In the second-to-last week of the NFL season, the NFC West teams will be feeling the pressure. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks have a critical game. Later on Sunday, Lambeau Field is the site of a massive game between the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans.
The AFC also has some exciting matchups: on Sunday afternoon, the Indianapolis Colts will be in Pittsburgh. It will be fun to see the first matchup between Big Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers since the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-30, late in the 2018 season.
Then on Monday night, the New England Patriots host the Buffalo Bills. Bill Belichick and the Patriots struggled to find their footing early in the season, while the Bills took over the AFC East. The Bills will finally look to turn the AFC East in their favor near the end of 2020.
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Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks: Sunday, December 27, 4:05 pm eastern (CenturyLink Field)
The Rams have had the upper hand recently against the Seahawks. However, in Week 5 last year, the Seahawks moved to 4-1 with a 30-29 victory and a late-game score from Russell Wilson to Chris Carson.
Everyone should be ready for this contest, as the scoring should be aplenty. In the first of the two meetings last year, each team scored in every quarter. Then in Week 14, the Rams dominated their way to a 28-12 victory for their eighth win of the season in 2019.
Unfortunately, Los Angeles finished with a 9-7 record in 2019 and missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Quarterback Jared Goff and head coach Sean McVay have been a tremendous tandem for the Rams since they joined forces in 2017. Goff struggled through an 0-7 record in 2016 before becoming arguably a franchise quarterback. In 2019, Goff finished second in the NFL with 394 completions after finishing in the top six in touchdown throws in each of the previous two seasons.
On the other side of the football is Russell Wilson, who is competing for his first Most Valuable Player Award of his NFL career. His passer rating and yards per passing attempt have been outstanding in 2020, but he and the Seahawks offensive line have to deal with six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald. These two playoff teams should provide a fantastic afternoon football game.
Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers: Sunday, December 27, 8:20 pm eastern (Lambeau Field)
While Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and the Packers took the NFL by storm early in the season, it was the Titans who started 2020 with a better record. While Ryan Tannehill may not win 70 percent of his regular-season games as he did for the Titans in 2019, he still has Tennessee playing strong football. This matchup between two very impressive offenses should be a fun one to watch on Sunday night.
Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and the Titans have surprised the football world with their impressive start to the season. Tennessee’s offense has been explosive, and Henry has a decent chance at winning the rushing title in back-to-back seasons. Tannehill was very efficient in 2019 with a league-leading 9.6 yards per passing attempt. He also has set a new career-high in game-winning drives.
Both the Titans and Packers have impressed the NFL with their ability to limit turnovers in 2020. Early in the season, Tennessee and Green Bay were the two best teams in that category.
Unfortunately for the Titans, three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan tore his ACL in Week 6 and is out for the 2020 season. Lewan missed four games last year, and in those games, the Titans went 2-2, but Henry produced 310 rushing yards and four total touchdowns in those games.
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers: Sunday, December 27, 1:00 pm eastern (Heinz Field)
The Steelers have owned the Colts during their respective histories in the league, but they recently played some close contests. Last year, the quarterbacks were different, but they played to an entertaining finish.
Colts signal-caller Brian Hoyer connected on a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chester Rogers. However, Indianapolis was unable to convert the two-point conversion. Then, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell made his 26-yard field goal attempt to get Pittsburgh the two-point win. Each team scored in every quarter of the contest.
Ben Roethlisberger recovered from his 2019 injury over the offseason, and the Colts signed Philip Rivers to make for an exciting matchup in 2020. The quarterbacks will make for a fantastic game, but the defense and special teams could be important for this contest. Last year, Minkah Fitzpatrick had a 96-yard interception return touchdown. Boswell made all six of his kicks, including four field goals. Adam Vinatieri, who has since been replaced, missed two kicks.
