Week 15 in the NFL presents us with six matchups between teams with a winning record. And while some of those team have already locked up a playoff berth, there is still a lot to be decided. Not only will postseason spots be at stake this week, but in terms of seeding in both the NFC and the AFC, nothing has been written in ink.
So what do we have to look forward too?
In the 1pm wave of games, the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons will square off in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons have already clinched the NFC South, and hole a two-game lead for home field advantage in the playoffs. This is an important game for both. The Giants are clinging to a one-game lead over both Dallas and Washington.
In the NFC North, Green Bay and Chicago collide in a game that could give Green Bay some breathing room in the division, or tie it up. The Bears are just a game behind, and a win for Chicago would be huge. The Bears already lost the first match up to Green Bay earlier this year, and a second would basically hand the Packers the division.
Two teams battling for a top-seed in the AFC meet in Baltimore with the Ravens hosting Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Baltimore has lost back-to-back games to fall to 9-4 on the season, which is one game behind Denver at 10-3. The Broncos have won the AFC West division, and will not jockey for position in the postseason. Baltimore is well on their way to a playoff berth, but a loss on Sunday here could potentially close their lead in the AFC North to just one game. Currently, it’s two games over both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Then at 4:25, Dallas and Pittsburgh will be at Cowboys stadium. The loser of this game could find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. It could be the most important game of the entire weekend, so be sure to tune into this one. The Cowboys are one-game behind the Giants in the NFC East, while the Steelers are tied with the Bengals for the No.6 spot in the AFC playoff picture.
Finally at 8:20 pm ET in primetime on Sunday Night Football, the New England Patriots will host the San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots passed last week’s test against houston with flying colors. Now, it will be fun to see what Tom Brady and the offense can do against this defense. A potential Super Bowl matchup perhaps? Maybe.