INDIANAPOLIS – The sprint to the finish has begun around the NFL with two weeks left in the regular season. Just eight of the NFL’s 32 teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, awarding fans a front-row seat for a frantic finish to divisional and wild card battles.
This week’s “Big Game Bound” takes you around the NFL with a full slate of 16 games. Half of those matchups involve teams still vying for seeding or playoff inclusion.
Our Marquee Matchup features an unlikely pair of this year’s top teams in the NFC, with the Detroit Lions (11-4) visiting the Dallas Cowboys (10-5). The Lions secured the NFC North title for the first time since 1993 with a road win last week against the Minnesota Vikings. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have also secured a spot in the postseason. But their aspirations of an NFC East title remain alive at home, where they are a perfect 7-0 this season.
WXIN’s Chris Hagan checks in with the division champion Detroit Lions with Jack Doles, Sports Director of WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The playoff picture remains murky around the league, but several teams have the chance to get some separation.
One of them is the Baltimore Ravens (12-3), currently riding a five-game winning streak. Baltimore hosts the Miami Dolphins with a chance to secure the #1 overall seed in the AFC with a win. The Dolphins (11-4) enter the week after a solid victory over the Cowboys on Christmas Eve and a chance of their own to secure the AFC East crown. It would be the first divisional championship for the Dolphins since 2008.
Our third featured game highlights a divisional battle in the NFC South between the New Orleans Saints (7-8) and the home-standing Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7). Three teams are within a single game of the race to win the division, with the Bucs currently leading ahead of the Sants and Falcons (7-8).
We’ll wrap things up, as usual, with weekly picks from former NFL running back Jarrett Payton.
“Big Game Bound” streams Thursdays at 12 p.m. ET during the regular season and playoffs. It airs every day during Super Bowl week.
