Week 16 of the 2016 NFL season began and will end with divisional matchups, and there are a lot of divisional games in between.
With the exception of Week 17, which is all divisional games, the 11 division games in Week 16 are more than any other week this season. There were never more than seven games between teams in the same division in the first 15 weeks of the season and there hasn’t been this many such games in Week 16 since at least 2010.
That year, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had a blind-squirrel-finds-a-nut good idea and required all Week 17 games to be divisional games so that more meaningful games would be played in the final week of the regular season.
This year, 27 of the 32 remaining regular-season games will be intra-divisional. The five best of Week 16 are loaded with playoff implications.
(PlayoffStatus.com and MakeNFLPlayoffs.com were used for playoff scenarios.)
No. 5: Dolphins (9-5) at Bills (7-7)
The Dolphins currently occupy the sixth seed in the AFC. If they win their two remaining games, they’re in the playoffs. But it won’t be easy. In Week 16 they visit a Bills team that’s fighting for its playoff life and a coach who’s fighting to save his job. Then they host the Patriots in Week 17. The Dolphins shouldn’t count on the Patriots resting their starters, because unless their presumed win over the Jets is accompanied by a Colts win at Oakland, they still won’t have the top playoff seed clinched in Week 17.
However, if the Dolphins beat the Bills Saturday they can hope for a present on Christmas night. If they win and the Chiefs beat or tie the visiting Broncos, the Dolphins will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
The Bills, on the other hand, have to win out to have any shot at the playoffs. On their Christmas list this week is a Steelers win over the Ravens as well as a Jaguars win at home against Tennessee or a Bengals win at Houston. The Bills have a lot of gifts on their list but they’re on Santa Claus’ naughty list because they’ve lost too many games this year.
No. 4: Falcons (9-5) at Panthers (6-8)
The Panthers have even less of a chance of making the playoffs than the Bills, but Matt Ryan vs. Cam Newton is a little more enticing than Matt Moore vs. Tyrod Taylor.
Matt Ryan is currently having the best season on a yards per attempts basis, relative to league average, in NFL history #Falcons pic.twitter.com/3q0OT9nlER
— Pro Football Reference (@pfref) December 22, 2016
The Falcons can clinch the NFC South in Week 16 if they beat the Panthers on Saturday and the Saints beat or tie the Buccaneers at the Superdome in the later time slot on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers must win their remaining two games and the moon and sun must form a 47-degree angle with the earth. OK, the odds aren’t that remote, but if any one of the Packers, Buccaneers or Redskins (at Chicago) win on Saturday the Panthers are eliminated and the Dab will be about as old as the Charleston.
No: 3: Vikings (7-7) at Packers (8-6)
The world has changed a lot since the Vikings edged the Packers 17-14 in Week 2 at Minnesota. The Vikings looked like a Super Bowl contender. In between, the Packers’ season careened toward disaster. Now, the Packers can eliminate the Vikings with a win Saturday at Lambeau Field. Even if the Vikings beat the Packers, they could be out before Christmas if the Buccaneers win at the Superdome later on Saturday. If the Packers beat the Vikings and then win at Detroit in Week 17, they win the NFC North.
No. 2: Broncos (8-6) at Chiefs (10-4)
The Chiefs are another team in good playoff shape with a chance to stamp out the last remaining playoff hopes of a rival. The Chiefs already could have a playoff spot clinched by the time they host the Broncos on Christmas night. If the Steelers beat or tie the Ravens in the earlier game on Christmas, they’re in. But if that doesn’t happen, the Chiefs will punch their playoff ticket with a win over the Broncos.
The Broncos, on the other hand, must win to stay alive. If the Dolphins beat or tie the Bills on Saturday or the Ravens beat the Steelers, the defending champs would be eliminated with a loss at Arrowhead.
According to ESPN playoff generator, if Ravens, Dolphins, Broncos, Titans/Texans, Colts all finish at 9-7, the Ravens get in on tiebreakers.
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) December 22, 2016
No 1: Ravens (8-6) at Steelers (9-5)
This game basically decides the AFC North. If the Steelers win Sunday at Heinz Field, they win the division. If the Ravens win, they’ll win the division if they win at Cincinnati against a team that has nothing to play for in Week 17. If the Dolphins beat or tie the Bills on Saturday, however, the Ravens will need to beat the Steelers to stay alive. Of the last 21 games between the Ravens and Steelers, 16 have been decided by a touchdown or less. Get ready for some Christmas drama.
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