Grudge Match: Chiefs vs. the Playoffs | NFL
Twenty NFL teams will sing their swan songs Sunday, as the regular season wraps up with one final day of wall-to-wall action in Week 17.
Twelve talented and lucky teams will of course move on to the playoffs, where a chance at Super Bowl 50 and football immortality awaits.
There are but two playoff spots up for grabs in Week 17. Indianapolis has a sliver of a prayer of a chance at stealing the AFC South title and No. 4 seed from Houston, while Pittsburgh is looking to bully its way into a wild-card slot at the expense of the New York Jets.
The seeding is by no means set in stone in either conference. Both No. 1 seeds are still up for grabs. The current NFL playoff picture can be found atNFL.com, and a listing of all the potential Week 17 scenarios is available atESPN.com.
Here"s the schedule for Sunday"s slate, along with TV and live-stream info. For a coverage map detailing where each game will be broadcast, check out506Sports.com.
Time (ET) Away Home TV Live Stream 1 p.m. New York Jets Buffalo Bills CBS NFL Sunday Ticket (subscription required) 1 p.m. New England Patriots Miami Dolphins CBS NFL Sunday Ticket (subscription required) 1 p.m. New Orleans Saints Atlanta Falcons FOX FoxSportsGo 1 p.m. Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals FOX FoxSportsGo 1 p.m. Pittsburgh Steelers Cleveland Browns CBS NFL Sunday Ticket (subscription required) 1 p.m. Jacksonville Jaguars Houston Texans CBS NFL Sunday Ticket (subscription required) 1 p.m. Tennessee Titans Indianapolis Colts CBS NFL Sunday Ticket (subscription required) 1 p.m. Washington Redskins Dallas Cowboys FOX FoxSportsGo 1 p.m. Philadelphia Eagles New York Giants FOX FoxSportsGo 1 p.m. Detroit Lions Chicago Bears FOX FoxSportsGo 4:25 p.m. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Carolina Panthers FOX FoxSportsGo 4:25 p.m. Oakland Raiders Kansas City Chiefs FOX FoxSportsGo 4:25 p.m. San Diego Chargers Denver Broncos CBS NFL Sunday Ticket (subscription required) 4:25 p.m. Seattle Seahawks Arizona Cardinals FOX FoxSportsGo 4:25 p.m. St. Louis Rams San Francisco 49ers CBS NFL Sunday Ticket (subscription required) 8:30 p.m. Minnesota Vikings Green Bay Packers NBC NBC Sports Live ExtraESPN.com, NFL.com
Best NFC Matchup: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
This is obviously the best NFC matchup in Week 17. While Seattle and Arizona could well be a precursor of things to come in the postseason, watching Minnesota and Green Bay duke it out for the NFC North title and a home game in the NFC Wild Card Round onSunday Night Footballis a prime reason to clear your schedule and stay rooted to the couch.
Aaron Rodgers is mired in something of a slump, one that came to an ugly head when Arizona sacked him eight times and held him to 151 passing yards in a crushing 38-8 loss in Week 16.USA Today"s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz notes Rodgers will need good protection from his offensive line Sunday if he is to have his usual success against the Vikings:
Protecting Rodgers will be paramount, and left tackleDavid Bakhtiariremains a game-time decision with a left ankle injury. BackupDon Barclaygave up four sacks to the Cardinals, and centerJ.C. Trettermight be called upon to fill in if Baktiari can"t play.
Minnesota"s defense has held strong amid a spate of injuries, recording nine sacks and five turnovers in its last two games.
But Rodgers has almost always lookedin command against the Vikings in his career, boasting a 33:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Green Bay didn"t even need his usual output in the first meeting this season, in which the Packers rolled up 212 rushing yards on the way to a 30-13 win.
Another big game from running back Eddie Lacy would come in handy. He rushed for 100 yards in the Packers" win over the Vikings earlier this season but has been hit-or-miss as of late, as has James Starks.
Occasionally, the stars align for these two backs and they both produce like they did in Week 15 against Dallas. It will be up to a healthy Linval Joseph at defensive tackle and a strong Vikings linebacker group to plug up the rushing attack and put pressure on Rodgers to perform.
Should the Packers find some sort of balance against Minnesota, the purple-clad warriors might need more than Adrian Peterson and Jerick McKinnon to carry the offense. The running backs are strong bets to perform well in this one against a poor Packers run defense. Peterson and McKinnon combined for 193 rushing yards and three scores in a Week 16 drubbing of the New York Giants.
