The final week of the 2019 NFL regular season has arrived, and many postseason scenarios remain to be determined.
Only one NFC playoff berth has yet to be awarded — the NFC East championship. The Philadelphia Eagles can clinch the division title and the No. 4 seed with a win at the New York Giants. If the Eagles lose, the Dallas Cowboys can steal the last playoff spot with a victory over the visiting Washington Redskins.
Meantime, the San Francisco 49ers look to clinch the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. The Seahawks, who have reunited with popular running back Marshawn Lynch, also can win the division with a victory, but will need help from the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints in order to get the top seed.
Over in the AFC, the final playoff spot remains up for grabs, and the Tennessee Titans can clinch it with a win against the Houston Texans. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders also remain in contention if the Titans lose in Houston.
The Baltimore Ravens are locked into the AFC’s top seed, but the New England Patriots can clinch the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye with a win over the visiting Miami Dolphins. If the Pats stumble, the Kansas City Chiefs can sneak into the No. 2 spot with a win against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.
You can find all the Week 17 NFL postseason scenarios and complete playoff picture here. To see which games will be shown on network TV in your area, visit our Week 17 game maps article here.
Without further ado, here are your NFL game previews for Sunday, Dec. 29:
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox
Records: Packers 12-3, Lions 3-11-1
Line: Packers by 12½
Satellite radio: Packers feed on Sirius 138 (streaming 811), Lions feed on Sirius 83 (streaming 810)
Packers’ keys: Run effectively with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams and attacking the underbelly of the Lions’ defense with running backs in the passing game should work splendidly. QB Aaron Rodgers can stretch the defense with deep shots to WR Geronimo Allison and TE Jimmy Graham.
Lions’ keys: If they are to pull off a wildly improbable upset, it will come from the defense making big plays. CB Darius Slay is capable of doing that but needs help from the likes of youngsters CB Amani Oruwariye and S Tracy Walker. The offense around rookie QB David Blough is missing several key pieces, but WR Kenny Golladay remains one of the NFL’s premium red-zone weapons.
Who wins? Packers are vying for playoff seeding. Packers 37, Lions 13
— Jeff Risdon
GB@Det / NYJ@Buf / Cle@Cin / LAC@KC / Chi@Min / Mia@NE / Atl @TB / NO@Car / Was@Dal / Oak@Den / Ari@LAR / Phi@NYG / Ind@Jax / Pit@Bal / Ten@Hou / SF@Sea