The 2024 NFL playoffs are just around the corner, with only three weeks of the regular season left on the schedule. But the postseason picture is far from complete, with a number of teams still vying for both top seeds and home-field advantage as well as remaining wild-card spots. With that in mind, we perused all the remaining matchups to identify 10 of the most important games in terms of postseason implications:
Week: 17 | Date: Sunday, Dec. 29 | Time: 8:20 p.m. ET | TV: NBC | Streaming: fubo (try for free)
Atlanta is turning to rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. starting this week, making this Sunday night clash what’s likely to be his second career start. It’ll come in Washington, where the Commanders are fighting to maintain their spot as the NFC’s final wild-card team. The Falcons could also be on their last legs as an NFC South contender, given their slight disadvantage to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Week: 18 | Date: Jan. 4 or 5 | Time: TBD | TV: TBD
SportsLine gives Cincinnati just a 4.4% chance of making the playoffs at 6-8 going into Week 16, but if the Bengals can beat the rival Cleveland Browns on Sunday, then top the Denver Broncos in Week 17, they could have a shot to sneak into the dance when they travel to Pittsburgh for an AFC North rematch. Even if not, who’s to say Joe Burrow wouldn’t be primed to play spoiler in Steel City?
8. Chiefs at Broncos
Week: 18 | Date: Jan. 4 or 5 | Time: TBD | TV: TBD
Will the Chiefs already have the AFC’s No. 1 seed locked up by the time they travel to Denver for the regular-season finale? It’s not a given, considering Patrick Mahomes is banged up and the Chiefs face back-to-back playoff contenders in the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers starting this week. Denver could also be playing for playoff seeding, eager to avenge an earlier loss to the reigning champs.
7. Eagles at Commanders
Week: 16 | Date: Sunday, Dec. 22 | Time: 1 p.m. ET | TV: Fox | Streaming: fubo (try for free)
Philadelphia can clinch the NFC East by sweeping Washington (9-5) on the road, while a loss by the Commanders would suddenly threaten Jayden Daniels’ path to a rookie-year playoff run, considering two NFC West squads also have just six losses going into Week 16. If the Eagles also want any shot at the NFC’s top seed, they’ll likely need this victory to keep pace with the Detroit Lions.
Week: 17 | Date: Saturday, Dec. 28 | Time: 8 p.m. ET | TV: NFL Network | Streaming: fubo (try for free)
The NFC West has been tight all season, and it figures to go down to the wire. The Cardinals are 7-7, while the Rams lead the division at 8-6, going into Week 16. When they square off in Los Angeles days before the new year, Matthew Stafford and Co. will be looking to rebound from a blowout loss to Arizona earlier in the season. And the victor may well have a pathway to the division crown.
5. Chiefs at Steelers
Week: 17 | Date: Wednesday, Dec. 25 | Time: 1 p.m. ET | Stream: Netflix
Christmas Day promises a juicy, if extremely physical, AFC clash in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers still figure to be playing for playoff positioning even though they’ve secured a postseason berth. The Chiefs enter Week 16 at 13-1, while Pittsburgh is 10-4, but if Russell Wilson and Co. fall to the Baltimore Ravens this week, they could be staring down a third straight loss against the reigning champions.
Week: 18 | Date: Jan. 4 or 5 | Time: TBD | TV: TBD
The NFC West is a total crapshoot, as stated earlier. Which means this regular-season finale may just determine the division champion. Seattle hopes to have Geno Smith fully healthy by the time this one rolls around, while the Rams could be in a win-or-go-home situation, looking to capture their first NFC West title since going the distance in 2021. Their last meeting went to overtime in November.
Week: 17 | Date: Sunday, Dec. 29 | Time: 1 p.m. ET | TV: Fox | Streaming: fubo (try for free)
The last time these bitter NFC North rivals met, Jordan Love nearly led a dramatic comeback on a bad knee, falling 31-29 at Lambeau Field. Now, the gunslinger will get a chance to win another potential shootout on the U.S. Bank Stadium turf. At 10-4 going into Week 16, the Packers may well clinch their postseason ticket before this matchup, but that doesn’t mean it won’t help shape the North.
2. Steelers at Ravens
Week: 16 | Date: Saturday, Dec. 21 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET | TV: Fox | Streaming: fubo (try for free)
Mike Tomlin is in the Coach of the Year conversation for how much he’s gotten out of Russell Wilson and Co., and that includes a gritty 18-16 win over Lamar Jackson and the Ravens back in November. Pittsburgh, after all, has been Jackson’s Kryptonite, and the Steelers can clinch the AFC North by sweeping the reigning MVP here. This high-stakes rematch could end up being a playoff preview..
1. Vikings at Lions
Week: 18 | Date: Jan. 4 or 5 | Time: TBD | TV: TBD
Detroit has been the belle of the ball all season, but a shootout loss to the Buffalo Bills coupled with a rash of big-name injuries suddenly has people wondering if the Lions can hold onto the NFC’s top seed. Provided the Vikings keep their own streak going, this finale could end up determining not only the North but home-field advantage in the playoffs. The last time they met, the Lions won a high-scoring shootout.
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