Would you want Brandon Weeden, AJ McCarron, Brock Osweiler or Charlie ...

Charlie Whitehurst on role of backup QB & his relationship with Philip Rivers

NFL Weekend

Focus: Weeden, Whitehurst, McCarron and Osweiler

Crunch time has arrived in the NFL, with playoff spots and postseason seeding at stake over the final two weekends of the regular season.

Some contending teams can feel secure that such significant games are in the hands of highly accomplished quarterbacks such as New Englands Tom Brady, Carolinas Cam Newton, Arizonas Carson Palmer, Green Bays Aaron Rodgers, Seattles Russell Wilson and Pittsburghs Ben Roethlisberger.

[As playoffs approach, Cardinals offense is the best in the NFL]

But not every NFL contender has that luxury. There also are teams in the thick of the playoff chase that must cross their fingers and hope for the best at quarterback. That group includes the Cincinnati Bengals with AJ McCarron, the Denver Broncos with Brock Osweiler, the Houston Texans potentially with Brandon Weeden and the Indianapolis Colts possibly with Charlie Whitehurst.

It will be McCarron vs. Osweiler when the Bengals play Monday night at Denver. It is a significant game with the Bengals, at 11-3, just ahead of the Broncos, who are 10-4, for the AFCs No. 2 playoff seed behind the Patriots.

McCarron will make his second start in place of Andy Dalton, the league most valuable player candidate for the Bengals who is sidelined by a broken right thumb. The Bengals seem to be holding out hope that Dalton can return to the lineup in the postseason. In the meantime they must try to get by with McCarron, a second-year pro who had thrown only four regular season passes in the NFL until Dalton got hurt.

The Bengals did not ask McCarron to do too much in his first start, a victory at San Francisco. He had only 21 passing attempts. But he was efficient, with 15 completions and a touchdown pass. Most importantly, he did not throw an interception, although he was sacked four times. More might be needed from him against the Broncos.

I think the biggest thing was turnovers, for sure, McCarron, who threw two interceptions in relief against the Steelers in the game in which Dalton got hurt, said at a news conference this week. I had some in the first game. Thats just not me.

But you make those mistakes, youve got to learn from them. In my situation, youve got to learn from them quick. I felt like I did a better job of playing well and taking care of the football also in the San Fran game.

Osweiler is to make a sixth straight start for Denver as Peyton Manning remains unavailable because of his ailing foot. Manning is not even scheduled to participate in practices this week, making it likely that he will be on the inactive list Monday. The Broncos won the first three games started by Osweiler but have suffered losses in his past two outings. Osweiler completed only 21 of 44 passes in last Sundays defeat at Pittsburgh, although he did throw for 296 yards and three touchdowns.

[Brock Osweiler isnt yet ready to take the Broncos far in the playoffs]

We do understand what is at stake, Osweiler said in a midweek meeting with reporters. I think as you move along in a season and the closer you get to January, the stakes always go up. So were obviously very aware of how important Monday night is to this football team.

Weeden could get the starting nod for the Texans when they play Sunday at Tennessee, with Brian Hoyer subject to the NFLs concussion protocol. Weeden landed in Houston after being released by the Dallas Cowboys. He failed to win a game as a fill-in Cowboys starter this season for Tony Romo. But Weeden played well last Sunday against the Colts as the Texans moved into first place in the AFC South. He took over for the injured T.J. Yates and connected on 11 of 18 throws for 105 yards and a touchdown as the Texans secured their first-ever triumph in Indianapolis.

The Colts try to bounce back Sunday at Miami and, with Andrew Luck still unable to play, again plan to have 40-year-old backup Matt Hasselbeck in the starting lineup. But Hasselbeck has an assortment of injuries that suggests his body might have given about all that it can this season. Whitehurst played in relief against the Texans and again is next in line to take over if Hasselbeck is unable to start or unable to finish.

Game of the week: Bengals at Broncos (Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

The Broncos not only are attempting to catch the Bengals in the race for playoff seeding. Theyre also trying to stay ahead of the Chiefs, who are now only one game back in the AFC West.

[The Chiefs were pretty much done in mid-October. They havent lost since.]

Games to watch:

Packers at Cardinals (Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox):The Cardinals can cement their status as the primary challenger to the Panthers in the NFC.

Panthers at Falcons (Sunday at 1 p.m., Fox):Carolina goes for win No. 15 against a team that it beat by 38 points only two weeks earlier. The Panthers also can clinch the top seed in the NFC, which would give Coach Ron Rivera a rest-or-not decision to make next week.

[Would a 19-0 Panthers team be regarded as the NFLs best ever? Not necessarily.]

