It all comes down to one final Sunday in the NFL’s 2020 regular-season finale.
Seven spots filled, seven spots remaining. There’s 16 games remaining in a different kind of NFL season. And this year, there will be seven postseason berths in each conference. In the AFC, the Dolphins, Ravens, Browns and Titans (a victory gives them the AFC South title) are all in with a win while the Colts need a victory or tie and a little assistance. They will join the Chiefs, Bills and Steelers.
In the NFC, the Packers, Saints and Seahawks have all won division titles and the Buccaneers are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The NFC East is up for grabs between the Cowboys, Giants and Washington and the Bears, Cardinals and Rams remain in the playoff hunt.
It’s a lot to take in. But it will make for a memorable Week 17.
Miami Dolphins (10-5) at Buffalo Bills (12-3), 1:00 pm
Dolphins: Rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa gets the start as Ryan Fitzpatrick is out on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19 (via ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe). But Brian Flores’ team is led by a much-improved defensive unit that has relied on timely plays. The Dolphins are tied for the NFL lead with 27 takeaways. That’s 11 more turnovers than the club forced a season ago. Miami’s pass rush has produced 40 sacks, nearly doubling last year’s league-low total of 23 QB traps. And after giving up the most points in the NFL (494) in 2019, Flores’ squad has surrendered 282 points – the fewest in the league. All told, it’s added up to the team doubling its win total from a season ago.
Bills: The club comes off a resounding 38-9 triumph at New England, the Bills’ first sweep of the Patriots since 1999. The victory also raised the team’s record this season to 5-0 vs. AFC East rivals. Sean McDermott’s is riding a five-game winning streak and now ranks sixth in the league with 445 points. That’s quite a jump from a year ago when the Bills totaled just 314 points and the offense totaled just 34 offensive touchdowns. This season, Josh Allen has thrown 34 TD passes, Stefon Diggs leads the NFL with 120 receptions and coordinator Brian Daboll’s attack has reached the end zone 50 times. And the team has allowed just 26 sacks, much-improved from a season ago (40).
Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3) at Cleveland Browns (10-5), 1:00 pm
Steelers: Thanks to a rousing comeback victory last week against the Colts, Mike Tomlin’s club wrapped up its first division title since 2017. A stagnant Pittsburgh offense was an issue for four consecutive games and the first half vs. Indianapolis. But veteran Ben Roethlisberger threw three second-half TD passes and the Steelers’ defense limited the Colts to a field goal in the final two quarters. This week (via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Mason Rudolph will get the starting nod behind center and the team will rest other starters as well. That includes relentless T.J. Watt and his NFL-best 15 sacks. All told, Pittsburgh has totaled a league-high 52 quarterback traps.
Browns: The club needs a win to secure its first playoff berth since 2002. But off an unexpected loss to the Jets, the team is dealing with some issues in terms of COVID-19 (via ESPN’s Jake Trotter). The club needs to get back to running the football, which has been its bread-and-butter all season. But in the 23-16 loss to New York, Kevin Stefanski’s club finished with season-lows in running plays (18) and rushing yards (45). Still, the Browns rank fourth in the league in rushing, averaging a brisk 145.5 yards per game on the ground, and the Pittsburgh defense has shown a little vulnerability to the run at times. In Week 6 at Heinz Field, Stefanski’s club was rolled by a 38-7 score.
Baltimore Ravens (10-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-10-1), 1:00 pm
Ravens: John Harbaugh’s team has prevailed in the last four meetings between the teams, including a 27-3 win this season at Baltimore in Week 5. The Ravens are in the midst of a four-game winning streak in which they’ve totaled 148 points, 933 yards on the ground and 18 offensive touchdowns – all following three straight losses by the club.
Bengals: After winning just twice in their first 13 outings, the club has strung together back-to-back victories and have gotten big contributions from the ground attack. The Bengals ran for 152 yards in the Monday night win over the Steelers and six days later, rolled up 169 rushing yards in the win at Houston – the team’s lone road win in ’20.
Minnesota Vikings (6-9) at Detroit Lions (5-10), 1:00 pm
Vikings: Mike Zimmer’s team will be without running back Dalvin Cook due to the death of his father. The Vikings’ offense ranks sixth in the league in total offense and rushing, with Cook the NFL’s second-leading ground gainer. Minnesota’s rebuilt defense has taken its lumps this season and only four teams have been worst vs. the run.
Lions: Another long season in the Motor City means the Lions will finish last in the NFC North for the third straight year. The team has given up a league-high 482 points and it’s worth noting that only three times in NFL history has a club allowed 500-plus points: The ’81 Colts (533), ’08 Lions (517) and ’66 Giants (501) – the latter in 14 games.
