NFL Week 17 Schedule: Plenty of playoff intrigue on final day of 2020 season

Week 17 in the NFL is always a madhouse. With games affecting playoff seeding taking place across the entire league and every one of the 32 teams in action on the same day, it is usually the most exciting single day of the year from a pure football intrigue perspective.

This year is no different. Any of three teams could earn the top seed in the NFC this year, depending on the results of three games kicking off in the late afternoon. The Green Bay Packers hold the best cards, needing a win or a tie to lock up that spot and the conference’s only first-round bye. However, New Orleans or Seattle could jump up and take the top spot if the Packers fall in Chicago.

Meanwhile, the Bears will be fighting for their lives, needing a victory to lock up a playoff spot. If they lose to the Packers, the Arizona Cardinals could claim the NFC’s final postseason berth by beating the Los Angeles Rams, who will not have their starting quarterback, Jared Goff, in this game.

In the AFC, seeding is primarily on the line, with five teams fighting for the final four playoff spots. The Ravens, Browns, Dolphins, Colts, and Titans all sit at 10-5 on the season, and one of these teams will be left out. The Colts are the one team on this list that cannot clinch by simply winning their game, but they can leap over any of the others if Indianapolis wins and one of the other teams loses. The two AFC South teams will take the field in the afternoon with the division on the line but knowing what happened in the earlier games.

Then there’s the NFC East. Sunday Night Football gets Washington against Philadelphia, with Washington having a chance to win the division with a victory. However, an Eagles win will open up the division for the winner of the Cowboys-Giants game earlier in the day to sneak into the playoffs with a 7-9 or 6-10 record.

Join us here throughout the day to discuss all of the games as we follow along.