Locking up the division title and a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs has seemed like a given for so many years for the Patriots—but that’s not the case this season, with the Bills close on their heels and Brady’s future uncertain.
We were looking at the Week 16 schedule in the office on Tuesday—and I have to say, it’s not exactly electric. That’s partly because nine of the 12 playoff spots are spoken for, which takes away some juice from games like Rams-49ers and Bears-Chiefs, featuring an already-eliminated team. Part of it is due to a weird year for quarterbacks, changing the hype for games like Panthers-Colts and Broncos-Lions.