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 Thirteen of the 16 games have postseason implications, and all of
them are division contests to add further intrigue to what promises
to be a pulsating Week 17.
In the American Football Conference, the Denver Broncos, New England
Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City
Chiefs have all secured playoff berths, leaving four teams to battle
it out for the final wildcard spot.
However each of those four — the Miami Dolphins (8-7), Baltimore
Ravens (8-7), San Diego Chargers (8-7) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8) — need to win on Sunday and also have other results go their way if
they are to advance.
The National Football Conference is wide open with all four division
crowns still up for grabs and only the Seattle Seahawks (12-3),
Carolina Panthers (11-4) and San Francisco 49ers (11-4) having
claimed spots in the postseason.
Six teams — the Philadelphia Eagles (9-6), Chicago Bears (8-7), New
Orleans Saints (10-5), Arizona Cardinals (10-5), Dallas Cowboys
(8-7) and Green Bay Packers (7-7-1) — will be vying on Sunday for
the three playoff berths available.
The Eagles are away to the Cowboys while the Bears are at home to
the Packers and in each of those 'do-or-die' games the winner would
automatically clinch the divisional title with the loser shutting
down for the season.
"This is why you play the game," said Eagles quarterback Nick Foles,
who leads the league with a 118.8 passer rating that includes 25
touchdowns and just two interceptions. "You play for meaningful
games at the end of the season.
"In the NFL, it's for the playoffs. In high school, it's to get to
the state championship. In college, you want to go to a big bowl
game. This is what you play for all season, and it's a special
time."
RODGERS RETURNS
The Packers-Bears game at Soldier Field in Chicago will mark the
return of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has missed his
team's past seven games while recovering from a broken collarbone.
"We're preparing for the Chicago Bears with Aaron Rodgers as our
starting quarterback," Packers coach Mike McCarthy told a news
conference on Thursday. "I would say he's ready to play."
Rodgers, the Super Bowl's most valuable player in 2011 who fractured
his left collarbone against the Bears in early November, has been
eager to be back in the lineup.
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"This is an important week for us," he said recently. "We're
somehow back in this position to be able to get into the
playoffs. What a better way to do that than against the Chicago
Bears?"
The New Orleans Saints, who host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will
aim to rebound from a disappointing 17-13 loss to the Carolina
Panthers on Sunday when victory would have earned them the NFC
East title and a first round bye.
"It's all out there in front of us," Saints quarterback Drew
Brees said, referring to multiple scenarios this Sunday that
could earn his team a place in the postseason.
"Obviously, we need some help in order to win the division and
be the two seed, but the fact of the matter is all we can worry
about is what is ahead of us."
Peyton Manning and the Broncos (12-3), who sealed a third
consecutive AFC West division title with a 37-13 win over the
Houston Texans last week, would clinch home-field advantage
throughout the playoffs by beating the Raiders in Oakland.
Should Denver slip up on Sunday, however, that advantage would
fall to the Patriots (11-4), as long as they can claim a home
victory over the Bills (6-9) — a team they edged 23-21 in
Buffalo on September 8 to launch the 2013 season.
"It's going to be a huge game for us, so I think we'll need our
best effort," said Tom Brady, who has set a quarterback record
by winning 11 division titles with New England.
"We're playing one of the best defenses in the league, a team
that's sacked the quarterback more than anybody in the whole
league. It's the holiday season, but at the same time, it's the
most important game of the year.
"We've really got to focus on what we need to do, which is play
our best game and be on top of things right from the kickoff all
the way through the fourth quarter."
Brady's words can certainly apply to several other teams on
Sunday as they bid to stay "on top of things" with pivotal
postseason implications on the line.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles;
editing by
Gene Cherry)
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