PLAYOFF PICTURE SET TO DEVELOP
Another day, a little more movement in the NFL playoff picture.
But in a season filled with close games and comeback wins, it’s fitting that only eight teams have been eliminated from playoff contention entering tonight’s Week 16 finale in which the Chargers could clinch a spot with a win over the Colts.
On Sunday, the Packers — beneficiaries of results from Christmas Eve games, did their part by beating the Dolphins 26-20. Green Bay (7-8) still needs additional help to overtake Washington (7-7-1), but has three consecutive wins.
The Packers finish the regular season with home games against NFC North champion Minnesota and a 7-8 Detroit team that’s also in pursuit of the playoffs. By winning out, the Packers would eliminate Seattle (7-8) with a better conference record if both were 9-8.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins closed December winless — a major shift from five weeks ago, when the Dolphins (8-7) shared the AFC East lead with the Buffalo Bills. Four straight losses has Miami barely grasping to the third AFC wild card spot.
But others’ losses have helped the Dolphins: Division rival New England (7-8) has lost two straight and the Jets (7-8) are on a four-game slide. The Dolphins will visit the Patriots next Sunday and finish at home against the Jets on Jan. 8.
In the NFC, the Eagles (13-2) need only one more win to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs but a 40-34 loss at Dallas (11-4) kept alive the Cowboys’ slim hopes of securing the top spot.
The Vikings (12-3) and 49ers (11-4) already have clinched their respective divisions, and both teams can finish anywhere in the top three spots.
Overall, four division titles remain up for grabs and seven teams have a shot at the No. 1 seed in both the NFC and AFC with two weeks remaining.
The Bills (12-3) maintained their hold on the top spot in the AFC with a 35-13 win in Chicago on Saturday. But they have a tough matchup next Monday night at the defending AFC champion Bengals (11-4), who have won seven in a row.
The Bengals also could fall out of first place with a loss, and the AFC North may come down to Week 18 when the Ravens (10-5) visit Cincinnati.
The Kansas City Chiefs (12-3) would secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with wins over Denver and Las Vegas and a loss or tie by the Bills.
Notable
The NFL announced that it’s making a flex schedule change for next Sunday, sending the Rams-Chargers game to 1:25 p.m. and moving the Steelers-Ravens matchup to 5:20 p.m. on “Sunday Night Football”.