The Los Angeles Chargers can take some of the suspense out of the AFC playoff picture on Saturday, taking on the New England Patriots. Jim Harbaugh’s bunch can sew up one of the two remaining spots on the AFC side of the playoff bracket with a win over the 3-12 Patriots, who’ve struggled in a rebuilding year in their first season post-Bill Belichick. The Chargers — who enter Week 17 at 9-6 — have lost three of their last five games and are trying to build some momentum for an eventual playoff run that would start on the road, with the Chiefs having won the AFC West. The Patriots have lost six of their last seven, but rookie quarterback Drake Maye has shown some promise, completing nearly 70% of his throws in that stretch.
Saturday’s second game has some playoff implications in the AFC as the 9-6 Denver Broncos head to Cincinnati to take on the 7-8 Bengals. Denver can wrap up a playoff berth with a win over the Bengals, who need a win to stay alive in the postseason hunt. The Bengals have won three in a row to stay in it behind one of the league’s most explosive offenses — Joe Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards and is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes — while Denver had its four-game win streak end last week against the Chargers.
In the NFC, the Rams can win the NFC West with a win over the Arizona Cardinals Saturday night, thanks to clinching a strength-of-victory tie-breaker over Seattle. The Cardinals were eliminated from playoff contention last week with a loss to the Panthers. The Rams are closing well, having won their last four games, but they’ve scored just 31 total points in wins over the 49ers and Jets over the past two weeks.
Week 17 NFL Saturday schedule
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