Only three weeks remain in this tumultuous NFL season. Who will make the playoffs? Who will secure the ever-elusive first round bye? Will the league actually do anything about COVID outbreaks? Let's get into it.
Top Storylines:
Can the Steelers get back on track?
After several weeks of rescheduled games, a large accumulation of COVID cases and defensive injuries, and severely diminished returns in the passing game, the Steelers find themselves 11-2 with the reeling Bengals ahead. Monday night's game should give Mike Tomlin's squad a good chance to get back in the win column, but this team has many glaring issues to fix before the playoffs, especially on offense.
Can anyone slow down Kansas City?
Despite several turnovers and some uncharacteristically sloppy play from Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs looked like they were on their way to their second loss, only for the Kansas City offense to come back in force, scoring 30 unanswered points en route to a 33-27 victory over Miami. The Chief's offense looks as unstoppable as ever, and unless the Saints can trip them up this weekend, they should have the top seed locked up very soon.
Can the Browns recover after the heartbreaker?
It took 9 rushing touchdowns, several lead changes, a Disney film return from Lamar Jackson, and a 55 yard field goal from Justin Tucker, but the Ravens managed to topple the Browns in Cleveland on Monday night. Cleveland is till very much in control of a Wild Card spot, but their division hopes took a massive hit with that loss. Can Baker and Co. put this loss behind them and secure their first playoff berth in almost 20 years? Only time will tell, but the Ravens and Dolphins are both only one game back in the playoff race.
Who gets the last Wild Card spots?
With three Wild Card slots this year instead of two, the race for a playoff spot is suddenly much more interesting. In the NFC, the Seahawks, Bucs, and Cardinals currently hold the three available spots with the Vikings and Bears one game back. Other than the Seahawks passing the Rams for the NFC West crown, those 5 teams are the most likely to contend, though the loser of the Minnesota-Chicago game will most likely be out of the running. Over in the AFC, the Titans, Colts, Browns, Dolphins, and Ravens are all within 1 game of 9-4 and a wild card spot, with the Raiders trending in the wrong direction at 7-6. As the Steelers and Bills both can clinch a division title with a win this weekend, the three wild card spots are likely to come down to the second place team in the West along with the Dolphins, Browns, and/or the Ravens.
Picks ATS
Thursday Dec 17:
8:20 PM ET
Chargers @ Raiders (-3.0), FOX/NFLN
Saturday Dec 19:
4:30 PM ET
Bills (-6.0) @ Broncos, NFLN
8:15PM ET
Panthers @ Packers (-8.5), NFLN
Sunday Dec 20:
1:00 PM ET
Bucs (-6.0) @ Falcons, FOX
49ers (-3.0) @ Cowboys, FOX
Lions @ Titans (-11.0), CBS
Texans @ Colts (-7.0), CBS
Patriots @ Dolphins (-2.0), CBS
Bears (+3.0) @ Vikings, FOX
Seahawks (-5.5) @ Washington Football Team, FOX
Jaguars (+13.0) @ Ravens, CBS
4:05 PM ET
Jets @ Rams ( -17.0), FOX
Eagles (+6.0) @ Cardinals, FOX
4:25 PM ET
Chiefs (-3.0) @ Saints, CBS
8:20 PM ET
Browns (-5.0) @ Giants, NBC
Monday Dec 21:
8:15 PM
Steelers (-12.5) @ Bengals, ESPN
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