if there is one in the draft.

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Your choices is what the Giants need, but the Giant management is really bad and probably will waste a top pick on a WR.

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A guy who let’s Saquon Barkley walk but gives a 3 year contract to Darius Slayton is somebody to be trusted!

10

If my calculations are correct, the Chargers get the #1 seed if:

-They win their last two games
-It doesn’t matter what the Broncos do because Chargers play them in the last game and Chargers would have the tiebreaker.
-One Jacksonville loss
-One Buffalo loss
-One Patriots loss (Chargers would win the tiebreaker based on Conference Record)

Very doable.

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I don’t follow the Giants enough to know their needs, so I’m going off a few different mock drafts that have them picking a WR. You’re probably right, but everybody loves flash.

12

I plugged those teams into the ESPN playoff machine to which I linked in the OP. It tells me that the Chargers win the tiebreaker over the Bills even if they both win their last two games.

But you are correct in noting that both Jacksonville and New England need to lose a game. That’s a big ask. Patriots play the Jets and the Dolphins. Jaguars play the Colts and Titans. I don’t see either the Pats or the Jags losing another game, particularly with playoff seeding on the line.

Winning the division would still be huge for the Chargers, as then they get a home playoff game. Although, they could host the Broncos.

But, hey, it’s the NFL, and anything can happen!

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I can see the Jaguars maybe losing to the Titans or Colts, if the Jaguars stumble while either of those teams are playing at their best.

Patriots though would probably need to rest their starters to lose against the Jets or Dolphins, and even then I wouldn’t call it a sure thing.

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If they lose a game and the Bills win out, the Bills win the division. Nobody’s resting.

15

No doubt, so I don’t think that has a realistic chance of happening. The Patriots are too good and those teams are so bad.

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Yes, they need help but they’ve got a heavy lift themselves - games against Houston and at Denver to close out the season. Not a small ask itself.

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I mean they already have Malik Nabers. I would give them a golf for targeting WR in the 2nd or 3rd round, but #1 overall? Seriously?

Trading down is what the real smart play would be.

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The biggest wildcard here is that the Patriots are hurting with tons of injuries on both sides of the ball, but particularly on the O-line and at RB. And depth is one of the Pats’ biggest weaknesses. I still think they are likely to win both games against a reeling Jets and struggling Dolphins, but it’s not as much a slam dunk as it seems on paper.

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And division games are extra funky. Dropping one of those would not be a shocker. The “how” might be surprising but things happen.

Any given Sunday and all that. Which is another factor. They’ve yet to decide which games to put in those Saturday slots, which would affect prep time. Almost certainly games with a division title/playoff seeding implications. There are 3 or 4 matchups that are likely candidates at this point.

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Yes, the Fins have upset the Pats in a recent late-season game, on more than one occasion.

You are talking about Week 18, correct?

There are a couple of choice games in the final week: Chargers at Broncos, Ravens at Steelers, but especially Seahawks at Niners.