NFL Week 17 schedule: 5 best games this weekend
The NFL Week 17 schedule is terrific, flush with excellent games. Here are the five tilts you can’t afford to miss.
5. Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5)
The NFC South is on the line. Tampa Bay understands that if it wins, it takes home the division crown despite all the struggles this season has produced. And, while the Buccaneers have ample issues, nobody is lining up to face Tom Brady in a playoff game. Meanwhile, the Panthers also control their own destiny. If they win out, they win there NFC South and would host the NFC East’s second-place team, likely the Dallas Cowboys.
4. Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-3)
A great rivalry which gets renewed, after Minnesota opened the season at home with an easy 23-7 win. Incredibly, despite being 12-3, that was the only win for the Vikings this year by more than one score. As for the Packers, the loss foreshadowed a tough year ahead, as Green Bay sits at 7-8. However, if the Packers can beat the Vikings, they only need to beat the Detroit Lions at home in Week 18, and get one loss from the Washington Commanders to reach the postseason.
3. New York Jets (-1.5) at Seattle Seahawks
An elimination game. If the Jets lose to the Seahawks, they are out of the playoff chase. If the Seahawks lose, they’re finished in the NFC. Seattle and New York have both been struggling lately, but the Jets are getting quarterback Mike White back from a rib injury. If New York can win on the road, it’ll then need to beat the Miami Dolphins come Week 18 to have a chance at the postseason.
2. Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-3)
Speaking of the Dolphins, they can clinch a playoff berth this week behind backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. To do so, Miami needs to go north and win at Foxboro, and then have the Jets lose on the west coast in Sunday’s late window. For the Patriots, they simply need to beat the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills — no easy task — over the final two weeks to punch their postseason ticket.
1. Buffalo Bills (-1) at Cincinnati Bengals
Perhaps the best game of the year. Cincinnati and Buffalo are two of the top contenders for a Super Bowl ring come February, and plenty is on the line come Monday night. For the Bills, they are trying to hold off both Cincinnati and the Kansas City Chiefs for the conference’s top seed. As for the Bengals, they are hoping to wrap up the AFC North while also keeping touch on home-field advantage.
