Key events
Panthers – Buccaneers 3:0 5:04, 1st quarter
Tampa moves the ball deep into Carolina territory, but the Panthers force a big third down. With nine yards left, Jalen McMillan juggles a short pass but holds on. He took three bites of the cherry and managed to bring it back the first time.
TOUCHDOWN! Browns 7-7 Bills 7:47 1st quarter
Well, they started off slow. The running back accelerates the play by making a convoluted run to the left and then back across the field to avoid two free defenders. They just can't bring him down, so Cook levels him up.
TOUCHDOWN! Cowboys 7-0 Chargers 10:20 1st quarter
Our AFC playoff teams are off to a slow start.
Browns 7-0 Bills 10:09 1st quarter
Josh Allen runs running back for Buffalo. He rolls out, pretends to throw, and lifts the ball off the ground six yards. This is our Josh.
This is good! Panthers – Buccaneers 3:0 10:30, 1st quarter
Tampa stepped up its defense and got the stop. Carolina leads by a small margin.
TOUCHDOWN! Browns 7-0 Bills 10:42 1st quarter
A stunning start for Cleveland, which swept the field in eight games. Some beautiful piece is playing behind Sanders' hand.
Panthers – Buccaneers 0-0 13:20, 1st quarter
Carolina easily handles Tampa's tiring defense. Three passes and a 25-yard run from Jimmy Horn put them in the red zone.
Like this! On the way to the Browns and Panthers' offensive kickoffs in their respective matchups.
Did anyone see Chicago vs Green Bay last night? In case you missed it enjoy the bright moments. What a comeback from the Bears.talk about drama! Now Chicago just needs to beat either the 49ers or Lions to win the NFC North. Easy.
Elsewhere we have two teams amidst the eliminated straw looking to flex their muscles and punch your ticket to the postseason.
A Los Angeles Chargers win and a Colts loss to the 49ers on Monday or a Texans loss to the Raiders later would confirm Los Angeles' spot, while the scenario for the Buffalo Bills is exactly the same. A win and then a loss by the Colts or Texans also locks them into the playoffs. Bills fans will also be keeping an eye on the Chargers' record as a loss, with a win over the Browns giving Buffalo the fifth seed heading into Week 17.
Tonight's matchup between the Patriots and Ravens has nothing to do with the AFC East title. If New England loses to Miami or the New York Jets to end the season and Buffalo wins all three remaining games, then the Bills will take the crown. A Patriots loss to the Ravens will only help if they lose at least one game to the Browns, Eagles or Jets.
Now that all the boring stuff is out of the way, who wants to watch Cleveland's prodigious pass rusher Josh Garrett take on Buffalo's outstanding quarterback Josh Allen? Yes, me too. Garrett only needs one sack of Allen. earn 22.5 in a year and surpass NFL regular season record.
Preamble
Happy holiday football fans, may the 16th week be fun and bright for you! And good luck to everyone in your fantasy playoff semi-finals…if you made it! Now we're heading towards harsh reality NFL in the deepest December. There are playoff spots, seedings and underdogs that have yet to be sorted out and eliminated. We kick off in an early seven-game window starting at 12:00 p.m. CST/13:00 EST/18:00 GMT (home team listed first):
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(7-7) Carolina Panthers v Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
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(3-11) Cleveland Browns v Buffalo Bills (10-4)
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(6-7-1) Dallas Cowboys v Los Angeles Chargers (10-4)
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(6-8) Miami Dolphins v Cincinnati Bengals (4-10)
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(4-10) New Orleans Saints – New York Jets (3-11)
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(2-12) New York Giants – Minnesota Vikings (6-8)
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(2-12) Tennessee Titans v Kansas City Chiefs (6-8)
There's some serious drama going on in the ever-shaky NFC South. Carolina and Tampa Bay remain atop the division with seven wins and seven losses each. But the chances of reaching the postseason between these rivals are far from equal.
The Bucs currently hold the tiebreaker with the best record against their usual opponents (5-5 vs. 4-6 Carolina), so a win over the Panthers would improve their standings even further while increasing their chances of winning the title to 95% (per NFL.com). So Carolina only has a 5% chance if she loses today. For that slim chance, the Bucs would have to lose their next game to the eliminated Dolphins and lose to the Panthers at home when they play again in Week 18, while Carolina would also have to beat mighty Seattle the following week.
So far everything is so complicated. What it means to say realistically is that For Carolina, it's a game of “win or go home”. The win keeps the season alive. Keep knocking!