Steelers second-year linebacker Devin Bush Jr., who made the 2019 NFL All-Rookie Team, is unfortunately out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Pittsburgh’s defense had a tremendous start to 2020. Meanwhile, Colts rookie cornerback and kick returner Isaiah Rodgers looks to make an impact on special teams. He returned a kick 101 yards for a touchdown in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: Monday, December 28, 8:15 pm eastern (Gillette Stadium)
Can 2020 be the year of the Bills? With Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, Buffalo jumped out to a great start in the AFC East. Fortunately for the Bills and Patriots, they have the New York Jets in their division. For future years, they will have to deal with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, though. Josh Allen and Cam Newton are also vying to be the top quarterback in the division.
In his third year in the league, Allen is hoping to build on his first playoff appearance. In 2019, he brought the Bills to their second postseason in three years. The 2017 Wild Card Round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars was their first playoff game since 1999. Tyrod Taylor started that game for the Bills. They then drafted Allen No. 7 overall in 2018. Buffalo has not won a playoff game since 1996. Maybe Allen can help the Bills bounce back and win a playoff game in 2020.
Regarding the Patriots, they lost an abundance of players because many opted out before the season. New England did not have a strong start to the year, and it even included a loss to the Denver Broncos in which the Patriots did not allow a touchdown. Heading into 2020, New England dominated the recent meetings with the Bills, but we will see if Newton has the same success as Brady.
Top Players of Week 16 to Watch
Josh Allen – Quarterback, Buffalo Bills
At the beginning of the season, Josh Allen showed that he was the leader of the team. While the rushing offense, passing defense, and rushing defense were all in the bottom 10 to begin the season, the passing offense was where the Bills were succeeding.
Allen threw for just 20 touchdowns in 2019 after having more interceptions (12) than passing touchdowns (10) in his rookie year (2018). Allen had a combined 17 rushing touchdowns in his first two years in the league on the bright side.
He may be setting all new career-highs in 2020, as he is throwing on target a lot more in his third NFL season. Allen’s quarterback rating is very strong, and his QBR may be twice as high this year than it was last season.
Allen needs to improve his end-of-season performance, as Buffalo suffered a three-game losing streak to end 2019. Allen’s Bills dropped a game to the Patriots and lost in the Wild Card Round to the Houston Texans.
Ben Roethlisberger – Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers
Can Ben Roethlisberger be the Comeback Player of the Year Award winner in 2020? He looks to bring the Steelers to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Roethlisberger has spent most of his career with head coach Mike Tomlin, and they have enjoyed a lot of playoff success together. Roethlisberger won a Super Bowl championship with Bill Cowher and then won one with Tomlin three years later.
As the Steelers ready themselves for the postseason, they hope to make their first Super Bowl in a decade. Roethlisberger turns 39 years old on March 2, 2021, and he is throwing the ball very well for the Steelers.
While Roethlisberger might not be the quarterback he was a decade ago, Pittsburgh fans should have confidence from now on with him under center.
Ryan Tannehill – Quarterback, Tennessee Titans
Another quarterback throwing the ball very well in 2020 is Ryan Tannehill, who has revitalized the Titans franchise. With Mike Vrabel starting his Titans tenure with multiple 9-7 seasons, he is much prouder of his second year as the head coach (2019).
In Tannehill’s first career postseason last year, he won two games, as he defeated Tom Brady’s Patriots and Lamar Jackson’s Ravens.
Will we be witness to an even better second postseason for Tannehill? In the AFC Conference Championship Game last year, the Titans fell, 35-24, to the eventual champion Chiefs.
If Tannehill can lead the potent Tennessee offense to a Super Bowl appearance, then the limits are endless for him. He is showing that he can be an impressive quarterback in the league.
Conclusion
The Packers, Seahawks, and Rams all have the talent to be the best team in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Jared Goff can each impress in the upcoming postseason.
While the Seahawks rely on their offense and the Rams may have to depend on their defense, the Packers seem to have the right mix on both sides of the football. Green Bay has a tough test against a well-balanced Titans team, while the NFC West showdown will be an entertaining one, too.
The Bills are hoping to take the next step as they officially take the AFC East crown from the Patriots. Meanwhile, the AFC North and AFC South divisions are also going to see if the Steelers or Colts can reign supreme this week.