16 key questions for NFL Week 17

We’ve made it to the final week of the 2018 NFL regular season, and there’s still a lot on the line in the full 16-game slate. We don’t yet know every team that will be in the playoffs, nor do we have all the division titles and first-round byes locked down. We also have potential farewells to look forward to, as well as some players playing for their jobs and a few teams looking to end disappointing seasons on a good note.

Here are 16 key questions to bear in mind for NFL Week 17.

1. Will home field propel the Titans into the playoffs?

The winner of Sunday night’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans will make the playoffs, and Tennessee has one decided advantage: they’re the home team. Six of the Titans’ nine wins have come at home this season, and they’ve only lost once there, while the Colts have a 3-4 road record. Much is dependent on how Tennessee’s quarterback situation shakes out — Marcus Mariota provided a troubling update about his health. No matter what happens, the Titans can go into this knowing they have that one significant advantage in their playoff chase.

2. Are the Vikings able to put a frustrating regular season behind them?

This has not, under any circumstances, been the regular season the Vikings thought they were getting. That said, they still have a pretty straightforward scenario: if they beat the Chicago Bears at home, they’re in, and they won’t have to worry about getting help from a shorthanded Washington team against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears have been good all season, but it’s time for the Vikings to step up and show what they’re capable of in a must-win scenario. This team should be good enough to handle it. We’ll see.

3. Will New England enter the playoffs on a convincing high?

The Patriots haven’t exactly sprinted to the finish line this season, but a home game against the wayward New York Jets seems like the perfect opportunity to put up some points, play a complete game, and feel good about themselves. Tom Brady is coming off a poor week in a win, while Rob Gronkowski didn’t even catch a pass in Week 16. It’s unlikely that either of these things happen again, nor will New England want them to; the aim will be to get the offense rolling, even in an otherwise meaningless game where it’s unclear how long the starters will play.

4. Will Baker Mayfield finish a productive rookie season as the ultimate spoiler?

The Cleveland Browns quarterback has had a very memorable 2018. Thanks largely to him, his team will finish with eight losses at most a year after going 0-16. That’s a pretty remarkable turnaround, but Mayfield is the type of ultra-competitive guy who would want to add an exclamation point to it. Beating the Baltimore Ravens on the road and potentially knocking them out of the playoffs would certainly be that, tough a task as it will be. He’ll believe he and his teammates can absolutely do it.

5. Can Houston finish off the AFC South?

Houston’s task is simple: if they win, they’re the AFC South champions, and if they lose, they don’t. The incentive is huge; with a victory, the worst they can be is a three seed, but a loss would sentence them to the No. 6 seed and a road game to open the playoffs. Houston will face a Jacksonville Jaguars team that has been beaten down pretty well and will be throwing Blake Bortles out there again at quarterback, so on paper, Houston should win this — should being the key word.

6. What do the Redskins have left in the tank against a team playing for its life?

The Philadelphia Eagles come into Week 17 knowing that, while they need help elsewhere, nothing matters if they can’t beat the Washington Redskins on the road. This Washington team pushed the Titans last week, albeit with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback for the bulk of the game, and still lost. Can the injury-hit team ravaged by off-field controversy knock the Eagles out of the playoffs? It’s a tall order, especially with how well Nick Foles has been playing, but it would be quite the statement to make.

7. Will the Chargers’ road form hold for another week?

In an unusual twist, the Chargers have looked much better away from home all season. They’re 6-1 on the road, and while Denver is not an easy place to play, the Broncos look like they’ve basically quit on the season under embattled coach Vance Joseph, leaving the Chargers with a clear shot at a win. It will take help, but they can still nab the No. 1 seed in the AFC, meaning they have every reason to try to keep their success going.

8. Can the Steelers handle their end of the bargain?

Pittsburgh needs help to get into the playoffs in the form of a Baltimore home loss to Cleveland, but that wouldn’t even matter if they don’t hold up their end of the bargain. On paper, they should really see off the Cincinnati Bengals, who haven’t played much defense at all during the latter half of the season. The Steelers may be without some skill players due to injury, but Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback means they’ll have a chance. From there, it means rooting on Cleveland.

9. Will New Orleans come up with a funny coincidence from their past triumph?

The Saints enter Week 17 with nothing to play for, having already clinched the top seed in the NFC. They’ll be resting players, with Teddy Bridgewater set to make the start for them at quarterback. It opens the door to a somewhat amusing possibility: When the Saints won the Super Bowl nine years ago, they went 13-3 with losses to Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Carolina. Should the Saints lose Sunday, they’d be 13-3 with losses against the same three teams. It’s probably meaningless, but it’s not mojo they’ll turn down.

10. Can Jon Gruden play spoiler in Kansas City?

Don’t look now, but the Raiders have actually played better lately. Better enough to knock off the Chiefs in Kansas City with the top overall seed in the AFC at stake for them? Maybe not, but it’s worth a try. Gruden’s tumultuous first season in charge of the Raiders will not be remembered fondly even if he wins this game, but a victory would at least provide a memorable capper and some cautious optimism for the future, for whatever that’s worth.

11. Can Seattle make it six double-digit win seasons in seven years?

Pete Carroll has done an outstanding job with this Seahawks team, and they have some incentive to play well on Sunday as a win clinches the five seed for them. The lowly Arizona Cardinals should provide little resistance as long as Seattle plays to their capabilities. A win would also mean Carroll will have led the Seahawks to a double-digit win total for the sixth time in seven season, a remarkable run of success in today’s NFL.

12. Will Sunday be the end of Eli Manning as a Giant?

It’s still not clear what the Giants’ plans are with Eli Manning, but it’s fair to ask whether Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys will be the final time he quarterbacks the team. Manning has struggled this season and the cries from fans and experts alike for them to find a new quarterback and move on have only grown louder. Management has not tipped their hand, but Sunday’s game will probably be treated like a farewell, just in case it is.

13. Will the 49ers cause trouble for another superior opponent?

The Rams still have seeding to play for, but they’re in the playoffs and the only question is whether they have a first-round bye or not. The 49ers, however, have won two of three, including a win over the playoff-bound Seattle Seahawks and a five-point loss to the Chicago Bears. Those games were all at home while this isn’t, but the 49ers have shown themselves to be no pushovers. The Rams will have to take them seriously.

14. Can Jameis Winston close the deal?

His future with Tampa Bay once in question, Winston got his job back in November and has thrown two interceptions in five games, a significant improvement from the frequent mistakes he made earlier in the season. In fact, he may well have done enough to assure Tampa that they can trust him with one more season. The Buccaneers close their season with a home game against the Atlanta Falcons. Another strong game might solidify his status for 2019, if it hasn’t been done already.

15. Can Aaron Rodgers remind everyone that he’s still Aaron Rodgers?

The Packers host the Detroit Lions in an otherwise meaningless game, but Rodgers is such a competitive figure that the game’s meaninglessness will be lost on him. This has been a bad season for him in terms of team success, with the Packers far out of the playoff race after a midseason firing of their head coach. Rodgers will treat this game professionally and try to put up big numbers, and to do so would serve as a reminder for the team’s next coach that there’s a lot to work with here.

16. Is this Ryan Tannehill’s last game in a Dolphins uniform?

If reports are to be believed, the Dolphins have already decided that Tannehill is not the long-term answer at quarterback and will be shuttled out of town at the end of the season. That would make the team’s trip to Buffalo in Week 17 Tannehill’s final game in a Dolphin uniform. In that sense, this may be an audition for another team. Tannehill is a serviceable quarterback, but not a great one. He’ll be good enough to find a job elsewhere, but a solid performance here can’t hurt.