Week 16 Preview: Final Playoff Push and a Team to Beware of

We’re almost there, folks; we’re reaching the end of the 2012 regular season. For some fans the end of the season couldn’t come fast enough (cough cough Jets), while other fans are gearing up for the playoffs. This week will serve as not only the last meaningful week of games but possibly the most important week all season. The NFC West, AFC North and NFC East are all up for grabs while seeding and wild card spots have yet to be decided. In addition, Week 16 is championship in many fantasy football leagues. Suffice it to say, what happens this week will have a major bearing on how we remember the 2012 NFL season.

As usual, I’ll cover the games of note.

Dallas vs. New Orleans: When is the other shoe going to drop for these Cowboys? They’ve somehow stayed alive the past two weeks while defeating quality opponents in the Bengals and Steelers. The Cowboys have now won five of six and the embattled Tony Romo has been quietly great in that time (67% 1875 Yards 12 TD 3 INT).  Yet, the knock on the Romo-era Cowboys has always been that they’ve never been able to get the big win when they need it. Meanwhile, New Orleans has no chance at the playoffs but don’t tell them that. They played their best game all season last week when they walloped the Buccaneers, 41-0. This may be just the type of momentum the Saints need to finish out a disappointing season in a positive manner.

Green Bay vs. Tennessee: While Green Bay has wrapped up their second consecutive NFC North crown; the Pack may still be able to earn a first-round bye. If San Francisco loses at Seattle (very possible), the Packers would be in control of their own destiny. In addition, Aaron Rodgers is working on one of the finest non-MVP seasons ever (314-474, 65.6%, 3588 yards, 32 TD 8 INT 248 rush yards) and will be looking to earn his fourth 4000-yard season in five years.

Washington vs. Philadelphia: Amazingly, the Redskins find themselves in first place in the NFC East with two weeks remaining in the season. Robert Griffin III will likely be in the lineup this week which should almost guarantee them a win over the lowly Eagles. But, as the cliché goes, anyone can beat anyone on any given Sunday. The Redskins can’t overlook this matchup against the Eagles if they want their showdown against Dallas to mean anything next week.

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: This game is essentially a play-in game for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. If the Steelers win, they’re not guaranteed a playoff spot but it would obviously go a long way to help them stay alive. But, if the Bengals and the Ravens lose, next week’s matchup between the teams will be for the division title. So…

Baltimore vs. New York Giants: The Ravens absolutely have to win this game to get their season back on track. If they lose, they’ll either have to face a hot Bengals team for the division or face a Bengals team fighting for its playoff life. This could drop Baltimore all the way down to the six-seed and would earn them a trip to New England in the wild-card round.  This is also a huge game for the Giants who no longer control their own destiny.  The G-Men need both the Redskins and Cowboys to lose one of their final two games and need to win both of their final two games to earn a second consecutive division title.

Houston vs. Minnesota: Yes, Houston still needs a win and/or Broncos loss to clinch the homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. But that’s not the most important aspect of this game. But that’s not even close to the most important aspect of this game. Adrian Peterson’s performance against Houston’s fifth-ranked run defense will determine whether or not he has a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s all-time single- season rushing record. I’ll have more on AP’s season in the next couple weeks.

Denver vs. Cleveland: Pretty simple here; Denver needs to win to keep their hopes of earning a first-round bye alive. Smart money is on Manning and Co. getting the job done against the Browns.

Chicago vs. Arizona: The Bears could possibly be headed for a second consecutive impossibly bad late-season collapse. Luckily, the scheduling Gods were on their side when they gave the Bears matchups against the Cardinals and Lions to close out the season. The Bears just need to take care of business in these final two contests and they’ll earn a trip to the playoffs.

Seattle vs. San Francisco: Hungry Dog Blog Official Game of the Week!  The Seahawks are technically still in the hunt for a division title. However, with the Niners facing off against Arizona next week, this isn’t likely to happen. The most important aspect of this matchup is for the Seahawks to prove to themselves that they are capable of beating the mighty 49ers. The Seahawks have really come on in the past few weeks, this could be bigger than most people realize. Every year a team comes on late and makes far more noise in the playoffs than expected (2011 Giants, 10 Packers, 09 Jets, 08 Eagles, 07 Giants). Watch out for these Seahawks, they’re more than capable of making some noise this January no matter how they do in this matchup.

Stay Hungry My Friends