Tag: Rooting guide

Commanders’ Week 18 rooting guide

Washington must lose and still may need some help hanging onto the No. 2 overall pick.

Week 18 is finally here. Fourteen NFL teams will begin preparing for the playoffs next week. The other 18 teams will get an early jump on the 2024 NFL offseason, with many teams expected to make coaching changes and others, front-office changes, too.

One of those teams is the Washington Commanders. New owner Josh Harris is expected to fire head coach Ron Rivera after Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, something Rivera has expected for a while.

Additionally, Washington will hire a new general manager since Rivera has been the organization’s top decision-maker since 2020, with current GM Martin Mayhew reporting to him.

So, what does that mean for the Week 18 finale?

While the Cowboys are playing for the NFC East title and the No. 2 overall seed, the most significant thing at stake for the Commanders is the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

That means nothing to the current staff or players. But it means everything for owner Josh Harris and Washington’s fan base. The upcoming draft has a few elite prospects, including two quarterbacks. Landing the No. 2 pick would ensure the Commanders one of those quarterbacks if they choose that route.

How can Washington clinch the No. 2 pick?

Well, it starts with losing on Sunday against the Cowboys. That should happen. However, Washington is tied with New England and Arizona with four wins. The Cardinals’ strength of schedule eliminates them from the No. 2 pick if all three teams lose on Sunday.

This likely comes down to the Commanders or Patriots. The Patriots play at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday against the New York Jets. New England is a slight favorite, having dominated the Jets over the years. Is this the week the Jets finally end that dominance?

If the Pats win, all Washington must do is lose against the Cowboys.

However, if the Patriots and Commanders lose, things get a little tricky.

The folks over at Tankathon have all the info you need on figuring out how the strength of schedule tiebreaker impacts Washington and New England.

Outside of the Commanders and Patriots, three games in particular will significantly impact the No. 2 pick. One of those games, the Saints vs. Falcons, could be the deciding factor.

The Commanders need the Saints to win. Also, the Packers and Raiders winning would also help Washington.

Two games on Saturday impacted the race for the No. 2 pick, but one went Washington’s way while the other went New England’s way, effectively negating both outcomes.

The Commanders need some help, but the most important factor is a Week 18 loss, which would be their eighth straight to end the season.

Colts in the playoff hunt: Week 17 rooting guide

Here is the rooting guide for Colts fans entering Week 17

The Indianapolis Colts (8-7) are still in control of their own playoff destiny with two games remaining in the 2023 regular season.

Coming off a rough loss on the road, the Colts will be looking to bounce back at home against a Las Vegas Raiders (7-8) squad that has found new life under interim head coach Antonio Pierce.

While the focus for the Colts will be solely on winning their game, we can take a look at how Indy can get some help in the playoff race through the other games on the Week 17 slate.

Here’s the rooting guide in Week 17 as the Colts make their final playoff push:

Playoff contender rooting guide for Broncos fans in Week 17

Making the playoffs is unlikely, but it’s still possible for the Broncos. Here’s a rooting guide for the best-case scenario Week 17 results.

The Denver Broncos (7-8) are technically still alive in the AFC playoff hunt, but not by much. The New York Times estimates that Denver has a 6% chance of reaching the postseason.

There are two ways the Broncos could still make the playoffs. The first way would be to win the AFC West. For that to happen, Denver would have to win out and the Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) would have to lose out.

Kansas City losing both of its remaining games seems extremely unlikely, so the second option might be more realistic (albeit still unlikely) for the Broncos. The second option would be to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. The best-case scenario would be getting in as the sixth seed.

In order to make the playoffs as in a Wild Card spot, Denver would need a lot of help from other teams. With that in mind, here is a handy Week 17 rooting guide for what results would put the Broncos in the best position to earn a Wild Card playoff berth.

Colts in the playoff hunt: Week 16 rooting guide

Here is the rooting guide for the Week 16 games as the Colts make their playoff push.

The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) control their own playoff destiny as they enter Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons (6-8) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 16.

Having won five of their last six games, the Colts are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They take on a Falcons squad that has lost five of their last seven and are turning back to Taylor Heinicke as the starting quarterback after Desmond Ridder was benched for the second time this season.

While the focus for the Colts will be solely on winning their game, we can take a look at how Indy can get some help in the playoff race through the other games on the Week 16 slate.

Here’s the rooting guide in Week 16 as the Colts make their final playoff push:

‘The Rams are our friends,’ for now: Cowboys Week 16 rooting guide

The Cowboys can still win the division and have the longest of shots at the No. 1 seed. However, even if they fail, the Rams could play a vital role in helping Dallas realize their ultimate goals. | From @KDDrummondNFL

An interesting thing has happened in the NFC playoff race. Without taking the field since being blown out by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, ending their five-game winning streak, the Dallas Cowboys got better. Mind you, they are the exact same caliber team they were before and after kickoff in Buffalo, but the goal-post movers lost a round of ammunition on Thursday. The Rams are now winners of five of their last six games after taking out the New Orleans Saints, improving to 8-7.

