Robert Griffin vs. Tony Romo and Adrian Peterson going for the rushing record are among the highlights of a fantastic last weekend of the NFL regular season.
The last game before the playoffs. The final weekend of the regular season. A chance to make a statement going into the coldest winter months, or an opportunity to continue limboing toward that lowest possible draft pick. Either way, Week 17 means something even in an NFL where every game means something. Here's what to know about each game, and which ones you should focus your limited time on, based on whether they determine nothing, have seeding implications, or mean everything for the teams involved.
THE GAMES YOU CAN IGNORE
Image by Adam Hunger / Reuters
1 p.m.
Jets at Bills: Ryan Fitzpatrick and Mark Sanchez square off to 1) determine who will come in last in the AFC East, and 2) provide an audition tape for other suitors next year, because they've both pretty much worn out their welcome on their respective teams.
Buccaneers at Falcons: Atlanta has the #1 seed in the NFC, along with home-field advantage, locked up, and since the Bucs are both well clear of the playoffs and no longer relevant thanks to the end of fantasy leagues — we had a good run, Doug Martin — there's nothing to see here. That is, unless you'd like to continue rubbernecking at the implosion of Josh Freeman.
Panthers at Saints: If you'd like to watch two mediocre, underachieving football teams complete the last stage of dragging down their supremely talented quarterbacks, than boy, do I have the game for you!
Browns at Steelers: As a normal human being capable of love and emotion, you probably hate the Steelers. Therefore, you probably rejoiced last week when Pittsburgh tripped and fell down the sluggish, semi-operational escalator that is the Cincinnati Bengals. (As a metaphor, I will also accept that the Bengals are like those moving walkways in airports.) And this week, you'll probably pull for the Browns to beat the Steelers and make them feel bad. Or maybe you're a Steelers fan, in which case, ah, well, you can't win the Super Bowl every year.
4:25 p.m.
Raiders at Chargers: Whichever team wins this game should get to move to Los Angeles so they can be relevant again.
THE GAMES THAT MEAN SOMETHING BUT NOT EVERYTHING
Image by Elise Amendola / AP
