It creeps into everyone’s conversation and thoughts as the NFL season winds down. It’s a word most coaches and players try to avoid uttering, yet always are aware of.
Clinch.
The Patriots, Broncos and Colts are on the verge of clinching their divisions, while the Packers and Cardinals can reach out and grab playoff berths this week.
“Coach (Bill Belichick) hasn’t mentioned that today. Normally he has,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said during the week. “You’re playing for a division championship, so it’s a very important game. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point.”
It is not lost on anyone that the three AFC clubs with a chance to earn division crowns also have premier quarterbacks: Brady, Denver’s Peyton Manning and Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck.
So, of course, does Green Bay, which with a win and a combination of losses elsewhere will secure a postseason spot. Aaron Rodgers has been impeccable at home, and not too shoddy on the road, either: Rodgers leads the league in passing by a wide margin as the Packers head to Buffalo.
“Oh man, it’s crazy,” Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said of the way Rodgers creates big plays out of nothing. “... Him throwing across his body 40 yards and just flipping the ball, that makes the game so much more hard. So we’re just going to have to try our best to contain and get after him the best way we can.”
The weekend began Thursday night with Arizona remaining the NFC’s top seed in a field goal battle, defeating the Rams 12-6. The injury-ravaged Cardinals (11-3), leaders of the West, got four field goals from rookie Chandler Catanzaro, but also lost quarterback Drew Stanton to a new injury at St. Louis (6-8).
Arizona will clinch a playoff spot if Sunday’s Dallas-Philadelphia game doesn’t end in a tie, or with a Detroit loss combined with a Green Bay victory.
Miami (7-6) at New England (10-3)
The Dolphins rallied in the heat to beat the Patriots in the season opener. It won’t be hot in Foxborough, and New England will be a hefty favorite to grab its 12th division crown in 14 years.
By winning out, the Patriots also will have home-field advantage for the conference playoffs.
Miami has little wiggle room in its quest for a playoff spot, but has won two straight against New England.
“It just shows that we can compete with the team,” cornerback Brent Grimes said. “We can give any team a hard time, just pressuring the quarterback and things like that, covering guys. We just have to carry it out for four quarters and it shows that we can do that.”
Denver (10-3) at San Diego (8-5)
Denver has won the past three in the series and seven of eight overall. Continuing that trend would give the Broncos their fourth straight division crown.
Manning didn’t throw for a TD last week against Buffalo, ending a 51-game string. He’s not necessarily concerned about starting a new streak as long as the wins keep coming.
“I’ve always said that every game takes on different identities and sometimes you have a couple of games in a row or two or three games in a row,” he said.
With regular punter Mike Scifres out, the Chargers signed 35-year-old Australian-born Mat McBriar so Nick Novak doesn’t have to place-kick and punt again.
Houston (7-6) at Indianapolis (9-4)
The Texans never have won at Indy in 12 trips and are 4-21 overall against the Colts. Indeed, Houston’s only defeat in the AFC South this year is to the Colts.
Perhaps their best chance to win is to force some turnovers, something Luck and Indianapolis have struggled with recently. The Texans lead the NFL with 29 takeaways.
Indy has won 11 in a row within the division and could celebrate receiver Reggie Wayne becoming its franchise record holder for games played and wins, breaking ties with Manning (208 games, 141 wins).
Green Bay (10-3) at Buffalo (7-6)
A Green Bay victory coupled with a loss by Dallas, and if the Packers clinch a strength-of-victory tiebreaker over the Cowboys, would Rodgers and Co. a playoff spot. But Green Bay is 0-5 at Orchard Park.
On the other hand, the Packers are 3-0 against the AFC East this season and have won five straight and nine of 10 overall against everyone.
The Bills almost certainly must win out for any chance at avoiding extending the NFL’s longest current playoff drought to 15 seasons. They do lead the NFL with 48 sacks and are 3-0 against the NFC North.
Dallas (9-4) at Philadelphia (9-4)
This was a mismatch in Philly’s favor on Thanksgiving night, and a repeat will just about clinch (that word again) the NFC East for the Eagles.
But Dallas, which has been off since a Thursday night win at Chicago, might have learned something from how Seattle throttled Philly’s fast-paced offense last week. And the Cowboys are 6-0 on the road; they’ve never finished 8-0 away from home.
