Week 15 in the NFL is sure to be an exciting one with playoff hopes on the line.
The week kicks off in Seattle as the Jeff Fisher-less Rams travel to take on the Seahawks. Richard Sherman has been complaining about his Thursday Night Football matchup all week, but, his team is about to play a 4-9 squad that decided to fire its coach on the Monday before a Thursday night game. The Seahawks should have nothing to worry about after the Rams made the decision to fire Fisher ahead of a matchup with the only team he’s been consistently successful at taking down in recent years. The Rams swept the Seahawks in 2015 and one of their four wins of the year also came in a 9-3 victory over the 8-4-1 Seahawks. If there was a week for the Rams to part ways with Fisher, which there have been plenty of, this was not it. Maybe the Rams just didn’t want a fifth win this season, which would have worsened their draft stock.
But, onto the rest of the week... The Bengals vs Steelers game was flexed out of primetime this week and will be on at 1:00 p.m. on CBS. Much of the east and west coasts will have the game on their TV, as will most of Ohio (save for the Cleveland area). Here are the TV maps, via 506sports.com:
On Fox, the early games aren’t entirely intriguing, though the Ravens and Eagles will be playing, with Baltimore’s playoff hopes on the line. The Ravens need all the wins they can get to grab back the division lead from the Steelers. And the Eagles are a good team to be facing when you need a win, as the Bengals learned.
After the Bengals game, the Patriots vs Broncos game will be on CBS. That game also has playoff implications as the Broncos are hoping to stay alive in the race for a Wild Card seed. If you’re of the belief that the Bengals have a shot at sneaking into the playoffs via a Wild Card seed, you should be rooting for the Patriots.
Sunday Night Football ends a long day of NFL action with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveling to Dallas to take on the now 11-2 Cowboys. The Cowboys were in primetime just last Sunday, and “America’s team”, as Dak Prescott loves to call them, is back in the spotlight again. The Buccaneers are flying high at 8-5, but the only team to take down the Cowboys this year has been the Giants. Will Jameis Winston and co. hand the Cowboys their second loss in two weeks?
Monday Night Football ends the week with the disappointing Carolina Panthers traveling to Washington. The Redskins area hoping to keep their playoff chances alive and they’re currently the first team out of the standings. A Washington win and a Tampa Bay loss would shake up the NFC playoff picture, which could very possibly happen in the final two matchups of the week.
Which games will you be watching this weekend?