Last week, I gave you five must-win situations that stood out to me.
First, I said the Atlanta Falcons had to win against the Minnesota Vikings, and that did not happen. I picked Minnesota, but it was a must-win for Atlanta. Now the Falcons have to play catch-up on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South race.
Then, I said the Miami Dolphins must beat the New York Jets, and they did. I picked the Dolphins, and now they're hanging on for a chance at the AFC wild card race just two games behind the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens.
They just need one of those teams to collapse.
I called the NFC West divisional battle between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals a must-win game for both sides. The Seahawks won to keep their lead and sweep the Cardinals. The Cardinals will be trying to come back from behind while the Seahawks have a clear advantage entering the last four weeks of the season.
I added that the Los Angeles Rams must win at home over the Buffalo Bills. I picked Buffalo but the Rams pulled off the upset to stay within one game of the Seahawks for that division race. It also keeps them within one game of the Washington Commanders for the wild card.
That helped the Kansas City Chiefs in the pursuit of the top overall seed. The Chiefs were my final must-win scenario and they did so with a walk-off field goal that doinked off the upright and through the goal post. That clinched the division and helped their chances at locking up the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Some of those NFC results have set us up for a fun finish. The Detroit Lions (12-1) and Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) will be in for a tight race for the top seed.
The NFC West is still anyone's division. The Seahawks (8-5) have the advantage, but no one is too far behind. The Rams (7-6) have the best shot while the Cardinals (6-7) and San Francisco 49ers (6-7) will likely need to win out.
The NFC South is still up for grabs as well. It's a two-team race most likely with the Buccaneers at 7-6 and the Falcons at 6-7. The New Orleans Saints are mathematically alive at 5-8, but it is unlikely they can turn this season around, in my opinion.
The NFC North could even come down to the final game as the Lions and Vikings (11-2) are only separated by one game and play one another in Week 18.
Beyond those two, the Green Bay Packers are 9-3 and shouldn't be counted out of the division race yet. They are second among NFC wild card teams and are one game ahead of the Commanders (8-5), who are one game ahead of the Rams who are trying to stay in the mix.
Look out for the NFC's 6-7 teams to make some noise late. The Falcons only play one team (Commanders) above .500 in their final four games. The 49ers only play two teams (Rams and Lions) above .500. The Cardinals only play one team (Rams) above .500.
Let's look at Week 15's slate of action:
THURSDAY
Rams (7-6) at 49ers (6-7): Neither team has shown any consistency, but the 49ers were able to get back in the win column last week and they stay home this week. I'll take them. 49ERS 30-27.
SUNDAY
Ravens (8-5) at New York Giants (2-11): The Giants might be competitive for a half. Seriously. But it won't matter in the end. RAVENS 38-17.
Jets (3-10) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10): I'd love to go ahead and pick Isaiah Davis and the Jets, but I'm just not sure about Aaron Rodgers' ability to lead this team to a win. Jags win two in a row. JAGUARS 15-14.
Dallas Cowboys (5-8) at Carolina Panthers (3-10): The Panthers are playing teams close lately, but they've been unable to find a way to win in the last three games. I think that continues here. COWBOYS 23-20.
Commanders (8-5) at Saints (5-8): Last week was the Commanders' first time scoring more than 27 points in the last six games. The Saints defense has been really good as of late. I expect Washington to struggle but win. COMMANDERS 24-23.
Cincinnati Bengals (5-8) at Tennessee Titans (3-10): The Bengals win by a ton. BENGALS 42-21.
Chiefs (12-1) at Browns (3-10): I would say Chiefs by a ton, but I'd be fooling us all. CHIEFS 20-12.
Dolphins (6-7) at Houston Texans (8-5): The Texans have been less than impressive in their last seven games. They're scoring just 23.6 points per game and surrendering 21.9 while going 3-4. Meanwhile, Miami has won four of its last five. DOLPHINS 27-20.
Colts (6-7) at Broncos (8-5): Broncos take care of business at home coming off bye week. BRONCOS 29-23.
New England Patriots (3-10) at Cardinals (6-7): If Arizona loses this, the season should be a wrap. CARDINALS 31-13.
Bills (10-3) at Lions (12-1): Buffalo rebounds nicely and the Lions' long streak ends. BILLS 34-31.
Buccaneers (7-6) at Chargers (8-5): The Chargers start to trend down now. The offense will continue to be sluggish against Tampa. BUCCANEERS 24-18.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) at Eagles (11-2): The Eagles are the better team. More complete, anyway. It will show in a double-digit win. EAGLES 35-24.
Packers (9-4) at Seahawks (8-5): Green Bay will have to go on the road and prove it's one of the top 10 teams in the league, and I think it will. PACKERS 28-24.
MONDAY
Chicago Bears (4-9) at Vikings (11-2): Vikings board their ship and cruise to an easy win as it heads west for a game in Seattle next week. VIKINGS 30-16.
Falcons (6-7) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-11): Atlanta begins its effort to win out right here. FALCONS 41-17.
RECORDS
Overall: 133-75; Last week 11-2.
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This story was originally published December 11, 2024, 5:36 PM.