Watching the West… Later This Weekend
We’ve reached the point where there’s nothing left to watch if the Rams win on Thursday. That’s the great thing about controlling your playoff destination as well as playing first in Week 16.
But in the interest of a rooting guide, here’s your Red Zone menu. Let’s start with the easy ones.
Go Colts, of course. And Steelers. And Commanders.
While we’re at it…sure, why not? Go Cardinals, too. If you’re watching that Falcons draft pick, Atlanta has five wins whereas the Commanders, Saints, and Bengals have four. So those are the teams you want to pick up victories down the stretch.
Where are you on the Bears and Packers? Green Bay’s loss in Denver, and the even more consequential personnel losses, changed the dynamic. Whereas I didn’t necessarily think it was in the Rams’ best interest for the Packers to win Round One with the Bears, now I would concede that a bit of breathing room relative to Chicago might be valuable. What really tips the scales, however, is the desire for the Bears to have their backs against the wall when they travel to Santa Clara next week. So, whatever will make them supremely motivated, I guess?
And how about the battle for the NFC South? The Bucs and Panthers will play twice in the final three weeks to decide that division. Whichever team prevails will get a home game on Wild Card weekend, and it’s entirely possible they’ll host the loser of Rams-Seahawks.