The Christmas trees are coming down. The leftovers are being wrapped in tinfoil, and New Year’s plans are being made, which all mean one thing: it’s almost time for the NFL playoffs. It’s known as the most wonderful time of the year for a reason. But unfortunately, it’s only going to be wonderful for 14 teams, and 11 of those spots have already been reserved.
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Two playoff spots remain available in the AFC before Saturday and Sunday of Week 17, while there is only one spot remaining in the NFC. The two AFC clubs that’ll be worth keeping an eye on the most seem to be the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans, who are both painfully close to securing a playoff berth.
A win for both teams this weekend would spell curtains for the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens, who were both listed as the betting favorites to win the AFC outright at one point or another this season. A victory over the Cleveland Browns would elevate the Steelers to their third consecutive 10-win season, while a win over the Los Angeles Chargers would result in the Texans securing their first 11-win season since 2018.
Pittsburgh currently sports a 91% chance of making the playoffs, but Houston is sitting even prettier with a 97% chance. If the Steelers were to lose, they’d still have a 78% chance of making the playoffs, while a loss for the Texans would drop them to just 93%.
As far as the Ravens and the Colts are concerned, well, things are looking rather bleak. Baltimore currently has a 9% of reaching the postseason, while Indianapolis has had its odds reduced to just 3%.
Should the Ravens find a path to victory against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, then they’d at least boost their playoff odds to 21%, so that’s at least something. For the Colts, however, they are going to need some help no matter what.
A win against the Jacksonville Jaguars would only increase Indy’s playoff odds to 11%, meaning that they’d still need an inexplicable amount of luck just to cash in on the success that they enjoyed earlier in the season. Suffice to say, they are far removed from the days of controlling their own destiny, so unless the football gods decide to shine their light upon them, it seems as if their experiment with Philip Rivers will be deemed a failure.
Given the current state of things, fans should expect an absolute slobberknocker between the Chargers and the Texans, as one party is looking to secure a playoff spot while the other is still hoping to make a last-minute push for the AFC’s one seed. However, it doesn’t seem as if the second match-up of Saturday’s slate will live up to the hype.
The Ravens’ star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, has already been listed as questionable for the contest, and he’s actively trending towards not playing. While that would make for a fitting end to what has been a catastrophe of a season for both Jackson and Baltimore, it would also mark just the second time that Jackson has been eliminated from the playoffs since being drafted in 2018.
Simply put, enjoy the afternoon slate, and spend the nighttime with your loved ones, as there’s no need to pass up some holiday bonding time for a Tyler Huntley-led offense.
