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It’s winning and coming in for the Chargers, Raiders, 49ers and Colts.
You can’t ask for much more as the NFL wraps up its first 17-game regular season.
The brightest spotlight is on Sin City, where the winner of Chargers-Raiders takes a wildcard spot. LA is over if he loses, but Las Vegas has ways to advance to the playoffs with loss and assist.
It does not matter. It’s about moving on, whether or not it stops your longtime rival from doing it as well.
“We know what’s at stake here,” Chargers defensive lineman Justin Jones said. “We also knew what was at stake last week, so it’s the same kind of preparation and the same kind of mindset for this game. Every week is a playoff game for us. … The guys on the team know the gravity of this game. You win, you are in it. If you lose, you go home. We have known this since last week. It’s the same for us.
Brandon Staley is looking to become the fourth coach since the merger to lead the Chargers to the playoffs in his first season with the franchise. Meanwhile, Raiders’ interim coach Rich Bisaccia has done a solid job of helping the team weather any turbulence in 2021.
“All I know is we’re really excited about the opportunity that is presented to us on Sunday night,” said Bisaccia, “and we’re going to be looking to do our best and put a product on the pitch that all the Raider Nation can be proud of.
Indianapolis (9-7) at Jacksonville (2-14)
It’s hard to believe the Colts would have any concerns about a trip to North Florida given the condition of the Jaguars. But the Colts have lost five in a row to Jacksonville.
Still, Indy has a plus-16 revenue margin and Jacksonville is minus-22. The Colts have the league ground champion in Jonathan Taylor, and the Jaguars can’t stop the race.
Offering potential entertainment here: Jaguars fans host a ‘Klown out’ for the finale, in which hundreds, if not thousands, of disgruntled regulars plan to wear clown outfits for the game in hopes of persuading the owner Shad Khan to fire CEO Trent Baalke.
San Francisco (9-7) vs. Los Angeles Rams (12-4)
LA is in and takes NFC West by beating the Niners, who could again start first-round draft Trey Lance at quarterback if Jimmy Garoppolo’s damaged finger puts him on the sidelines. Garoppolo has won all five career starts against the Rams. Indeed, the 49ers have won five in a row against the Rams. Coach Kyle Shanahan is 6-3 against Los Angeles, 5-15 against the rest of NFC West.
“Yeah, they’ve got our number, at least since I’ve been here,” Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey said. “It’s frustrating, but they have no mental control over us or anything. It’s just the way the games played out. We don’t go out there on Sunday thinking, “Oh, we’ve lost so many games to them. We go there confident.
Cooper Kupp has a shot at setting NFL single-season records for receptions and yards. Kupp has 138 catches, 11 behind Michael Thomas’ 149 for New Orleans in 2019. The Rams star’s 1,829 yards put him 135 behind Calvin Johnson’s 1,964 for Detroit in 2012. Kupp is also on the pass. become the first player to lead the league in receptions. , receiving yards and receiving touchdowns since Steve Smith in 2005. Remember, this is the first season the NFL has played 17 games.
New Orleans (8-8) at Atlanta (7-9)
If the Rams beat their Northern California competitor and the Saints beat their most historic rival, New Orleans gets the final NFC wildcard. Since Sean Payton became a coach in 2006, the Saints have won 21 of 31 games, including six of the last eight.
Watch for Saints rusher Cameron Jordan, who has 7½ sacks in his last three games. He had 11 tackles and 3½ sacks last week against Carolina.
Also keep an eye out for Falcons rookie Kyle Pitts. If he’s able to recover from a hamstring injury that limited him to two second-half snaps last week, he could surpass Mike Ditka’s record for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end. , requiring 50.
New York Jets (4-12) at Buffalo (10-6)
Buffalo’s division chore is simple: beat New York. The Bills have won three back-to-back wins and will claim their second straight AFC East title with New England winning or losing to Miami. Buffalo hasn’t won a back-to-back divisional championship for a four-year streak spanning 1988-91.
Buffalo is 9-1 this season when he scored a touchdown, 7-0 when he scored a touchdown on his first down.
The Jets have allowed a franchise record of 477 points, surpassing the 457 they gave up last season.
Caroline (5-11) at Tampa Bay (12-4)
If a quarterback can put aside the fiasco of Antonio Brown’s departure from NFC champion South Bucs, it’s Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl winner is close to something he hasn’t even accomplished: leading the NFL in all four major passing categories. He leads in completed passes (456), attempted passes (682), passing yards (4,990) and touchdowns (40).