Patriots at Jets (Sunday at 1 p.m., CBS):The Patriots can secure the AFCs No. 1 seed and, as an added bonus, damage the Jets playoff chances.

Redskins at Eagles (Saturday at 8:25 p.m., NFL Network):Someone has to win the NFC East. The Redskins have their chance to seal the outcome.

Giants at Vikings (Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC) The Giants could have next to nothing at stake if theyre eliminated in the NFC East. Or they could have plenty at stake. Either way, theyll be minus suspended WR Odell Beckham Jr.

[Beckhams one-game suspension is upheld as arbitrator rejects appeal]

Games to avoid:

Chargers at Raiders (Thursday at 8:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network):Shouldnt this game be played in L.A.?

49ers at Lions (Sunday at 1 p.m., Fox):Can Martha Firestone Ford fire Jed York and Trent Baalke for letting Jim Harbaugh leave the 49ers?

Cowboys at Bills (Sunday at 1 p.m., Fox):The Cowboys are giving Kellen Moore the start at QB because, well, just because.

Jaguars at Saints (Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS):One of these teams is two games out of first place. And the other one is the Saints.

Key injuries:

Drew Brees, QB, Saints (foot):Brees reportedly has a tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot. He missed a game earlier this season because of a shoulder injury.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings (ankle):He is expected to play against the Giants.

Peyton Manning, QB, Broncos (foot):He appears headed to the inactive list for Monday nights game.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Titans (knee):His rookie season could be over.

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Colts (jaw, ribs):Hasselbeck is plenty tough but his list of injuries grows weekly. He has exited each of the past three games at some point with an injury.

Brian Hoyer, QB, Texans (concussion):He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday but remains subject to the concussion protocol.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers (foot):The Panthers are certain to handle his injury carefully.

Top matchup: Panthers CB Josh Norman vs. Falcons WR Julio Jones

Scrutiny of Norman will be intense after his on-field confrontations last weekend that led to Odell Beckhams suspension. He again must deal with an elite receiver, although the Falcons were not competitive the last time these two teams played.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNEeNCXhxV5JTDOAI_8aDHk9qjBCZQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779018636423&ei=BpSVVuiEAcrn8AHNpISwDQ&url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/12/24/would-you-want-brandon-weeden-aj-mccarron-brock-osweiler-or-charlie-whitehurst-at-qb-for-your-nfl-contender/

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Fun Things the Rodeo Wants You to Know This Year

RODEOHOUSTON | Bull Riding

That distant rumble you may have started noticing in the past few days is the machinery of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo steadily springing to life. The worlds largest rodeo and the Bayou Citys biggest party is now 55 days away, running March 1-20 this year, with some important signposts along the way: Rodeo Roundup at Houstons City Hall (February 23); Worlds Championship Bar-B-Que Contest (February 25-27); Go Texan Day (Feburary 26); and Downtown Rodeo Parade (February 27). The grand marshal is TBD, but heres a vote for newly begrilled UH football coach Tom Herman and his Peach Bowl trophy. Or maybe Astros ace Dallas Keuchel and his Cy Young.

As for the lineup, it will be announced at 12:05 a.m. next Monday, January 11. Of the 15 dates marked for country music this year (75 percent of the total), possible first-time acts could include recent breakout stars Thomas Rhett and/or Sam Hunt, and/or critical favorites Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves. The two pop dates could go to Shawn Mendes or Joe Jonas (maybe). The traditional Black Heritage Friday has been tweaked from R&B to Hip-Hop/R&B J. Cole, perhaps? Rock is back on March 15, also known as the race to follow up Fall Out Boy. Panic! at the Disco? Cage the Elephant? Despite headlining the Woodlands Pavilion on July 5, Twenty One Pilots might be be a neat look. Whoever fills this years banda/nortena slots on March 13 will probably set a new single-day attendance record, again.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 16 at the rodeos Web site, rodeohouston.com. The rodeo will indeed use the same AXS ticketing system as last year, and is bringing back the controversial virtual waiting room, which opens at 9:30 a.m. that day. Registering in advance is highly recommended; its open now at axs.com/rodeohouston_registration.

A few more morsels to tide yall over until the chuck wagon comes:

*** Last years overall attendance was 2.483 million people meaning everyone who came through the NRG Park gates down a hair from 2014. However, the paid rodeo/concert attendance portion set a new record with 1.377 million.

