With four weeks to go, the key number for Week 15 is 4:25.
That’s when a quartet of games oozing with playoff implications for both teams will start. Somehow, none of those games were moved to the 1:00 p.m. ET window or one of the other prime-time slots.
With the line getting brighter and brighter between contender and pretender, we’ll preview the upcoming Sunday and Monday games with one important principle in mind: The less important the game, the less we’ll have to say about it.
5-8 Cowboys at 3-10 Panthers (-3), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)
The biggest indignity of the year to the Team Formerly Known As America’s is that the Panthers are favored to beat the Cowboys. The Panthers!
Both teams are cooked. The Cowboys aren’t mathematically eliminated, yet. It’s just a matter of time.
Which team has the brighter future? Given that the Cowboys (according to Stephen Jones) won’t be spending big money in an effort to improve in the coming offseason, who knows? Maybe the Panthers will finally find their way out of a string of six straight double-digit-loss seasons before Jerry Jones completes his quest for gloryhole.
12-1 Chiefs (-4) at 3-10 Browns, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
Cleveland has beaten both the Ravens and the Steelers at home this season. Can they take down the Chiefs, too?
With Kansas City on the front end of three games only 10 days apart (Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday), this could be a trap for the Chiefs.
But let’s face it. Every game is a trap for the Chiefs; they’re 10-0 in one-score games this year. And there’s a good chance that no amount of pregame unbridled enthusiasm from Jameis Winston will change that.
6-7 Dolphins at 8-5 Texans (-3), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)
The Texans seem to be locked in, both as the AFC South champions and the No. 4 seed. The Dolphins aren’t done yet, but they’ve got to hope one of the three 8-5 wild-card teams (Ravens, Chargers, Broncos) will collapse down the stretch.
While it’s a road game for Miami, it’s indoors. That allows them to run their Globetrotters offense, with Tua Tagovailoa masterfully keeping the defense guessing as to who has the ball.
The Texans clinch the division with a win and a Colts loss. More importantly, Houston will get a much-needed confidence boost by beating a contender — something they don’t do often enough.
3-10 Jets (-3) at 3-10 Jaguars, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth)
The loser of this one should be relegated to the UFL.
8-5 Commanders (-7.5) at 5-8 Saints, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Davis and Greg Olsen)
Jayden Daniels goes back to Louisiana with a chance to box out Bo Nix as the offensive rookie of the year. And it’s about more than postseason awards for the Commanders; the NFC West has a couple of teams that could chase Washington down for the No. 7.
The Saints likely won’t have quarterback Derek Carr, who has a left hand injury and a concussion. Jake Haener gets the start.
New Orleans is still alive for the division title, but they’re one game behind the Falcons and two behind the Bucs.
8-5 Ravens (-16) at 2-11 Giants, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty)
Once upon a time, a team from Baltimore faced the Giants in what has been dubbed The Greatest Game Ever Played.
This one could be the worst.
It all comes down to whether the Giants can muster something/anything against a team that seems better than its 8-5 record suggests. Stranger things have happened. For instance, Tommy DeVito somehow became the team’s starting quarterback.
5-8 Bengals (-5) at 3-10 Titans, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)
Titans coach Brian Callahan knows the Bengals well. But Cincinnati is surging toward a slim chance at making it to the postseason — and the Titans are playing out the string.
The Bengals have won back-to-back games only once this year, and they’re 2-7 in one-score games.
With a loss this week and a Denver win, the Bengals are done. With a win, there’s still a chance that the Week 17 showdown against the Broncos will have meaning.
Receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who didn’t get the contract he wanted before the season started, might push the bar to $40 million per year. He’s got 93 catches, 1,319 yards, and 15 touchdowns.
3-10 Patriots at 6-7 Cardinals (-6), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker and Jay Feely)
The Cardinals have fallen apart in recent weeks. If they lose another, they’ll be cooked.
The Patriots are playing only for pride — and possibly for the ongoing employment of coach Jerod Mayo.
6-7 Colts at 8-5 Broncos (-4), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)
The Broncos are the No. 7 seed and in. The Colts are the No. 8 seed and out. Indy, despite a tough season, has a chance to pull themselves into postseason contention.
The key is Anthony Richardson, who has unlimited talent but still needs work.
The Broncos hope to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
10-3 Bills at 12-1 Lions (-2.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)
It’s a potential Super Bowl preview between two of the league’s elite teams. Since Buffalo won in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day 2022, the Bills are 28-11 and the Lions are 31-8.
The challenge for the Bills will be to not be overpowered by the Detroit offensive line. The challenge for the Lions will be to slow down Josh Allen — and to figure out the line between aggressiveness and recklessness.
The Lions are seeking their 13th win for the first time in franchise history. Mainly because they’ve never been all that good since 1960, when the schedule expanded from 12 games to 14.
7-6 Buccaneers at 8-5 Chargers (-2.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez)
It’s a huge game for both teams. The Bucs have a one-game lead over the Falcons in the NFC South, and the Chargers are trying to stay in the wild-card field.
The key player will be Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield. Can he maximize the good (28 passing touchdowns this year) and minimize the not-good (13 interceptions).
The Chargers are 1-4 against teams with winning records, and 7-1 against teams with losing records.
10-3 Steelers at 11-2 Eagles (-5.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)
It’s the Pennsylvania State Championship. And the Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since 1965.
They’ll have to break a 10-game losing streak in Philly without receiver George Pickens. They need one or more of the other receivers (Mike Williams, Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek) to step up.
The Eagles spent much of the week trying to defuse the perception that there’s a personal issue between quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver A.J. Brown. It came off as hollow talking points that did little to conceal the fact that something is off.
Last year, the Eagles were nine games over .500 when the train derailed. This year, they’re now nine games over .500.
9-4 Packers (-3) at 8-5 Seahawks, Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)
The Packers have lost four games to three teams with a combined record of 34-5.
The Seahawks have surged from 4-5 to 8-5, with a playoff mindset settling in after the bye week. It has worked.
Seattle is chasing its first five-game winning streak since 2020. They’ll need to slow down Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs, who has eight rushing touchdowns in the last four games.
4-9 Bears at 11-3 Vikings (-6.5), Monday 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+ (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
The Vikings have three tough games to finish the season. This one is the trap.
Especially since the Bears looked horrible in their first post-Eberflus game.
The Vikings blew an 11-point lead in Chicago in Week 12 before winning in overtime. Since then, the Minnesota offense has found a higher level of performance, culminating in a 42-point outburst last Sunday.
The Bears have lost seven in a row since starting 4-2. The Vikings have won six in a row since starting 5-2.
6-7 Falcons (-4) at 2-11 Raiders, Monday 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN (Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, and Dan Orlovsky)
The Falcons keep circling the wagons around quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is mired in the worst slump of his career — four games, four losses, eight interceptions, no touchdown passes.
The Raiders have lost nine in a row. They haven’t lost 10 straight since 2014.
If the Falcons lose this one, will Atlanta pull the plug on Cousins and give rookie Michael Penix, Jr. a shot? Factors include the preferences of fans, other players, and ultimately the man who signs all the paychecks.