It"s quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who needs to step up in this game. It"s tough to roll up on Green Bay in Lambeau Field without firing on all cylinders. The second-year man is aware that his squad can"t get caught up in the moment.
Its a big game, Bridgewater said, per Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, but we cant let the game become bigger than what it is.
Bridgewater certainly keeps cool as a cucumber, but his passing stats have been mostly lacking in his sophomore campaign (3,132 yards, 14 TD, 8 INT). He"s flashed potential at times, like this silky 28-yard touchdown toss to tight end Kyle Rudolph in against the Giants, per the NFL:
Rookie wide receiverStefon Diggs has factored heavily into some of Bridgewater"s best performances of the year, including catching two of his QB"s four touchdown tosses in Week 15 against Chicago. If he can create consistent separation on the outside, it will give Bridgewater not only a hyper-athletic target but open up room for Rudolph up the seams.
Green Bay is going to get up for this game. Rodgers is playing at home with a division title and a No. 3 seed in the playoffs on the line. This game is just screaming for a signature moment from one of the game"s best players. Minnesota will need Bridgewater to do more than "just enough" in order to win this game.
Best AFC Matchup: New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
Oakland at Kansas City is a sweet AFC tilt considering the potential playoff ramifications, division rivalry and the fact that the Raiders are (finally) an ascendant young team that is looking to end the season on a high note against a franchise that"s currently on a nine-game win streak.
That said, you just can"t beat the potential entertainment value of Bills head coach Rex Ryan trying to ruin his former team"s playoff chances in the final game of the season.
Its crazy, said Jets quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick, perUSA Today"s Jarrett Bell.A great storyline for you guys, I guess.
The Jets need a win to secure a playoff spot, but a loss combined with a Pittsburgh win over Clevelanda fairly likely outcomewould end their season. Buffalo already beat New York 22-17 this season in Week 10.
Fitzpatrick has been crucial to the Jets" success as of late, throwing 13 touchdowns against one interception in the team"s past five games. His Buffalo counterpart, Tyrod Taylor, has turned out to be a fine quarterback in his own right as a first-year starter, throwing 20 touchdowns against six interceptions and flashing ability as a runner at times.
Just as it was in the earlier meeting between these two teams, Brian Costello of theNew York Postidentifies the matchup between Bills wideout Sammy Watkins and Jets corner Darrelle Revis as one of the keys to the game:
Watkins had just three catches for 14 yards in the first meeting between the teams, but two plays drew a ton of attention on Revis. One a deep route that Watkins beat him on, but Tyrod Taylor overthrew him. The other was a third-and-2 pass late in the game that Watkins caught for a first down to extend a drive and basically ice the game for the Bills. Those two pays fueled Revis detractors.
Nevertheless, the truth is Revis has had a very good season in his return to the Jets. Watkins is the next challenge for him. Receivers are catching just 44.2 percent of the passes thrown their way when Revis is on them, the lowest percentage in the NFL among cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Quarterbacks have a 51.2 rating when throwing in Revis direction, the second-lowest mark among cornerbacks.
The duel on the flank between these two might not factor too much into the outcome if the weather in Buffalo is poor. Weather.com projects a 40 percent chance of snow around game time with 20 mph winds. Both Fitzpatrick and Taylor have done excellent jobs of limiting turnovers this season, but poor conditions can result in fluke plays and make it difficult to find a rhythm in the passing game.
If passing proves problematic, this game could come down to which team runs the ball better. The Jets have a stout, resolute rush defense.
Even though Buffalo will be without stud running back LeSean McCoy, per ESPN.com"s Mike Rodak, the tandem of Karlos Williams and Mike Gillislee could still do some damage.Williams has been a productive runner in his rookie season when healthy, scoring eight touchdowns and averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Gillislee has come on strong as of late, rushing for 174 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries in the past two weeks. Hecredits video games as a reason for his success, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News:
Which team wins this game?Jets running back Chris Ivory has slowed as of late, having been held under 50 yards rushing in three of the past four games. He did manage 99 yards on 18 carries against the Bills last time out, and the Jets can now also turn to Bilal Powell as a change-of-pace and/or a reliable option in the short passing game, though his status for the game is questionable, per Dennis Waszak Jr of the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports).
Assuming the Jets can keep a clean pocket in poor conditions and give Fitzpatrick time to find Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker often enough, they should pull off a slim win and capture postseason glory.
But if the Bills come out for this game charged up and truly play like they have nothing to lose, prepare yourself for the hot waves of schadenfreude emanating from Ryan as he basks in the glory of ending the Jets" season.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2604419-nfl-schedule-week-17-tv-coverage-game-times-and-live-stream-map