New York Jets (2-13) at New England Patriots (6-9), 1:00 pm
Jets: The season began with 13 consecutive losses but now the Jets have won two straight games, defeating two teams (Rams and Browns) who could very well wind up in the playoffs this year. But defeating the Patriots has been a big issue. Dating back to 2011, New York is 2-17 in this series – including nine straight losses at Foxborough.
Patriots: The team is in the midst of its first losing season since Bill Belichick’s debut campaign in Foxborough in 2000. The Patriots have dropped their last three outings by a combined score of 84-24 and scored a total of one touchdown during this stretch. This all followed a 45-0 victory in Week 13 over the Chargers at Los Angeles.
Dallas Cowboys (6-9) at New York Giants (5-10), 1:00 pm
Cowboys: The club has score 30-plus points in each of its last three games and incredibly, have put themselves in position to actually capture the NFC East. Quarterback Andy Dalton has been hot since returning to the field in Week 11. He’s thrown 13 TD passes compared to four interceptions – two-plus scores in five of the six games.
Giants: Big Blue has been highly-improved when it comes to the defense but the other side of the ball has been a season-long issue for Joe Judge’s team regardless of who the starting quarterback is. The Giants are ranked 31st in the league in yards gained and the team has nearly as many offensive touchdowns (22) as turnovers (21).
Atlanta Falcons (4-11) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-5), 1:00 pm
Falcons: Only the Seahawks have allowed more yards through the air than Raheem Morris’ club, which has totaled just 28 sacks (equaling last season’s total) while surrendering 30 touchdown passes – two more than all of 2019. For what it’s worth, Atlanta (with its most losses since 2013) have won four straight at Tampa dating back to ‘16.
Buccaneers: Thanks to a 31-27 come-from-behind victory two weeks ago at Atlanta, the playoff-bound Bucs are in position to sweep this series for the first time since 2015. The team remains ranked first in the league against the run, which was the case a season ago. But Tampa Bay defenders have allowed 27 touchdowns through the air.
New Orleans Saints (11-4) at Carolina Panthers (5-10), 4:25 pm
Saints: The defense got off to a slow start this year when it came to stopping the pass. But Dennis Allen’s unit seemed to settle down for a while. However, New Orleans’ defenders have been gashed on the ground to the tune of 515 yards in their last three games. The Saints have allowed a combined 89 points in those last three contests.
Panthers: In Matt Rhule’s first season as an NFL head coach, this team has won as many games as it did a year ago. But the Panthers are coming off a road win at Washington and the defense has grown steadily. A season ago, Carolina allowed a whopping 470 points in 16 contests – compared to allowing 369 points in 15 games this year.
Las Vegas Raiders (7-8) at Denver Broncos (5-10), 4:25 pm
Raiders: Only the Lions, Jaguars and Cowboys have allowed more points than Las Vegas (447). And a good chunk of those (206) coming in the last six games. It’s arguably the biggest reason the Raiders have dropped five of their last six outings after a solid 6-3 start. Jon Gruden’s team has given up 167 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Broncos: For the third time in four years, the team has lost at least 10 games. The most glaring difference from this season’s showing to a year ago is the mistakes. No club in the league has turned over the ball more than the Broncos (32), who gave up the rock just 16 times in 2019. And Vic Fangio’s team has totaled only 12 takeaways.
Tennessee Titans (10-5) at Houston Texans (4-11), 4:25 pm
Titans: League rushing leader Derrick Henry can become the eighth player in NFL history to run for at least 2,000 yards in a season. He’s totaled 344 carries for 1,777 yards this season and he’s run for 200-plus yards in each of his last two meetings with the Texans. And a victory on Sunday gives the Titans their first AFC South since 2008.
Texans: Fourth-year quarterback Deshaun Watson has put up big numbers in the team’s-highly disappointing year. In his last 12 outings, he’s thrown for 300-plus yards nine times and has served up 26 touchdown passes compared to only three interceptions. But the slumping Texans could lose a dozen games for the second time in four seasons.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-14) at Indianapolis Colts (10-5), 4:25 pm
Jaguars: Jacksonville began the year with a 27-20 victory over the visiting Colts and hasn’t won a game since. The last team to lose its final 15 games after an opening-day triumph was the 2001 Panthers. But here’s an astonishing number: The Jaguars are a dismal 44-115 dating back to 2011, 10-9 vs. the Colts and 34-106 vs. the rest of the NFL.
Colts: After pushing around the Steelers for nearly three quarters last week, the Colts squandered a 17-point lead in a 28-24 loss. The defense remains one of the NFL’s best. Frank Reich’s club has forced 24 turnovers in 15 games. However, the Colts have an impressive 21 takeaways in 10 wins but have forced only three turnovers in five losses.
