The 2018 NFL regular season wraps up on Sunday, which will be action-packed. With no Thursday, Saturday or Monday games, we’ll see seven 1:00 p.m. ET games and then a whopping eight games kicking off at 4:25 p.m. ET. There are plenty of games with playoff implications but these five are the most important ones of the week:
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Odds: OFF
The Colts-Titans contest will be one of the marquee matchups of Week 17 as the winner will claim the final AFC playoff spot. That’s thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers losing, which moved the Baltimore Ravens up to the top of the AFC North, allowing the Colts or Titans to slide in as the No. 6 seed.
Both teams are playing really well right now as the Colts have won eight of nine overall with their offense averaging 27.6 points per game. Meanwhile, the Titans have won six of eight with their defense allowing 17.9 points per game.
The main concern for the Titans right now is the status of starting quarterback Marcus Mariota, who suffered a stinger last Saturday against Washington and was unable to return. The Colts figure to have a much easier time of things if Blaine Gabbert is under center.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
Odds: Ravens -6
The Ravens have won five of their last six games. That, coinciding with a Pittsburgh Steelers slump where they’ve lost four of five, has landed the Ravens atop the AFC North. One more win and they’re in the playoffs. While they’ve won 15 of their last 17 against the Browns, this Cleveland team is no longer a doormat. The Browns have won five of six themselves and will be aiming to finish with their first winning season since 2007.
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Odds: Vikings -5
The Vikings need a win here to secure their playoff berth. A loss opens up the door for the Philadelphia Eagles to get in with a win. Technically, the Bears can catch the No. 2 seeded Los Angeles Rams if the Rams were to lose. However, they’re a double-digit home favorite against San Francisco. That means we might see the Bears take their foot off the gas a little bit here and use this as their bye week.
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
Odds: Eagles -7
The Eagles will be hoping that the Bears give the Vikings all they can handle. If that’s the case and the Eagles can beat the Redskins, the Super Bowl champs can sneak into the postseason. The Eagles have won four of their last five games and have looked very competent under Nick Foles. The Redskins have fought valiantly given all of their injuries, though, so this won’t be a walk in the park.
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
Odds: Chiefs -14
The Chiefs have dropped two in a row and three of five to open the door for someone else to take the No. 1 seed in the AFC. However, a Week 17 matchup with the Oakland Raiders should give them the opportunity to lock things up. Oakland has just one road win on the season, which was a last-second victory at lowly Arizona. This should allow the Chiefs to regain some momentum before the playoffs.