Not everyone thought the NFL would make it to Week 17 in this COVID-19 impacted year, but as the calendar turns to January, here we are. One game left for all 32 teams, and all 16 games are on Sunday. Several teams have playoff-clinching scenarios with potential playoff teams going head-to-head.
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
This one is simple. The Cardinals are in with a win and out with a loss. The Rams are in with a win and can only get in with a loss of Chicago loses at Green Bay. Oh, and neither team has a starting quarterback at 100%.
The Rams don’t have Jared Goff at all, meaning former Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford will take his first career NFL snap on Sunday. Meanwhile, Arizona’s Kyler Murray is questionable with a leg injury, and if he can’t play, Chris Streveler will make his first career start. The Cardinals beat the Rams 28-28 in December and are 3-point road favorites on Sunday afternoon.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Speaking of the Bears, if they win, they are in, and if they lose, they only get in with a Rams win against the Cardinals. Standing in their way are nemesis Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers is 19-5 against the Bears and snatched the NFC North from Chicago at Soldier Field in Week 17 of the 2013 season. The Packers can’t take it easy on Sunday either as they need to win to earn the No. 1 seed and bye in the NFC Playoffs. The Packers are 4-point favorites and beat Chicago at home 41-25 in November.
NFC East on the Line
The entire NFC East comes down to Week 17, and three of the four teams could win the division with a losing record. The 6-9 Washington Football Team control their destiny as they take the title with a win at Philadelphia Sunday night no matter what happens in the other game.
Washington hopes to have quarterback Alex Smith back from a leg injury after releasing Dwayne Haskins on Monday. The Eagles will be without DeSean Jackson, Dallas Goedert, Fletcher Cox, Miles Sanders, and others as they limp into the off-season. Washington is a four-point favorite.
The Dallas Cowboys (6-9) head into MetLife Stadium to face the 5-10 New York Giants with a three-game win streak. The Dallas offense is peaking at the right time, and the Giants are reeling as quarterback Daniel Jones has been hobbled.
Whoever wins this 1:00 P.M. Eastern kickoff stays alive for the division title and turn into huge Eagles fans Sunday night.
AFC Wild Card Race
Unless the Tennessee Titans (-7.5) are stunned in Houston, there are no division titles up for grabs in the AFC, and Kansas City already has the top seed wrapped up. Four teams are battling for the three Wild Card spots, with Miami, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Indianapolis at 10-5.
If all four teams have the same result, the Colts would be the team left out. Miami (+2) is at Buffalo, Baltimore (-14) hosts Cincinnati, Cleveland (-10) hosts Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis (-14) hosts Jacksonville.