*** Seven 2015 performances are now in the all-time Top 20 paid attendance, in descending order: Go Tejano Day with La Arrolladora Banda El Limon and La Maquinaria Nortena (No.1), Brad Paisley (No. 9), Ariana Grande (No. 11), Blake Shelton (No. 14), Florida Georgia Line (No. 15), Pitbull (No. 16) and Luke Bryan (No. 18).

*** Entertainment at this years Worlds Championship Barbecue includes Bri Bagwell, Bart Crow, the Texas Renegade Band, Cameran Nelson, Kevin Fowler, Rich OToole, Cory Morrow and Pat Green.

*** The rodeo plans to give out nearly $26 million in educational grants this year, of which its more than 750 college scholarships for Texas high-school seniors make up about half.

*** Fans will be pleased to know the rodeo plans to add more bathrooms this year. New this year is an underground sanitary system built to service those bathrooms as well as the rodeos vendors.

*** The McNee Gate off Kirby will only be open to pedestrian traffic and emergency vehicles this year.

*** Due to last years virulent avian flu epidemic that decimated the nations poultry population, there will be no male turkeys, or toms, at this years livestock show. The Top 100 female turkeys, known as hens, will be auctioned off instead.

*** The rodeos late-night honky-tonk tent, known as the Hideout, will be located in the Miller Lite Blue Parking Lot this year, south of the carnival on the west side of NRG Arena. The 2016 lineup is below.

March 1: Justin Van SantMarch 2: Trent WillmonMarch 3: Aaron EinhouseMarch 4: TBD (Black Heritage Day)March 5: Jason JamesMarch 6: DJ Red RitchMarch 7: Jamie RichardsMarch 8: Abbi WalkerMarch 9: Max StallingMarch 10: Zane WilliamsMarch 11: Cooper WadeMarch 12: Randy BrownMarch 13: Go Tejano DayMarch 14: JB and the Moonshine BandMarch 15: Mark Monaco & the StrayheartsMarch 16: Bri BagwellMarch 17: Cameran NelsonMarch 18: Mike and the MoonpiesMarch 19: Josh WardMarch 20: Sam Riggs

Source: http://www.houstonpress.com/music/fun-things-the-rodeo-wants-you-to-know-this-year-8054377

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Alabama football schedule: Opponents, times, TV

Alabama Crimson Tide Football Schedule 2015 in-order

After a122 season that ended in a College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, Alabama kicks off its 2015 campaign against Wisconsin in Arlington, Texas.

The Crimson Tide, who are No. 5 in SI.com"s preseason poll, arepicked by SEC media to win the SEC West, though the media picked Auburn to win the conference championship.

Alabama"s offense ranked second in the SEC in passing yards last season and fifth in rushing yards. Coach Nick Saban has not yet decided on a quarterback to open the season, with seniorJake Coker,redshirt freshman David Cornwell andtrue freshman Blake Barnett among the competitors.

Defensively, the Crimson Tide were ranked No. 4 in the FBSin points allowed per game (16.6) and No. 2 in rushing yards allowed per game (88.7) in 2014.

Schedule

09/05: vs. Wisconsin* (8:00 p.m. ET, ABC)

09/12: vs. Middle Tennessee (4:00 p.m. ET, SEC Network)

09/19: vs. Ole Miss (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

09/26: vs. UL-Monroe (TBD)

10/03: at Georgia (TBD)

10/10: vs. Arkansas (TBD)

10/17: at Texas A&M (TBD)

10/24: vs. Tennessee (TBD)

11/07: vs. LSU (TBD)

11/14: at Mississippi State (TBD)

11/21: vs. Charleston Southern (TBD)

11/28: at Auburn (TBD)

*AdvoCare Classic to be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

Source: http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/08/31/alabama-football-schedule-opponents-times-tv

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Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes honor Spike Lee at the 2015 Governors Awards

The poorly kept secret of the Golden Globes is that they can be bought.

Voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the awards are famous for the lengths to which studios will go to woo the group"s membership which usually numbers around 90. The most famous incident involved young actress Pia Zadora, who won an award in 1982 amid accusations that her husband had paid for it with an elaborate promotional campaign.

In accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement during Sunday"s ceremony, Denzel Washington told a terrific story about something he"d been told by Freddie Fields, the producer of Glory, for which Washington won his first Golden Globe (and his first Oscar):

Some of you may know Freddie Fields. He invited me to the first Hollywood Foreign Press luncheon. He said they are gonna watch the movie. We are gonna feed them. They are gonna come over. You gonna take pictures with everybody. You are gonna hold the magazines, take the pictures, and you"re gonna win the award.

[Audience laughter.]

I won that year.

As Washington"s later Oscar win for Glory shows, the Globes are often important Oscar precursors, setting the conversation for who the "frontrunners" are, leading to either an Oscar coronation or some sort of backlash.

