With the season coming down the home stretch, every game is going to be critically important for the playoff races. Let’s dive into Week 16 and take a closer look at the top five games on the board.
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
The New England Patriots got the best of the Buffalo Bills a couple of weeks ago in the first matchup against their rivals. They only attempted three passes that entire game yet it worked out for them. Since then, the Patriots have seen their winning streak get halted after a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, the Bills took home a solid win over the Carolina Panthers but have struggled to get any momentum going. A win this week would change the trajectory in the AFC East.
Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Baltimore Ravens just lost their second game of three weeks when attempting to convert a game-winning two-point conversion. Instead, they suffered another loss – this time, to the Green Bay Packers.
The Cincinnati Bengals were helped out by that loss, beating the Denver Broncos to move into first place in the division. There are only a couple of games left this season and if the Bengals can sweep the season series against the Ravens, they could nearly lock in the division title.
Denver Broncos @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Broncos suffered an unfortunate loss to the Bengals last week, evening up the odds for the division title. The Las Vegas Raiders, on the other hand, just defeated the Cleveland Browns on a last-second field goal.
Each of these squads is sitting at 7-7 on the season with the division-leading Chiefs at 10-4. A win would go a long way for one of these teams to get themselves into a better spot for the wild card positions.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Steelers just picked up a much-needed win over the Tennessee Titans. They couldn’t get much going offensively but were helped out by a defense that was flying all over the field, making numerous big plays. They will definitely need to keep that same strategy going forward with the Chiefs winning yet another game this season to move up to the best record in the AFC. It’s incredibly difficult to shut down Patrick Mahomes and company but the Chiefs appear to be dealing with some COVID-19 — All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce currently is out with Covid — so keep an eye on the news wire.
Miami Dolphins @ New Orleans Saints
The Miami Dolphins at one point were looking at a top three overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, suddenly they are 7-7 and on the verge of a playoff push. They were just able to knock off the New York Jets to keep up with their win streak but a tough date is ahead with the New Orleans Saints. Despite them missing numerous offensive players and their head coach, the Saints just shut out Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to improve to 7-7 themselves.