Mike Evans is the only player in NFL history to start a career with seven consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. He enters this match 54 meters from the extension of the record.
The Panthers have lost six straight games and 11 of their last 13 games overall.
Cincinnati (10-6) at Cleveland (7-9)
Not much for this Ohio battle given that the Bengals hold the AFC North title for the first time since 2015 and the Bengals, bottom of the division in 2020, have the fewest penalties (68) and penalty yards (588). Cleveland’s grueling season ends on Sunday.
Many starters will be seated, including the two QBs, Joe Burrow of Cincinnati and Baker Mayfield of Cleveland.
Bengals spreader Ja’Marr Chase had 11 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns last week, a rookie record.
Green Bay (13-3) at Detroit (2-13-1)
Even with the best NFL record and the only NFC weekend pass, the Packers plan to play with plenty of regulars. Matt LaFleur’s 39 regular-season wins are the most important for an NFL coach in his first three seasons, ahead of former San Francisco coach George Seifert’s 38 from 1989-91.
Aaron Rodgers, who has thrown 18 touchdown passes without an interception in his last six games, has 50 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions against the Lions in his career.
Detroit has lost five straight games to Green Bay.
Tennessee (11-5) at Houston (4-12)
The Titans want to emulate the Packers and get lonely leave in their conference. A victory over a Texans that won in Nashville earlier in the season is needed. This current streak of three in a row in the playoffs is the longest for the Titans since a seven-season streak between 1987 and 1993 as the Houston Oilers.
“I want a week off next week,” said Tennessee Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard. “It’s the motivation to go out there and try to play our best game so we can get this week off… and… the playoffs, the AFC can kind of go through Nashville.”
The Tennessee defense has allowed 39 combined points in the last four games. The Titans are tied for ninth with 41 sacks, more than double what they did last season, and Houston gave up 42.
Seattle (6-10) at Arizona (11-5)
Despite a recent slump, the Cardinals win NFC West with one win and one loss to the Rams. Arizona are trying their first sweep of the season against Seattle since 2009. They are not afraid of being a wild card, however, after going 8-1 on the road.
The Seahawks’ most disappointing season under Pete Carroll will end without a playoff berth for the second time in just 10 seasons. But Russell Wilson can overtake Peyton Manning for the most wins in a quarterback’s first 10 seasons – both regular and playoff – with a win. Both have 113.
New England (10-6) at Miami (8-8)
The Patriots could still get the AFC seed, but need everyone in front of them to lose. The Dolphins are the only AFC East team with a home-winning record (12-9) against the Patriots in the Bill Belichick era.
New England is in a position to allow the fewest points in the NFL for the second time in the past three years. Miami WR Jaylen Waddle is one catch of 100 and two catches off Anquan Boldin’s NFL record for rookie receptions. Waddle is 12 yards from the 1000 mark.
Pittsburgh (8-7-1) at Baltimore (8-8)
One of the best, toughest rivalries in the NFL, but both teams need more help than it’s worth hoping for to get into the playoffs.
The Steelers, with Ben Roethlisberger almost certainly in his final regular season game, can do it with a win, a loss at Indianapolis, not a tie between Las Vegas and the Chargers. TJ Watt needs 1 1/2 sacks to break Hall of Fame’s 22 1/2 mark Michael Strahan in one season. Watt did so despite a significant absence this season with groin, hip and knee injuries that forced him out of two games altogether.
After five straight losses, Baltimore’s injury-ravaged playoff chances call for a win, along with losses for the Chargers and Colts and a loss or tie for the Dolphins.
Chicago (6-10) vs. Minnesota (7-9)
Bears ‘coaches Matt Nagy and Vikings’ Mike Zimmer could handle their final games, even though both have career winning records. Nagy, 5-2 against the Vikings, is 34-40, 0-2 in the playoffs. Zimmer is 71-56-1, 2-3 in the playoffs.
The Bears were planning to launch rookie QB Justin Fields, but he landed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Fields, 2-8 as a starter this year, has missed the last two games with an ankle injury.
Washington (6-10) vs. New York Giants (4-12)
The Giants have won five of the last six games in the series, but they can’t score and are reduced to untested quarterback Jake Fromm. Washington WR Terry McLaurin is 40 yards away for a second straight 1,000-yard season and made 11 catches for 107 yards against New York in Week 2.