Mark Sanchez had his first rough outing as the Eagles’ quarterback in place of the injured Nick Foles. But he’s 2-0 vs. Dallas.
San Francisco (7-6) at Seattle (9-4)
The Seahawks have that look. You know, the fierce no-one-can-handle-us look that they wore on their way to the 2013 title.
Ever since linebacker Bobby Wagner got healthy, the defense has been the toughest in the NFL. With Russell Wilson at his creative best, the offense has become dynamic enough.
As for the 49ers, well, need anything more be said than they lost to their Bay Area rivals last week in a crucial game? It was just the second victory for Oakland.
Cincinnati (8-4-1) at Cleveland (7-6)
Johnny Clipboard is now back to being Johnny Football. Or at least Johnny Manziel is a starting NFL quarterback.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner and a first-round draft pick last spring, Manziel gets the job in Game 14 after Brian Hoyer’s slump hit critical mass. One of Hoyer’s more solid performances this season came in a 24-3 win at Cincinnati.
The AFC North-leading Bengals have won their past three road games, and QB Andy Dalton, who had a 128.8 rating last week, will look to replicate that, not his career-low 2.0 passer rating in the previous meeting with the Browns.
Pittsburgh (8-5) at Atlanta (5-8)
No, the Steelers are not on top of their division despite their record, even as the Falcons are leading the NFC South with their ugly mark. The Steelers are as schizophrenic as any team in the league and come off a huge fourth quarter in which they outscored the Bengals 25-0 to win.
But they also have fallen to the Buccaneers and Saints, so why not to the Falcons, who actually have played better the past six weeks despite splitting those games?
Jacksonville (2-11) at Baltimore (8-5)
After coming on strong last week to beat Miami, the Ravens find themselves in prime position in the AFC North. Their remaining opponents are the lowly Jaguars, Houston and Cleveland. A sweep probably gets them the division crown.
Ravens RB Justin Forsett, in the midst of a breakout season, spent 2013 with the Jaguars, rushing six times for 31 yards. He’s got 192 carries for 1,080 yards this year.
New Orleans (5-8) at Chicago (5-8), Monday night
Hardly what the NFL and ESPN hoped for in a mid-December prime-time affair. Perhaps this could be billed as a matchup of the league’s most disappointing teams, although the 49ers also could stake a claim.
Yet New Orleans is tied for first place in the abysmal NFC South. So while the Windy City is whipped by angst over the Bears, the Big Easy remains hopeful that Drew Brees will get the Saints going in the right direction.
Minnesota (6-7) at Detroit (9-4)
The previous time they met, the Lions had eight sacks, but the Vikings have played much better in the succeeding two months. Under head coach Mike Zimmer, a defensive mastermind, they’ve allowed a league-low 131 points in the past eight games.
Detroit is in excellent shape for at least an NFC wild card, and might even own one before it finishes the season at Green Bay; next week’s opponent is struggling Chicago.
Oakland (2-11) at Kansas City (7-6)
The Raiders sent the Chiefs’ stretch run in the wrong direction by beating Kansas City on Nov. 20, Oakland’s first win in 17 games. KC has lost three in a row, while Oakland comes off its second victory, a shocker over San Francisco that could wind up costing the Raiders the No. 1 spot in the draft.
Oakland has lost nine straight road games and will need to slow down Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston, who is tied for the league lead with 16 sacks.
Tampa Bay (2-11) at Carolina (4-8-1)
Derek Anderson gets the start at quarterback after Cam Newton suffered two broken bones in his back in an auto crash. Despite no shot at a winning record this season, the Panthers can still take the NFC South. But even in such a weak sector, winning out is a must.
Washington (3-10) at New York Giants (4-9)
Not much to recommend here. Perhaps watching whether rookie Odell Beckham Jr. can make more spectacular catches and add to his record string of 90-plus yards receiving in six games. Or if Redskins running back Alfred Morris can rebound from his worst game of 6 yards on eight carries in last week’s shutout loss to St. Louis.
New York Jets (2-11) at Tennessee (2-11)
Not much to recommend here, either; these are difficult days for NFL fans in the Big Apple.
Maybe the race for the top overall draft pick takes precedence, with the loser of this one in solid shape for that, uh, honor.
