Division titles, wild-card berths and playoff seedings will all be on the line as the NFL enters December and the nears the end of its regular season.
Here are five games that could have all kinds of playoff implications. As always, use OLBG for your lines.
Dec. 10: Seattle at San Francisco: This will be the second time in three weeks the NFC West rivals meet (which is just bad scheduling by the league). For the 49ers it could mean wrapping up the division title and keeping pace with the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions for the top seed in the NFC. For the Seahawks a win could keep pressure on the 49ers in the division, while a loss could put pressure on their chances for wild-card berth.
The Pick: San Francisco
Dec. 10: Philadelphia at Dallas (Sunday Night Football): The Eagles beat the Cowboys in a thriller at Lincoln Financial Field last month and now the Cowboys host the rematch. Dallas needs the win and help to snatch the division title from the Eagles. An Eagles win would all but wrap up the NFC East and keep the Eagles on pace for the No. 1 seed in the NFC as well. Know this the Cowboys have beaten the Eagles five straight times in Dallas.
The Pick: Dallas
Dec. 17: Philadelphia at Seattle: This will be the final major test for the Eagles, who will have faced Dallas twice, Kansas City, Buffalo and San Francisco over the course of six weeks (with a bye after the first Dallas game). After that run, the team closes the season with the Giants, twice and the Cardinals. Here’s a note. The Eagles have not beaten the Seahawks since 2008 and Seattle head coach Pete Carroll is a perfect 7-0 against them since becomes the Seahawks head coach. Carroll has beaten Andy Reid, Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson. This will be his first game against Nick Sirianni.
The Pick: Philadelphia
Dec. 17: Baltimore at Jacksonville, Sunday Night Football: Two former Andy Reid assistant coaches, John Harbaugh (Ravens) and Doug Pederson (Jaguars) are battling along with Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs for the top seed in the AFC playoffs. This game could go along way in deterring those top seeds. The loser of this one could fall to the No. 3 spot, while the winner could be in the mix for the top spot right up to the final week of the season.
The Pick: Baltimore
Dec. 30 Detroit at Dallas, Saturday Night Football: Depending on what the Cowboys do against the Eagles and what else the Eagles do, this could be for the top seed in the NFC. The Lions should have the NFC North wrapped by this point, but the chase for the No. 1 seed (even if it’s still against the Eagles) will be on the Lions plate. And even if that is not the case this promises to be a really good game and a possible playoff game preview.
The Pick: Dallas
