Game of the week
Green Bay at Minnesota
A great Monday night matchup to cap Week 16. The Vikings are a 4 1/2-point favorite and trail the Packers by a game in the NFC North. Minnesota forced seven Chargers turnovers last week; it will get three against the Packers and turn them into 14 points.
Vikings 27, Packers 21
Lock of the week
New Orleans at Tennessee
The Saints on a short week going on the road? No problem. They’re a 1 1/2-point favorite, which also shouldn’t be a problem. Quarterback Drew Brees got his touchdown passing record last week and itap now about getting receiver Michael Thomas the single-season reception record (he needs 11).
Saints 34, Titans 21
Upset of the week
Dallas at Philadelphia
Neither team has impressed on their way to 7-7 records. But Philadelphia (a 2 1/2-point underdog) will be fueled by its home crowd and take advantage of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescottap right shoulder injury. The Eagles will host San Francisco in the first round of the playoffs.
Eagles 12, Cowboys 7
Around the NFC: Christian McCaffrey lone bright spot during Carolina’s second-half collapse
Gordon suspended again. Receiver Josh Gordon’s stay in Seattle lasted five games — he was suspended during the week for violating the league’s illegal substance/substances of abuse policy. Since the start of 2015, Gordon has played only 28 games for Cleveland, New England and Seattle. For the Seahawks, he had seven catches. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are the Seahawks’ top two receivers and Malik Turner, Jaron Brown and David Moore will get a chance to pick up Gordon’s playing time.
McCaffrey Pro Bowl-bound. Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey, the Valor Christian alum, was named to his first Pro Bowl on Tuesday. He is the lone bright spot in a Panthers season that has gone off the rails (started 5-3, now 5-9). “Itap a difficult thing to do in this league,” McCaffrey said of the Pro Bowl nod. “There are a lot of really talented running backs so itap an honor and I’m happy to represent the Panthers.” He enters Week 16 with 1,307 rushing yards, only 22 behind Tennessee’s Derrick Henry and 99 behind Cleveland’s Nick Chubb. He also has a chance to finish second in receptions — he has 94, five behind second-place DeAndre Hopkins of Houston. McCaffrey is eligible for a contract extension after the season.
Failing upward. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins’ poor judgment may help him reach the Super Bowl. Jenkins was cut by the New York Giants last week after using an offensive term in an exchange with a fan on social media and his subsequent lack of remorse. Jenkins moved from the 3-11 Giants to the 11-3 Saints. He is expected to slide into the No. 3 cornerback role behind Marshon Lattimore and Eli Apple. “(Jenkins) gives us versatility and I think thatap important down the stretch,” coach Sean Payton said.
Around the AFC: Tom Coughlin’s second tour with Jaguars ends same way as first — fired
Jaguars’ reset. Jacksonville owner Shad Khan moved swiftly Wednesday, firing executive vice president Tom Coughlin two days after the NFLPA revealed that 25% of the grievances it has received since 2017 belong to Jaguars players. Coughlin tried to skirt the rules with offseason participation and didn’t expect the players to complain? Tone deaf. Coughlin’s actions embarrassed the organization and made Khan’s decision easy. Next up for the Jaguars: Do they also jettison general manager Dave Caldwell and/or coach Doug Marrone? Don’t rule out Caldwell surviving.
Mahomes, Kelce near records. Kansas City looked like a Super Bowl contender in its 23-3 rout of the Broncos last week. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce are two reasons the Chiefs can go on the road to win in the playoffs. Mahomes needs two touchdowns Sunday at Chicago to reach 75 for his career in 29 games, which would be the fastest in league history (Dan Marino did it in 31 games) And if Kelce catches four passes, he will be the fastest in history to 500 catches among tight ends (Kellen Winslow, Sr., did it in101 games).
Quarterback monitoring. The Dolphins (3-11) can clinch a top-three draft pick if they lose their final two games and that could also mean coach Brian Flores and his staff will lead one of the Senior Bowl teams. An easy position to mock to Miami is quarterback. Committed to the Senior Bowl are Utah State’s Jordan Love, Michigan’s Shea Patterson, Colorado’s Steven Montez and Washington State’s Anthony Gordon. Invited but yet to accept are LSU’s Joe Burrow, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts and Oregon’s Justin Herbert. Burrow doesn’t have much to gain by playing in Mobile, but Herbert and Hurts do.
