Week 17 Late Games Open Thread

We’ve reached the end of the 2019 NFL regular season. The final week continues with a large slate of seven late afternoon games.

In perhaps the best of the late afternoon games, the 10-5 Houston Texans host the 8-7 Tennessee Titans in an AFC South showdown. This is a win and you’re in game for the Titans. They come into this game having lost two straight after winning six of their prior seven games. For the Texans this game is only about playoff seeding. The Texans have already clinched the AFC South title and will either be the third or fourth seed in the AFC playoffs. They need a win today and a loss by the Kansas City Chiefs to move up to the third seed. The Chiefs play in the early time slot, meaning that by the time this game gets underway the Texans should already know if they have anything to play for. If the Chiefs win, the Texans may not play their starters long in this game.

Elsewhere in late afternoon games, the Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game the Steelers need to keep their playoff hopes alive; the Denver Broncos host the Oakland Raiders in a game for draft position; the disappointing Los Angeles Rams host the Arizona Cardinals in a game for pride; the Dallas Cowboys host the Washington Redskins in a renewal of one of the league’s most intense rivalries; the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts in the last game of the Doug Marrone era in Jacksonville; and the Philadelphia Eagles host the New York Giants in a win and you’re in game for the Eagles.

Enjoy the games everybody. Use this thread to comment on whichever late afternoon games catch your fancy.