There will be a ton of thrilling NFL action throughout the next holiday weekend. NFL playoff picture week 16 is live! Christmas Eve (Sunday) will include ten games, and Christmas Day (Monday) will have three more matchups. However, football fans don’t even have to wait that long to get their fix.
On Saturday, there are two AFC games that might affect the postseason landscape. The AFC North game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will take place first, followed by the nightcap between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Here’s a summary of the NFL playoff landscape before Week 16 action picks back up, along with an analysis of Saturday’s games and how they might affect the playoffs mix.
NFL Playoff Picture Week 16
AFC
Bye: No. 1 Baltimore Ravens (11-3)
No. 2 Miami Dolphins (10-4) vs. No. 7 Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs (9-5) vs. No. 6 Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6) vs. No. 5 Cleveland Browns (9-5)
In the hunt: Houston Texans (8-6), Buffalo Bills (8-6), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7), Denver Broncos (7-7), Las Vegas Raiders (6-8), Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
Bryce Young QB rankings in 2023 season
| NFL RANK | ||
|---|---|---|
| Comp Pct | 59% | 2nd-worst |
| Pass Yards/Att | 5.3 | Worst |
| TD-INT | 9-9 | 2nd-worst |
| Passer Rating | 72.2 | Worst |
NFC
Bye: No. 1 San Francisco 49ers (11-3)
No. 2 Dallas Cowboys (10-4) vs. No. 7 Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
No. 3 Detroit Lions (10-4) vs. No. 6 Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles (10-4)
In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (7-7), New Orleans Saints (7-8), Atlanta Falcons (6-8), Green Bay Packers (6-8), New York Giants (5-9), Chicago Bears (5-9)
Cowboys by location this season
HOME | ROAD | |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 7-0* | 3-4 |
| PPG | 39.9* | 21.7 |
| PPG allowed | 15.4* | 22.3 |
| Point differential | +171* | -4 |
| Total YPG | 431.7* | 304.6 |
| Total YPG allowed | 289.4 | 299.1 |
| Turnover margin | +10* | -1 |
| Third-down percentage | 53.6%* | 43.3% |
| Time of possession | 35:11* | 28:32 |
AFC North Clash Pivotal to Wild-Card Hunt
With all four teams now playing at.500 or above, the AFC North is among the NFL’s toughest divisions this year. The Browns and Bengals are both in playoff situations right now, and the Steelers aren’t far behind, even though the Ravens are dominating the division title.
Pittsburgh will play Cincinnati at home on Saturday in a repeat of Week 12. In the previous encounter between the rivals, the Bengals played their first complete game without quarterback Joe Burrow (out for the season due to wrist surgery), and the Steelers narrowly prevailed 16-10.
Cincinnati, on the other hand, has won three straight against Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Minnesota and hasn’t lost since. In the three victories, Jake Browning, the Bengals’ new quarterback, has become comfortable in his role, throwing for 953 yards and five touchdowns.
Cincinnati is one of four teams tied at 8-6 in the AFC, despite being the current No. 6 seed. Therefore, it must continue to win in order to guarantee a postseason spot; else, teams like Pittsburgh (7-7) could take advantage.
Due to Kenny Pickett’s ankle injury, the Steelers have lost their last three games. They have also started Mitch Trubisky at quarterback in each of those contests. However, they’re switching quarterbacks again for Week 16, benching Trubisky and going with Mason Rudolph.
Rudolph, 28, will try to put a stop to Pittsburgh’s current problems. However, given how good Cincinnati has been playing lately, it won’t be simple.
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