Week 13
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In the game slated for the NBC Sunday Night Football
timeslot, the defending NFC Champion Carolina Panthers will travel to the
Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks. The last time the two teams
met, in the Divisional Round of last year’s playoffs, Carolina jumped out to a
31-0 first half lead. Seattle clawed its way back in the second half, but fell
short at 31-24. Both teams are lead by superstar quarterbacks and (Cam Newton
for Carolina, Russell Wilson for Seattle) and unrelenting defenses with
playmakers of their own (Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly for the Panthers, Richard
Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Brandon Browner for the Seahawks). If their seasons
go according to plan, both teams should enter the game with records in the 9-2
range, barring any unforeseen circumstances. And while Carolina may feel like
they have the upper hand, Seattle’s 12th-man home-field advantage is
one of the best in the league and provides them a boost that pushes them past most
of their opponents.
Week 14
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In an atypical, cross-division matchup, the firepower of the
Cardinals will be looking to push towards a division crown and possible
first-round bye while the Dolphins will be fighting for their playoff lives.
Larry Fitzgerald and Jarvis Landry are two of the best open-field playmakers in
the game, and both defenses feature can’t-miss talents and household names.
Both teams will throw everything they have at each other, so don’t expect to
find even a kitchen sink by the end of it.
Week 15
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It won’t have the same zeal as the old Brady-Manning bowls,
but with playoff hopes on the line and the NFL’s best defense going up against the
NFL’s best game-planning head coach, the matchup should still be entertaining.
How many times will Von Miller and Demarcus Ware drive Tom Brady into the turf?
Will the Bronco quarterback, whoever it will be at that point, be composed
enough to manage the Pats defense? Will freezing temperatures help or hurt both
teams? Tune in to find out.
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Pittsburgh eliminated Cincinnati from the playoffs last
year. This final matchup of the 2016 season could be the Bengals’ opportunity
to return the favor and keep the Steelers out, should the circumstances work
out that way. Andy Dalton has the regular-season acumen to pull it off, but Big
Ben Roethlisberger is one of the sturdiest, big-game-experienced quarterbacks
ever. And both teams just plain don’t like each other. Physicality and
animosity will abound.
Week 16
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This game will determine the division, unless other things
go awry. Palmer versus Seattle’s defense and Wilson versus Arizona’s defense.
Superstars, Pro Bowlers and All-Pros will litter the field on both sides of the
ball, bringing everything they have to earn the division title and a possible
first-round by in the playoffs.
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A rare non-divisional matchup at the end of the season pits
two teams against each other who will each be making pushes to end the season
well while attempting to position themselves for the playoffs. The Colts will
be hoping to gain momentum heading into their last game of the season against
the Jaguars. The AC/DC receiver/QB combination of Amari Cooper and Derek Carr
is going to be one the best in the business over the next few years, as are the
Colts tandem of T.Y. Hilton and Andrew Luck. Slowing these duos down is the key
to success for either team in this matchup.
Week 17
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The Jets somehow manage to always find themselves
controlling their own destiny in the last game of the season. There doesn't seem to be any reason to expect otherwise this year. And with the upstart Bills gaining some momentum over the past two seasons, this matchup in the last week could propel one of these teams into the postseason while sending the other packing.
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Two years ago, this game would have been a joke. Andrew Luck as an elite quarterback, easily dispatching of the lowly Jaguars and putting the final mark down on a division championship before heading into the playoffs. This year will be a different story. Jacksonville has quietly put together a team that is ready to burst back into the championship-caliber conversation. "Championship" may be aiming optimistically high, but the talent on offense is there (Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, TJ Yeldon), the defense is stacking up (Malik Jackson, Jalen Ramsey, Paul Posluszny, Myles Jack), and expectations have increased as a result. And with the struggles Andrew Luck had last year, the underachieving Texans were able to win the division with just a 9-7 record last season. It will be a major surprise if this game does not crown the AFC South champion.
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