For those who have claimed Dallas is unable to win games against teams .500 or better, who are outside of the NFC East (which is high comedy how specific that knock is), they mitigated that the Week 2 win over the New York Jets (1-0) and the Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) didn’t count, because they were no longer above .500. But now the Rams, who were 3-4 when Dallas roasted them 43-20, qualify and raise the tide on the Cowboys’ resume.

That’s silly, of course, but so is the original argument. Dallas is who they are, a quality team regardless of what their opponents do outside of playing them. But the Rams are a great example, and also may be of help to the Cowboys come playoff time as well. In more ways than one, the Rams are our friends.

Playoff contender rooting guide for Broncos fans in Week 16

Here is a Week 16 rooting guide for Broncos fans this weekend — we want these teams to win to help Denver’s playoff chances.

In order to make the 2023 NFL playoffs, the Denver Broncos (7-7) likely have to win out and get some help from other teams to punch a postseason ticket as a Wild Card team.

So, who should Broncos fans be rooting for this weekend? Here’s a Week 16 rooting guide for games featuring the other playoff contenders in the AFC’s Wild Card race.

Cowboys-Eagles Week 14 gameday bible: Rooting guide, top prop bets, how to stream

Everything you need to full enjoy every part of Week 14, what to bet on, who to root for before SNF and every way to catch the game. | From @KDDrummondNFL

After 10 days off to heal nicks and bruises, and mentally focus on the coming stretch, it’s finally game day for the Dallas Cowboys. Winners of four straight, the Cowboys are now in the meaty part of their 2023 schedule. When first announced, the gauntlet was meant to have two equally challenging parts. Facing both New York teams, including the Giants twice, was supposed to mean three playoff teams on top of the San Francisco 49ers and the first matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Major regression to the mean happened for Brian Daboll’s troops and a Week 1 injury to Aaron Rodgers turned those contests into laughers. The other five tough contests have arrived, with the Cowboys taking out the Seattle Seahawks in a tasty Week 13 appetizer. That was the tune up; Sunday night’s rematch against the Eagles is the one of the main courses to be followed by road trips to Buffalo and Miami before returning home for the upstart Detroit Lions.

And while all of the games matter in the grand scheme of things, they lose some steam if the Cowboys aren’t able to even the series and the season-long records with the Eagles. From the perspective of winning the division and chasing a bye, this is a must-win game for the Cowboys. But they’ll have to wait through a days worth of action where those games could have an impact on Dallas’ pursuit as well.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to cheer during those games, how to wager on the Cowboys-Eagles matchup and how to catch the action if you’re away from your TV screens.

Week 12 Rooting Guide: Best outcomes for Ravens with playoff picture developing

We’re looking at the Week 12 rooting guide for the Baltimore Ravens with the AFC playoff picture developing

The Ravens (8-3) have won five of their past six games and are set to travel to the West Coast for an intriguing battle with the Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) on NBC’s Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET
kickoff).

Baltimore is tied with Miami for the AFC’s best record, but the Dolphins’ 34-13 win over the New York Jets gives the No. 1 seed for now.

The Los Angeles Chargers are trying to avoid falling entirely out of playoff contention after a 23-20 loss to the Packers in Week 11.

With only one of the four Thanksgiving and Black Friday games featuring AFC teams, we’re providing a rooting guide for the Sunday and Monday slate of games.

The 8 most important games to Cowboys’ longshot No.1 seed hopes

A look at the remaining 2023 games that can most help Dallas’ longshot pursuit of a No. 1 seed. It’s unlikely, but here’s what would help immensely. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Cowboys are, more than likely, going to need to finish 13-4 to have any semblance of hope in capturing the prize. Running the table would be ideal, and still might not even be enough, but in order to finish as the No. 1 NFC seed, they can likely afford just one more loss. That future defeat certainly can’t come in Week 14 or Week 17.

The pursuit is, again in all likelihood, over if they lose either against the Philadelphia Eagles or even the Detroit Lions. But even with a near-flawless execution of their remaining gauntlet, Dallas will need assistance to make their way to the top of the totem. Here’s a look at the most influential contests that Dallas won’t be a part of, but need to be intently watching the results of.

Week 11 Rooting Guide: Best outcomes for Ravens with playoff picture developing

We’re looking at the Week 11 rooting guide for fans as the Baltimore Ravens could land the top spot in the AFC with a Chiefs loss to the Eagles

The Ravens are 8-3 and looking dominant again after Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter to help Baltimore beat Cincinnati 34-20 Thursday night.

The short week now allows John Harbaugh’s team to get some rest, and the weekend will provide fans of both teams ample opportunity to see plenty of other intriguing NFL action from the AFC and NFC.

The remaining Week 11 games offer an opportunity to root against rival AFC foes.  Baltimore could enter Monday night as the top team in the conference with a Philadelphia win over Kansas City.

With kickoff for the Sunday games fast approaching, here’s an updated rooting guide.