NFL’s 8 most important games remaining on the 2016 schedule

With just two weeks remaining in the 2016 season, several teams are still battling for their place in the postseason. There are a few games that stand out on the schedule this week and next week as must-watch matchups.

Most of these games won’t just help decide which teams will be playing after Jan. 1 and which will start hibernating for the winter. They should be exciting games, as well. In some instances, they may even be previews of what we have to look forward to this postseason.

And then, well, there’s the Browns, whose playoffs hopes were dashed before the election but who are trying to avoid the same ignominy as the 2008 Lions.

Here are the eight most important games left in the regular season (all times listed are Eastern).

Ravens vs. Steelers, Week 16

Sunday, Dec. 25, 4:30 p.m. ET

Week 16’s AFC North matchup between the Ravens and the Steelers is certainly a high-stakes game. If Pittsburgh wins, it’ll clinch the AFC North. A Ravens win would pull their record even with the Steelers and not only keep them in contention for the division crown, but give them the season sweep over Pittsburgh.

Since Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco came into the NFL in 2008, the Steelers have faced the Ravens 20 times, and Baltimore has a slight edge over that time frame with 11 wins. While the Steelers are at home this week and seem to be peaking at the right time, the Ravens have won the last four meetings against Pittsburgh.

When the Steelers and Ravens face off, it generally doesn’t disappoint. Sixteen of those 20 games have been decided by a touchdown or less, and three of these matchups between AFC North rivals have gone to overtime.

This game should be a defensive battle. Le’Veon Bell has been incredible this season, but with the second-best run defense in the NFL, Baltimore limited him to just 32 yards on 14 carries in Week 9. The Ravens are allowing just 82.1 yards per game on the ground this season.

The Steelers defense looks much more formidable now than it did when Pittsburgh lost to the Ravens earlier in the season. Pittsburgh has 32 sacks on the season so far, and 19 of those have come in just the last five games, each of which the Steelers have won.

The Ravens already own a head-to-head win this season, after beating Pittsburgh 21-14 in Baltimore in Week 9. With the division, and the postseason, hanging in the balance, the Steelers won’t make things easy on the Ravens.

Cowboys vs. Lions, Week 16

Monday, Dec. 26, 8:30 p.m.

This Week 16 matchup between Detroit and Dallas will be an epic showdown on Monday night. The Cowboys (12-2) have a chance to clinch the first seed in the NFC and receive a first-round bye if they defeat the Lions.

Led by rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas has a potent offense that is difficult to stop. The Cowboys want feed defenses a heavy diet of Elliott, and they have done a great job of doing just that this season.

The rookie running back leads the league in rushing with 1,551 yards and is tied for second with 13 rushing touchdowns. When Dallas’ rushing attack is clicking on all cylinders, Prescott has done a great job of complementing it with play-action passes. So far this season, he has thrown for 3,418 yards to go along with 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

As for the Lions, quarterback Matthew Stafford is having an outstanding season. He has thrown for 3,720 and 22 touchdowns, and Detroit needs a win to keep distance between it and Green Bay before the Lions and Packers face off, potentially for the NFC North crown, in the season finale.

Broncos vs. Chiefs, Week 16

Sunday, Dec. 25, 8:30 p.m.

This is it, the Broncos’ last chance. Gary Kubiak pretty much kicked his way out of the playoffs with that 62-yard field goal attempt in overtime against the Chiefs in Week 12. They still have a faint chance that’s largely dependent on what a couple other teams vying for an AFC wild card spot do. However, if the Broncos don’t win this one, you can just go ahead and put a fork in the defending Super Bowl champs.

Dolphins vs. Bills, Week 16

Saturday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m.

The AFC wild card picture is kind of a mess. Right now, the Chiefs (10-4) and Dolphins (9-5) have both of them, but Miami’s grip on the last spot is tenuous.

The Broncos, Ravens, Texans, and Titans are all 8-6, holding on to their own wild card hopes. One or more of those teams will probably win this weekend. A win not only preserves their standing via overall record, it would also make them 7-4 in conference games, the top playoff tiebreaker.

Buccaneers vs. Saints, Week 16

Saturday, Dec. 24, 4:25 p.m.

The Buccaneers have two paths to the playoffs: Win the NFC South or grab a wild card spot. Either way, they can’t afford to lose this one, especially with the Falcons playing the Panthers this week, a team they seem to have figured out.

The Bucs are 2-8 in their last 10 games against the Saints, and they’re 3-point underdogs this week.

Tampa Bay’s defense had no problems with the Saints back in Week 14, when they picked off Drew Brees three times in a 16-11 win. This game is in New Orleans, though, and the Superdome can be a notoriously difficult place to play, or it used to be at any rate.

Chargers vs. Browns, Week 16

Saturday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m.

No playoff math required for this one, just a high tolerance for pathos to watch the two saddest teams in the NFL.

The Browns are trying to avoid history, trying not to join the 2008 Lions as an 0-16 footnote. Hue Jackson’s team definitely gets a “A” for effort this season. Everything else has been a dismal failure.

Cleveland has an excuse; the Browns are rebuilding from the ground up. The Chargers, on the other hand, are only committed to pissing off their fans — what’s left of their fans, anyway. If the Spanos family were as serious about the football operation as they are finding the best possible stadium plan for padding their profit margin, the Chargers could be vying for a division title.

Packers vs. Lions, Week 17

Sunday, Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m.*

*Let’s assume this game gets flexed into primetime.

It’s going to be tough for the Lions to match the 11-5 record they had in 2014, during smilin’ Jim Caldwell’s first season as head coach. But they have a legitimate shot to win their division for the first time since 1993!

They just have to beat the Packers.

The Lions have to play the Cowboys this week, while the Packers get to play the Vikings, aka the Nordic Jaguars. That means both teams will come into their regular season finale at 9-6 with the NFC North crown on the line.

Aaron Rodgers, who is really the only reason the Packers pulled out of a 4-6 tailspin back in November, is 12-3 for his career against the Lions. That’s probably enough to tell you who’s favored in this one, but given the Lions’ propensity for comebacks (eight this season!), anything could happen.

Texans vs. Titans, Week 17

Sunday, Jan. 1, 1 p.m.

There’s a chance this game could be flexed into the Sunday night spot. Probably not since the NFL’s too worried about ratings this season to stick us with a game that could decide the AFC South and the team most likely to give us a really bad playoff game on Wild Card Weekend.

Heading into Week 16, Houston somehow owns a perfect 5-0 record against the AFC South, the one division in football that collectively could not solve Brock Osweiler. So what hope could they possibly have against Tom Savage?

If you want to see the most exciting football games possible in the playoffs, you should be pulling for the Titans to win. Their NFL-best red-zone offense alone means that they could be a threat to any comers in the postseason.

There’s added importance to this game because it’s technically possible that we could have TWO teams from the AFC South in the playoffs, talk about a ratings bonanza!