We're into the final three weeks of the 2020 NFL regular season, and the playoff race in both the AFC and the NFC is wide open.
Here are the five must-watch week 15 games that will have big implications on the playoff picture.
1 Seattle @ Washington
Here’s a Monday morning matchup between two teams within reach of division titles.
Washington, who is suddenly one of the form teams in the league, having won four straight, moves to the top of the scrambled NFC East with a record of 6-7, and Seattle, who are tied atop the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams at 9-4, but find themselves behind the Rams on tiebreakers.
Washington quarterback Alex Smith won't play after suffering a calf injury against San Francisco last week, so it will be up to forgotten man Dwayne Haskins to keep Washington afloat with Smith absent.
Expect Washington’s defense, led by rookie phenom Chase Young, to be too much for Seattle’s front five to handle.
Prediction: Washington 24 - Seahawks 19
2 Chicago @ Minnesota
The Vikings and the Bears are both squared at 6-7 and are the first two teams out of the playoff picture as things stand in the NFC.
With the Green Bay Packers having sewn up the division last week, there’s now only a wildcard spot available for these two teams – and likely only for one of them.
Chicago are feeling good with the incumbent Mitch Trubisky back in at quarterback, with a convincing 36-7 win over Houston last week.
Minnesota meanwhile suffered a heartbreaking 26-14 loss to the Bucs last week in a game where kicker Dan Bailey missed three field goals and a PAT.
The Vikings got home in a close one when these two met earlier this season, winning 19-13. Expect this one to be another arm wrestle.
Prediction: Vikings 21 - Bears 20
3 New England @ Miami
It feels like last chance saloon for the Patriots tomorrow morning against a familiar foe in Miami.
Despite having an uncharacteristically down season, the Patriots find themselves 6-7 and in the hunt with three weeks to go, but they’re hanging by a thread.
The Dolphins on the other hand took it up to reigning champs Kansas City last week before the Chiefs cream rose to the top in a 33-27 win.
While the division is out of reach for the both of them, a Patriots win would draw them within a game of the Dolphins with two games to play.
Miami superficially ended the Patriots' season with a week 17 victory last season. They’d love to insert the final nail tomorrow.
Prediction: Dolphins 28 – Patriots 14
4 Kansas City @ New Orleans
We could very well witness the Super Bowl preview tomorrow morning when the Chiefs play the Saints.
The Chiefs, riding an eight-game winning streak, head to New Orleans to play a Saints team that lost a stunner to Philadelphia last week and in turn lost a grip on the number one seed in the NFC.
The big news in this one is the return of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was activated off injured reserve this week after breaking 11 ribs earlier this season. Brees is good to go, and so we will get a tasty showdown between two future hall of fame quarterbacks.
The Saints will be keen to prove last week was a blip on the radar, while the Chiefs will be keen to dispatch another challenger to the throne.
Prediction: Chiefs 34 - Saints 30
5 Cleveland @ New York Giants
A game on Sunday Night Football between two teams looking for a playoff spot that few would have predicted pre-season.
The Giants at 5-8 are one game back of Washington (6-7) in the division but do have the tiebreaker over the Football Team after beating them twice this season.
Cleveland went down to the Ravens in a thriller on Monday Night Football last week, though have already secured its first winning season since 2007.
One more win for the Cleveland will all but seal its first playoff birth in 18 years, while the Giants and their resurgent defense can keep the heat on Washington with a big win on SNF.
Prediction: Browns 27 - Giants 21
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