This is it. The final week of the NFL season promises plenty of drama. Playoff seeds — and, at least in the AFC’s case, teams — are yet to be decided. Even some of the games that have no playoff bearing have storylines worth watching.
What should you be watching for and thinking about during the final set of regular season games? Here are 16 questions worth pondering.
1. Have the Browns quit?
The Browns face the Bengals in one of the Week 17 games with nothing on the line. The Browns go down as one of the season’s biggest disappointments, and given their repeated sideline meltdowns — plus the fact that their quarterback refused to give the coach a vote of confidence — it’s fair to ask if we’re watching a team that cares at all. The Bengals were competitive last week and have already clinched the No. 1 overall pick. They have nothing to lose by winning, meaning this matchup could be ripe for an upset.
2. Can the Jets do anything to build momentum for 2020?
The Jets have had a truly disappointing season with a lot of drama and a lot of rumors, primarily about head coach Adam Gase. In spite of this, the Jets are 6-9 and 5-2 in their last seven games, with a chance to finish with a 7-9 record that seemed impossible earlier in the season. The Bills are locked into the fifth playoff seed and may not play their starters for the whole game, meaning the Jets might just be able to end the season on an unexpected high.
3. Can the Chiefs get lucky?
The Chiefs have to beat the lowly Chargers at home, a task which they should be up to, to give themselves a chance of usurping the Patriots for the second bye. And that would definitely require a lot of luck, seeing as how the Patriots are at home to the hopeless Miami Dolphins on the final day. In reality, the Chiefs are probably going to end up trying to avoid injury and not losing the momentum they’ve built. They’re going into the playoffs looking fairly good, but with Patrick Mahomes’ injury concerns, they’d be best served managing this game carefully.
4. Have the Vikings been found out as frauds?
Another primetime game, another letdown for Kirk Cousins on the eve of the NFL playoffs. He’ll have to shake things off quickly for a home game against the Chicago Bears in order to ensure that the Vikings do all they can to at least put themselves in position to grab the fifth seed in case the Seahawks slip up. We’re not going to be naive enough to say that a win could restore Cousins’ confidence ahead of what will be a big playoff game, especially since he may not even play much. Still, any little thing could help at this point.
5. Will the Packers meet any resistance in Detroit?
The Packers have usually had their way against the Lions, so Sunday’s game where they go for a playoff bye might end up being more of a coronation. The Lions are particularly bad this year, with a helpless defense and a backup quarterback who hasn’t shown any ability to consistently move the ball or win games. For the Packers, this one is straightforward — win and they’re the No. 2 seed and get a week to rest. It would be a huge surprise and a major disappointment if they failed to do so.
6. Can New England enter the playoffs on a high note?
Unless the Patriots lose at home to Miami — a truly unlikely scenario — they’re the No. 2 seed in the AFC, with a first-round bye awaiting them. Yes, the Patriots should beat the Dolphins, but it would be nice for New England if they could put together a blowout win, something they haven’t had a ton of lately. That may be tougher if they go easy on their starters, but that may only happen if they jump out to the big lead that would be great for them.
7. Which surging NFC South team will have a surprisingly good end to the season?
The Falcons and Buccaneers have actually made their otherwise meaningless Week 17 game interesting due to their strong finishes to the season. The Bucs have won five of seven, though they’ll have to overcome a lot of injuries. So have the Falcons, but their run includes surprising road wins against the Saints and 49ers. That’s good enough to save Dan Quinn’s job. While there’s little on the line, this could be an entertaining game between two teams that are playing well to end the season.
8. Can Christian McCaffrey make history?
If the Packers do as expected and beat Detroit, the Saints will be the NFC’s No. 3 seed no matter what they do. That would mean attention shifts from the Saints to the Panthers — specifically Christian McCaffrey. He’s 67 receiving yards away from becoming the third player in NFL history to get 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in a season. That should be plenty doable, especially if he gets the huge volume that he’s gotten all season. The Panthers’ season has been a failure, but it could be a nice ending to it.
