Our guide to what each NFL playoff contender needs to root for in Week 16
It’s that time of year, when you sometimes find yourself having to root for your most hated rivals in order for your team to make the NFL playoffs.
The playoff scenarios with two weeks ago can be a little confusing — in a bit of a surprise, every team not eliminated from the playoff race could still move up or down in the seeding, meaning all have something to play for — so we’ll make it easy.
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Here’s a handy guide for what each playoff contender will be rooting for in Week 16 (it should go without saying they all are better off winning their own games) and a reminder that Redskins-Titans, Ravens-Chargers, Buccaneers-Cowboys, Texans-Eagles, Steelers-Saints, Chiefs-Seahawks and Broncos-Raiders can be livestreamed on the Yahoo Sports mobile app (IOS and Android):
The departed
Games you have no reason to care about (though you’ll watch if you’re in your fantasy football title game): Packers at Jets, Broncos at Raiders
Other eliminated teams playing spoiler this weekend: Falcons, Buccaneers, Giants, Lions, 49ers, Cardinals, Bengals, Bills, Jaguars
AFC contenders
Kansas City Chiefs (at Seahawks): There’s still a scenario in which the Texans pass the Chiefs (or Chargers) for the No. 1 seed, but let’s focus on the task at hand. The Chiefs want a Chargers loss to the Ravens on Saturday. If that happens, they can clinch the AFC West with a win over the Seahawks on Sunday. And a Texans loss to the Eagles wouldn’t be bad.
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Ravens): The Chargers have clinched a playoff berth. They can’t clinch the AFC West this weekend, but a win over the Ravens and a Chiefs loss at Seattle would be enormous. If the Chiefs win, the Chargers are probably looking at a fifth seed and a wild card, which doesn’t seem fair for an 11-3 team. The Chargers will be huge Seahawks fans on Sunday night.
Houston Texans (at Eagles): The Texans woke up Monday as the No. 2 seed in the AFC. They haven’t clinched the AFC South yet, but can with a win or if the Colts and Titans lose to the Giants and Redskins, respectively. But an even bigger deal would be if the Patriots somehow lost to the Bills. The Texans clinch a bye with a win and a Patriots loss (we’re not getting into ties here, or you’d be here till New Year’s Eve). A Chargers loss and a Chiefs loss wouldn’t be bad either; Houston still has a shot at the No. 1 seed.
New England Patriots (vs. Bills): Technically, the Patriots will be rooting for a Dolphins loss to the Jaguars. That, or a win over the Bills, would clinch an inevitable AFC East title. The real drama, however, is in the Houston at Philadelphia game. The Patriots need one Texans loss to have a chance for a bye, and Houston finishes at home against an awful Jaguars team. New England loves the Eagles, who beat them in the last Super Bowl, all of a sudden.
Pittsburgh Steelers (at Saints): Among all the division leaders, the Steelers should be the most nervous. They have a tough date at the Saints. Any clinching scenario for the Steelers includes a win (or an unlikely tie). But if the Ravens lose, it certainly helps Pittsburgh. The Steelers clinch the AFC North with a win and a Ravens loss. The Steelers are also rooting for the Colts and Titans to lose, just in case the wild-card becomes necessary. The playoffs are no lock for the Steelers.
Baltimore Ravens (at Chargers): The Ravens can’t clinch anything this weekend. But they have a lot to root for. A Steelers loss at New Orleans would be huge, considering the Ravens trail them by a half-game. The Ravens have tiebreaker edges over the Colts and Titans, so a loss by either helps Baltimore’s wild-card hopes, if needed. If the Ravens lose and the Colts and Titans win, the Ravens can’t get a wild-card spot (all three teams are 8-6, and the Colts and Titans play in Week 17). The Ravens seem like the team with the most to gain or lose this weekend.
Indianapolis Colts (vs. Giants) and Tennessee Titans (vs. Redskins): We’ll lump these two together. Both are facing NFC East teams they should beat. The biggest Week 16 game for each team, other than their own, is the Ravens at the Chargers on Saturday night. A Ravens loss, Colts win and Titans win in Week 16 guarantees the Colts-Titans winner in Week 17 would finish ahead of Baltimore and get the AFC’s No. 6 seed. Then we’d know what the Week 17 prime-time game would be. The Ravens have tiebreaker edges over both teams. Ravens-Chargers is a big one for the playoff picture.
Miami Dolphins (vs. Jaguars) and Cleveland Browns (vs. Cincinnati): We’ll lump both of these teams together too, because each shouldn’t even yet worry about the miracles they need to still be alive in Week 17. The Browns need about a million things to happen, including a Colts-Titans tie in Week 17. Good luck.
NFC contenders
New Orleans Saints (vs. Steelers): If the Saints win either of their last two games, they’re the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Or, if the Rams lose to the Cardinals and the Bears lose to the 49ers … eh, just win Saints. The Cardinals and 49ers aren’t going to give you that much help.
Los Angeles Rams (at Cardinals): The Rams’ remaining schedule is easy, but there is a chance they lose the first-round bye to the Bears if they’re not careful. The Bears have the head-to-head tiebreaker and trail by a game. But the main concern for the Rams is the Saints losing out and giving Los Angeles a chance for the No. 1 seed, as unlikely as that is.
Chicago Bears (at 49ers): The division is wrapped up, so the only drama is if the Rams somehow lose one of their last two (they play the Cardinals and 49ers, combined record of 7-21). That would give the Bears the chance to steal a bye.
Dallas Cowboys (vs. Buccaneers): It only seems like the Cowboys have won the division. Not yet. Dallas just needs to win one more. An Eagles loss and a Redskins loss would do the trick too. There’s a small chance they could get the third seed from Chicago, but there’s such a small difference between No. 3 and No. 4 in the NFC this season that it’s not like they’ll be sweating the Bears game. At the moment, there’s not much for Dallas to worry about. They’ll be the No. 4 seed unless something really weird happens.
Seattle Seahawks (vs. Chiefs): The Seahawks are in good shape, particularly because they finish the season against a terrible Cardinals team. Still, clinching a wild-card spot would be nice. They can do so with a win and a Vikings or Redskins loss, so Seattle will be rooting for the Lions and Titans, respectively. They can also clinch by winning and clinching the strength of victory tiebreaker over Washington or Minnesota, but you’re on your own to do the physics for that one.
Minnesota Vikings (at Lions): Pretty easy here. The Vikings are rooting for the Texans over the Eagles and Titans over Redskins. If the Eagles and Redskins lose, a Vikings win clinches a wild-card spot and they can rest everyone in Week 17.
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Texans) and Washington Redskins (at Titans): Forget the math, due to Washington’s quarterback injuries we all know the Eagles have a much more realistic chance. But either would need help. Both teams will be rooting for the Chiefs over the Seahawks and the Lions over the Vikings. That would give them a shot in Week 17. The Vikings game in particular seems more important because Minnesota has just a half-game lead over Philadelphia and Washington. The Eagles and Redskins play in Week 17, and that will be an elimination game if both are lucky enough to make it to the final week still alive.
Carolina Panthers (vs. Falcons): The 6-8 Panthers somehow aren’t mathematically eliminated so they’re still on the list, but they’re pretty much hoping for a natural disaster to swallow up every other wild-card contender … and they’d still need to win out to have a chance.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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