Los Angeles Chargers (6-9) at Kansas City Chiefs (14-1), 4:25 pm
Chargers: Another week and another three-point win for a club that earlier in the season could not protect a lead. And one of the Bolts’ nine losses came in Week 2 at home to the Chiefs in overtime, 23-20, when the Chargers were ahead, 17-6, in the third quarter. The club is 1-12 in its last 13 meetings with Kansas City dating back to 2014.
Chiefs: The reigning Super Bowl champions have won 10 games in a row and have not only secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs but the NFL’s best record. Andy Reid is giving Patrick Mahomes a break and Chad Henne gets the nod (via Charles Goldman of ChiefsWire.com) – his first start since he finished 0-3 for the Jaguars in 2014.
Arizona Cardinals (8-7) at Los Angeles Rams (9-6), 4:25 pm
Cardinals: The team can still claim a playoff berth for the first time since 2015. The defense was pushed around by the 49ers last week and surrendered a season-high 227 rushing in the setback. The Cardinals are ranked 23rd in the NFL vs. the run and are giving up 126.5 yards per game on the ground – slightly more than a year ago (120.1).
Rams: In Week 13 at Arizona, Sean McVay’s club came up with a 38-28 win and extended its winning streak in the series to seven straight. The Rams have totaled at least 31 points in each of those outings and won those contests by a combined 233-84 score. But John Wolford replaces an injured Jared Goff (via USA Today’s Lorenzo Reyes).
Seattle Seahawks (11-4) at San Francisco 49ers (6-9), 4:25 pm
Seahawks: Pete Carroll’s division champions are 5-1 in their last six games. The club has limited five consecutive opponents to 17 points or less – surrendering a combined 61 points over that stretch. After allowing 33 offensive TDs in their first 10 games, Carroll’s club has given up just six offensive touchdowns in their last five outings.
49ers: The club has only won six games this season but three have been within the division, including a sweep of the Rams as well as last week’s victory at Arizona. Kyle Shanahan’s team has utilized three different starting quarterbacks and that’s one reason that only the Broncos (32) have turned over the ball more than the Niners (30).
Green Bay Packers (12-3) at Chicago Bears (8-7), 4:25 pm
Packers: The club can win 13 games for the second straight year but more importantly, a victory at Soldier Field makes the Packers the top seed in the NFC playoffs this year. Aaron Rodgers’ numbers are nothing short of phenomenal and the offense is much-improved from a season ago. This year, Green Bay has scored 474 points and Matt LaFleur’s unit has put the ball in the end zone 59 times. Wideout Davante Adams (17) and tight end Robert Tonyan (10) have teamed for 27 of Rodgers’ 44 TD strikes. The Pack has turned over the ball 10 times and allowed just 20 sacks. But left tackle David Bakhtiari went down in practice on Friday (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).
Bears: Matt Nagy’s team has won three straight games following a six-game slide and a win vs. the Packers puts them in the playoffs. Since fourth-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky returned to the lineup in Week 12 at Lambeau Field, the Bears have totaled 165 points and the offensive unit has totaled 19 touchdowns. In the club’s first 10 outings, Nagy’s team managed to score only 191 points and the offense reached the end zone only 18 times. And in those previously mentioned last five games, Trubisky has thrown more than twice as many touchdown passes (10) as interceptions (4). The Bears have put at least 30 points on the board in each of their last four outings.
Washington Football Team (6-9) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-10-1), 8:20 pm
Washington: On Monday afternoon, the organization parted ways with 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins (via ESPN’s John Keim). And it appears Alex Smith will get the start at Philadelphia (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). Elsewhere, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has had a bevy of talent to work with this year up front and the Washington pass rush has been ferocious. Led by rookie defensive end Chase Young and a few other fellow first-round picks in ends Montez Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan and interior forces such as Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne. There have been 44 sacks and this quintet has combined for 25 of them – led by Sweat (8) and Young (6.5).
More fansided.com: 2020 NFL power rankings, Week 17: Chiefs secure No. 1 seed in AFC
Eagles: After three consecutive trips to the playoffs, which includes a Super Bowl championship in 2017, the Eagles are the only team that can’t win the NFC East this year. Rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts has shown promise and may be the future behind center. But Philadelphia’s defense has fallen off significantly from a year ago. The Birds have already allowed more points (398) than a season ago (354) and has surrendered 45 offensive touchdowns – almost equally divided rushing (20) and passing (25). And after allowing the third-fewest rushing yards in the NFL in 2019 (90.1 average), Jim Schwartz’s shaky unit is ranked a disappointing 24th in the league against the run (127.3).