Normally, Week 17 of the NFL season features teams battling it out for the final playoff spots; but not this season. Outside of the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Buffalo Bills, this year's Week 17 is shaping up to be one of the worst in NFL history.
The 11-4 Bengals and 12-3 Bills will face off on Monday Night Football in Week 17. However, while that matchup may be mouthwatering, Cincinnati and Buffalo is the only game in Week 17 featuring two teams with winning records. This is the second time since the 1970 merger where there is only one game between winning teams in the last two weeks of the season, as pointed out by ESPN Stats & Info.
The Bills have already clinched the AFC East. The Bengals have clinched a playoff berth themselves and currently lead the AFC North. Monday night should provide an epic battle between two teams looking to improve their playoff positioning.
However, that can't be said for every matchup in Week 17.
While the Thursday night matchup features the 10-4 Dallas Cowboys, they'll be playing the 7-8 Tennessee Titans. The Titans just lost starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill for the season due to injury.
Week 17 will also feature not-so tantalizing games such as the 4-9-1 Indianapolis Colts taking on the 8-6-1 New York Giants and the 6-9 Saints facing the 13-2 Philadelphia Eagles. In the Sunday night game, the collapsing 4-10 Rams face an 8-6 Chargers' team with real playoff hopes.
There are some games with playoff repercussions. The 6-9 Carolina Panthers take on the 6-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the NFC South up for grabs. The 7-8 New York Jets face the 7-8 Seattle Seahawks as both teams look to punch their playoff ticket.
However, the Bengals and Bills' game still reigns supreme. The NFL will need them to have a standout game to avoid Week 17 being one of the worst in NFL history.
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