That has become less true in recent years, as the Oscars have moved up their airdate to avoid influence. The two used to air two months (or more) apart, but now air closer to six weeks apart. Oscar nominations also used to be heavily influenced by Globe winners but Oscar ballots have already been turned in and, thus, can"t be swayed by the Globes" winners. But this system isn"t foolproof.

That explains why studios work the HFPA so much. It"s a much easier organization to woo than the 6,291-member-strong Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes on the Oscars. (AMPAS also has stricter rules about campaigning.)

As my colleague Caroline Framke points out in this piece on the HFPA"s role within awards season, the organization"s small membership gives it enormous, outsized importance.

Movies and especially television series that lie outside the safe or more obvious choices have a better shot at earning awards recognition if they appeal to the 90-member HFPA, as opposed to the larger governing bodies behind the Emmys and the Oscars. In any case, because so few make up its ranks, each member of the HFPA carries considerable power, at least as far as Golden Globe winners are concerned. Cumulative votes matter, of course, but one vote out of 90 carries much more weight than one vote out of 7,000 which is what makes the HFPA so powerful, and sometimes, so utterly random.

Source: http://www.vox.com/2016/1/10/10747362/denzel-washington-golden-globes-corruption

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"Mozart in the Jungle," Maura Tierney, Rachel Bloom win Golden Globes for ...

Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury - Rachel Bloom

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Mozart in the Jungle was named Best Television Comedy and its star Gael Garcia Bernal Best Actor in a Television Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Los Angeles Sunday night.

Rachel Bloom scored the honor for Best Actress in a Television Comedy for her work in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, while Lady Gaga accepted the trophy for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for American Horror Story: Hotel.

Christian Slater took home the prize for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Limited Series or Movie for Mr. Robot, the show that garnered the title of Best Television Drama.

Taraji P. Henson was elected Best Actress in a Television Drama for Empire and Jon Hamm was declared Best Actor in a Drama for Mad Men.

The Affair cast member Maura Tierney earned the honor for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Limited Series or Movie, and Oscar Isaac won the Globe for Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie for Show Me a Hero.

Wolf Hall was deemed the Best Limited Series or TV Movie.

The event was hosted by Rick Gervais.

Related UPI Stories

Source: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2016/01/10/Mozart-in-the-Jungle-Maura-Tierney-Rachel-Bloom-win-Golden-Globes-for-television/7601452475102/

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The Green Bay Packers Have Terrible Taste in "Rom-Coms"

Aaron Rodgers" Amazing Hail Mary: The Miracle in Motown! | Packers vs. Lions | NFL
Photo: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Isn"t it so adorable and hilarious when super macho dudes, like the Green Bay Packers football team, embrace stereotypically female interests, such as watching "romantic comedies?" That is the thesis of this Wall Street Journal article, which honestly buries the lede: that not only do the Packers have terrible taste in romantic comedies, they don"t even really know what a romantic comedy is.

"I love rom-coms, all of them, Im a big rom-com guy, guard Josh Sitton told theJournal. How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days is a good one.The Devil Wears Prada is a great, great movie.

No.

At its core, a romantic comedy is a funny movie about love that goes awry in some way, but has a happy ending. Notting Hill? Rom-com. Love Actually? Totally a rom-com (and a favorite of bros!). Unfortunately, the Packers" operational definition of "romantic comedy" appears to be "a movie without explosions," or perhaps, "a movie with a woman in it." By that definition, The Human Centipedewould be classified a rom-com, which FYI it is not.

Pitch Perfect, an abiding love for which unites the Packers team, is not a romantic comedy, it is a comedy with women in it.The Devil Wears Pradais a comedy about the difficulties of being a woman balancing your professional and personal lives, which doesn"t sound very romantic to me.

Semantics aside, anyone with good taste is capable of discerning between a good and bad rom-com, and knows that a rom-com"s worth is largely determined by its cast. You could make a movie about a cyclops brewing a love potion to manipulate a robot dinosaur into loving her, but as long as it starred Hugh Grant, it"d be a good rom-com. The same cannot be said for Kate Hudson vehicles. (Sorry, Kate. Love your athleisure line though!)

If any of the Green Bay Packers need other totems of ladyhood womansplained to them, hit me up. I"ll be watching Bridget Jones" Diary (a rom-com).

Source: http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/01/packers-have-bad-taste-in-rom-coms.html

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NFL Schedule Week 17: TV Coverage, Game Times and Live-Stream Map

Top 10 Wild Card Moments of All Time | 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 Extra

ESPN.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

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