The final week of the 2016 NFL regular season is here, but the drama of game No. 16 is all but lost on the much of the league. Fortunately, a key NFC North battle is here to make Sunday Night Football appointment viewing.
The Packers will head east to Michigan for a monster matchup with the Lions in a game to determine the division champions. The winner will host a playoff game on Wild Card Weekend. The loser will have to hope Washington loses when it faces the Giants on Sunday.
The Lions are just 3-7 in their last 10 matchups against their heated rivals at Ford Field. That includes last year’s unforgettable win, where a phantom facemask penalty gave Aaron Rodgers one more chance to lead his Packers to victory. He used one final untimed down to launch a pass nearly into the rafters before plummeting to Earth and finding the outstretched arms of tight end Richard Rodgers.
Detroit can get revenge Sunday night, and a win could be the difference between making the playoffs for just the third time since 1999 and getting a head start on 2017 draft preparations.
While Packers-Lions is the source of most of Sunday’s drama, several other games earlier in the day will be important to the 2017 NFL playoff race. The Patriots, Chiefs, and Raiders can all improve their playoff standing on the AFC side of the board. A New England win clinches home-field advantage throughout the postseason for Bill Belichick. An Oakland win with Matt McGloin behind center would give the Raiders their first division title since 2000 and secure a first-round bye. A Chiefs’ victory and a Raiders’ loss would push Kansas City into the top spot in the AFC West.
Home-field advantage is already settled in the NFC with the Cowboys, but the Falcons, Seahawks, and Lions are all still in the running for the conference’s coveted first-round bye.
Elsewhere, the race for the No. 1-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft will come down to the 49ers and a Browns team flying high after its first win of the season. A loss in Week 17 guarantees Cleveland the top spot in next year’s draft. A win and a San Francisco loss makes the situation less tenable. With pass-rushing talent like Myles Garrett and Jonathan Allen available, an otherwise meaningless week of football could have major repercussions for these two franchises.
Here’s the 16-game schedule for the final week of the season (all times Eastern):
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., CBS
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., CBS
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., Fox
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets, 1 p.m., CBS
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m., Fox
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., CBS
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., Fox
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., CBS
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m., Fox
New York Giants at Washington, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions, 8:30 p.m., NBC