The penultimate week of the 2019 regular season provides some outstanding games with playoff positioning and division titles on the line. With plenty worth watching, you’ll probably need a guide covering what you need to pay attention to
Here are key questions that we’ll want to see answered this weekend.
Have the Browns quit on their coach?
In contrast to the Falcons, the noises coming out of Cleveland are almost universally bad. While there was a denial of the worst report that surfaced after last Sunday’s loss, it’s still not great for a key offensive player to accuse teammates of taking plays off. They host the Ravens this week, a team that they managed to beat earlier in the season. That was a lifetime ago, however, and in light of all the drama of the past seven days or so, it will be interesting to see how hard the Browns play for both Freddie Kitchens and each other. This could definitely get ugly.
Are the Falcons saving Dan Quinn’s job?
In what can be construed as one of the more remarkable job-saving efforts in recent memory, the Falcons, out of contention long ago, are winners of two in a row, one on the road against the mighty 49ers. In other words, if they’re trying to send ownership a message about whether or not to keep head coach Dan Quinn, they’re doing a pretty good job. The Falcons are playing hard and winning games, and if you’re Arthur Blank, it’s worth wondering if Quinn deserves to lose his job given the results he’s getting from a decimated team with nothing to play for, at least in theory. They have a winnable home game against Jacksonville and could make it three straight.
Did Tennessee blow their shot at a division title already?
Last Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans was badly damaging to their division chances, though not fatal — they still face Houston again. The problem, however, is that they have to survive a tough game against the New Orleans Saints, albeit at home. Tennessee can score points, but so can the Saints, so the Titans’ defense will have to be up to the task. The reality is that Tennessee may have already suffered its most damaging loss, and needs a huge win here to make up for it.
Can Will Grier show the Panthers anything in his late-season cameo?
The Panthers have mercifully ended the Kyle Allen experiment and will give rookie Will Grier a shot against the fading Colts. Expectations aren’t going to be high for Grier, who didn’t have a great preseason, but the Panthers have so little to lose that there’s no reason for them not to get a glimpse of what they have. If Grier can keep the Panthers competitive here and score some points, that’s going to be a win for him and a positive for his team.
Can the Bengals wrap up the top pick by losing Sunday?
Fundamentally, the Bengals are playing for one thing and one thing only: as long as they lose one of their final two games, they’ll sew up the No. 1 pick in next April’s draft, which will probably turn out to be quarterback Joe Burrow. The good news is they’re on the road. The bad news is they’re up against the Dolphins, another lowly team who are bad enough that this could at least be competitive. The draft pick intrigue on the line is real, though, and both teams have some incentive to lose — though neither will try to.
Is Duck Hodges good enough?
Hodges was bad enough against Buffalo last week that there were some questions whether he’d get the chance to start again against the New York Jets. He will, but the leash is probably quite short. The Jets provide a good opportunity for him to restore some confidence and put up some numbers, but a bad performance could see the Steelers turn back to Mason Rudolph quickly. The uncertainty isn’t great for a potential playoff team, and the storyline bears watching.
Are the circumstances perfect for a Dwayne Haskins breakout game?
Haskins’ performances have ranged from okay to poor this season since he became Washington’s full-time starter. The Giants, however, present a prime opportunity for the rookie quarterback to have his best game of his young career. The Giants just dumped cornerback Janoris Jenkins from what was already a bad defense, which makes Haskins worth watching this week. Obviously, it’s too early to pass judgment on his career, but Washington would really like to see him blow up.
What happened to the Oakland offense?
The Raiders were scoring points quite successfully up until Week 11, when that very abruptly stopped. Since then, they’ve scored 17, 3, 9, 21, and 16. In theory, the Chargers present an opportunity to improve on that, as they’ve been up and down defensively all season. Oakland will want to at least try to finish the season on a high, but failing to do so won’t do much to quiet down rumors that Derek Carr’s days with the organization may be numbered.
Will the Lions have a reaction to the Matt Patricia news?
Matt Patricia’s confirmed return for 2020 doesn’t come as a surprise, but it will be interesting to see if there’s a reaction from the team. After all, there are indications that Patricia hasn’t always been the most popular guy among Detroit’s players. Though the Lions are entirely bereft of talent these days, the Broncos aren’t a good team, and it’s plausible they could play a little bit better. Whether they do that for their coach is an open question.
Can the Seahawks march toward the NFC’s top seed?
It may not feel like it, but the Seahawks are suddenly in line to claim the top seed in the NFC playoffs if they can win out. That starts with a home game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have been competitive against the 49ers and played well last week against the Browns, so there’s some reason to believe they won’t be easy. Part of this will certainly be about the Seahawks keeping their nerve in a big game, because they have the talent advantage.
How will Dak Prescott’s health impact him in a huge game?
Despite an AC joint injury, Prescott will start in what is essentially a division title decider against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s anyone’s guess as to how that will impact him in his biggest game of the season, but it’s likely to impact him in some way. Dallas cannot afford to lose this game, so they’ll have to find out what Prescott is capable of early on and adapt to it, whether that means more Ezekiel Elliott or some tweaks to the playbook. It’s an added wrinkle for an enormous and potentially decisive game.
How will Patrick Mahomes cope with the Bears?
The Bears have a history of confounding great offenses — remember when they shut down the Los Angeles Rams last year? That alone makes this an interesting matchup, even if Chicago’s playoff hopes are essentially on life support. Patrick Mahomes has handled good defenses throughout his career, but expect the Bears to test him in new ways. Plus, it’s never fun to play in Chicago in December, so this is going to be quite the test for the Chiefs quarterback.
Can Aaron Rodgers overcome Minnesota’s flawless home record?
Green Bay can take a stranglehold on the NFC North if they win this game, but to do so, they’ll have to hand the Vikings their first home loss. The Vikings are playing quite well, while the Packers, talented and successful as they are, have been inconsistent on offense at times. With Minnesota needing this game to have any real hope of winning the division, expect them to throw everything they’ve got at Green Bay in what should be a very hostile environment. This will be a great test of Green Bay’s playoff mettle as well — they’ll likely have to go on the road at some point in the playoffs against good teams, and this is a real preview of that scenario.
Does Jameis Winston have the weapons to hurt the Texans?
The Buccaneers’ brutal injury luck has left them very shorthanded offensively in their game against Houston on Saturday. No Mike Evans or Chris Godwin means that Jameis Winston will be throwing to a combination of Breshad Perriman and untested, lesser-known names. That might not matter — Tampa Bay’s offense has been quite durable despite the issues that Winston brings, plus Houston’s secondary can be beaten. How much of an impact it has, though, remains to be seen.
Can Tom Brady breach Buffalo’s impressive defense?
Tom Brady’s offense is not humming the way it was when these two teams first met, which ended with a Patriots win in Buffalo. What we have is two elite defenses, and it may well be that whichever offense is merely average may win this barring some huge defensive scores. There’s legitimate question whether Brady can do that if it comes down to him. After surpassing 300 yards in eight of the team’s first nine games, the offense has done it just once since their Week 10 bye, and that was largely down to garbage time production. Buffalo is not fertile ground to go off against. This might be a tough one for Brady.
Will the Rams find a way to contain George Kittle?
Kittle is a problem for pretty much every team, but Wade Phillips’ Ram defense has fared particularly poorly against the star tight end. In the last three meetings, he’s surpassed 100 yards twice, and the one time he failed to do so he racked up 98 yards and a touchdown. In other words, the Rams must find an answer to Kittle. The 49ers have some injury-induced vulnerabilities right now, but it won’t matter if they can’t stay close.
