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Entering Week 16 of the NFL season, six teams have qualified for the playoffs, while 15 others are still alive. Four of those are in the NFC East, with the entire division still in contention for the division crown. No NFC East team can get a Wild Card berth, leaving 11 teams vying for six remaining playoff spots.
There are only two games on the Week 16 schedule without any playoff implications. That means there are 14 contests that matter, at least to one of the teams involved.
More importantly, there are seven games in which both teams are still mathematically alive, with one a knockout game.
Kansas City just needs a win over Atlanta to secure the top spot in the AFC. The NFC is a little more complicated, but Green Bay controls its own destiny and just needs to win out.
If the Packers stumble, most likely this week against Tennessee, it opens the door for New Orleans and Seattle.
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Big Games of the Week
Division leaders Green Bay (11-3) and Tennessee (10-4) face off with a lot on the line for both teams. Green Bay has clinched the NFC North but needs to keep winning to gain home field in the NFC. The Packers are 3.5-point home favorites with an over/under of 56 points.
The Titans are tied with Indianapolis atop the AFC South and hold the tiebreaker over the Colts. Indianapolis (10-4) travels to Pittsburgh (11-3) in another critical conference matchup.
The Steelers have lost three straight and have clinched a playoff berth but not their division. With a win against the Colts, Pittsburgh wraps up the AFC North.
In losses to Washington, Buffalo and Cincinnati, the Steelers have lacked the dominance they displayed in the first 11 weeks. While Indianapolis can still win the AFC South, it can also find itself out of the playoffs. The Colts, owners of a schizophrenic defense, are two-point favorites, and the over/under is 45 points.
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In Baltimore, the 9-5 Ravens are still fighting for a playoff spot and host the 5-9 New York Giants. The Ravens, 10.5-point favorites in a game with a 45.5 over/under, can eliminate the Raiders with a victory.
Miraculously, the Giants can still win the NFC East title, but a loss ends their quest if Washington wins.
The Los Angeles Rams stumbled in Week 15 and became the first victim of the winless New York Jets. The loss dropped the 9-5 Rams a game behind the 10-4 Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.
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The Rams, 1.5-point road underdogs, can regain control of the division with a win at Seattle.
The 10-4 Cleveland Browns haven’t made the playoffs since 2002, and they’re 10-point favorites over the Jets. A Cleveland win and a loss by Baltimore, Miami or Indianapolis would end the longest postseason drought in the NFL.
Interestingly enough, if the Browns and Colts both win, Cleveland would still be alive in the AFC North.
Two-point favorite Washington can clinch the NFC East with a win over Carolina and a Giants loss to Baltimore. At 6-8, Washington’s quarterback situation is uncertain, with Alex Smith looking to return from an ankle injury.
Dwayne Haskins, who started for Smith in Sunday’s loss to Seattle, is facing sanctions for violating COVID-19 protocols.