9. Is this the end of an era in Dallas?
The Cowboys face Washington in need of a win and help from elsewhere in order to extend their season. If they don’t get that, major changes seem likely in Dallas, starting with head coach Jason Garrett. Garrett may already be finished, as a deep playoff run looks unlikely for the Cowboys. It may also be the last we see of Amari Cooper in a Dallas uniform, and would put a cap on one of the more disappointing seasons in the franchise’s recent memory.
10. Can the Raiders run the gauntlet?
The Raiders needed a series of small miracles to keep themselves alive for a playoff spot heading into Week 17. They still need a lot of things to go their way, but those things are plausible. They need to win at Denver; Tennessee and Pittsburgh to lose road games to Houston and Baltimore; and they need the Colts to beat the Jaguars. That’s not implausible, though the Ravens and potentially Texans will be playing backups. This is definitely one of the wilder playoff scenarios in recent memory, yet remarkably feasible if all goes according to plan.
11. Are we watching the end of the Rams and the beginning of the Cardinals?
The Rams, with cap issues looming and an offense that doesn’t look good enough all of a sudden, don’t have as bright a future as they appeared to a year ago. The Cardinals have been surprisingly effective, having beaten the Seahawks and playing the 49ers tough twice. This could be a matchup of a fading NFC West power against a future one. Kyler Murray may or may not play, but even if he doesn’t, the Cardinals have been very watchable on offense and are learning quickly.
12. Can Philadelphia hold their nerve after the big win last week?
While last week’s win over Dallas felt like a playoff clincher, it wasn’t. Philadelphia still has to beat the Giants on the road to ensure their place in the playoffs, and the health issues that have troubled them all season are still there. The Giants do pose a threat, especially with how good Daniel Jones looked in Week 16, so this is no easy game from Philadelphia’s perspective. They need to play their best game to clinch their playoff spot.
13. How many more changes will the Jaguars be making?
The Jaguars are playing out the string against Indianapolis on Sunday. They’ve already fired vice president Tom Coughlin, and could make changes pertaining to GM Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone. That will be the backdrop to this game, as another team that started the season with high hopes descended into chaos and underperformance. They have quarterback questions, they have defensive questions, and they have staff questions. It’s an awful and chaotic combination to have going into the offseason.
14. Is Duck Hodges good enough to overcome Baltimore’s reserves?
Pittsburgh needs a win and a Titans loss to clinch the final playoff spot. They can’t control the latter, but the former sets up a very intriguing battle. Duck Hodges hasn’t looked good at quarterback lately, but Pittsburgh has no choice but to start him due to Mason Rudolph’s injury. He’ll be up against a lot of Baltimore’s reserves, with many Ravens set to be rested after they clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Will Hodges be able to take advantage? It could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs.
15. Will the Titans be more motivated than the Texans?
The Texans haven’t exactly been forthcoming about their plans for Sunday’s game against Tennessee. Houston is locked into the fourth seed, so they have no real motivation to go all-out against a Titans team that faces a very simple win-and-in scenario. Regardless of who the Texans play, the Titans may have an advantage on account of having much more to play for and a lot of motivation to get it. It might end up being an odd matchup, but a lot is riding on how seriously the Texans take this one. Pittsburgh and Oakland are definitely hoping they take it seriously.
16. Will Marshawn Lynch matter?
Marshawn Lynch’s return was easily the stop NFL story of the week, but it remains to be seen just how much it will matter when the Seahawks and 49ers face off for the NFC West title. Pete Carroll has been coy about how much Lynch will play, and there are suggestions that Seattle will lean more heavily on rookie Travis Homer due to his familiarity with the offense. That would prove disappointing to people who want to see Lynch as a difference-maker. But having him at all will be a huge story, and people will be holding their breath when he’s on the field.
