The AFC North and NFC West crowned their champions on Sunday, but the AFC South and NFC East will go to Week 17. All three Wild Card spots in the AFC are still up for grabs, as are two in the NFC, setting up a fun and wild final weekend in the NFL.
Steelers Bounce Back, Win Division Title
After falling behind 21-7 in the first half, the Pittsburgh Steelers rallied to beat the Indianapolis Colts 28-24 to win the AFC North. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the rally on Sunday with 342 passing yards and three touchdowns while the defense sacked Philip Rivers five times and forced two turnovers.
The Steelers are now 11-5 and can afford to rest players next week when they travel to Cleveland for the season finale. The Steelers are +7 on the opening line for that contest as the 9-6 Browns must win to make the playoffs after losing to the New York Jets on Sunday. Pittsburgh could end up as the No. 2 seed with a win and two Bills losses but are more likely to end up as the No. 3 seed.
Seahawks Win Another NFC West Crown
They didn’t exactly take a direct route to the title, but when all was said and done, the Seattle Seahawks were once again celebrating an NFC West title. They have won five division titles since Pete Carroll took over in 2010, but this was the first since 2016.
The Seahawks (11-4) beat the Los Angeles Rams (9-6) 20-9 on Sunday after a rather dull first half, which saw each team kicking two field goals. The game's defining moment came on defense for the Seahawks as they stuffed the Rams on four straight goal-to-go plays in the third quarter.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand, and running back Darrell Henderson left the game with an ankle injury. The Rams need to beat the Arizona Cardinals (8-7) next Sunday to make the playoffs, or they can also sneak in if the Chicago Bears lose at home to the Green Bay Packers. The Rams are favored by 5.5 points over the Cardinals, and a win would lock them into the No. 6 seed.
Seattle could still finish No. 2 if the Packers lose to Chicago and they beat the San Francisco 49ers next week in Arizona. The Seahawks are -4.5 and cannot fall below the No. 3 seed.
NFC East Title Wide Open
The Washington Football Team lost at home Sunday to Carolina 20-13 while the Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles 37-17. Washington and Dallas are both 6-9, with Washington holding the tiebreaker, but the New York Giants can still win the division as well at 5-10.
Next week Washington is at Philadelphia (-2) on Sunday Night Football. A win clinches the division for Washington, but if they lose, then the winner of the Cowboys (-2.5) at the Giants game at 1:00 P.M. Eastern will win the division.
AFC South Up For Grabs
The Tennessee Titans (10-5) lost at Green Bay on Sunday night and will now have to win at Houston (4-11) Sunday to win the division. The Titans line is (-7) against a Texans team Tennessee beat 42-36 in overtime in October. If the Titans lose, the Colts can win the division with a home win over the 1-14 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts are favored by 14 points, as the woeful Jaguars have already clinched the first pick in April’s draft.
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