NFL Playoff Race Heats Up With Big Weekend Matchups

The NFL playoff race sees some key matchups in Week 14 including some key divisional showdowns set for this weekend. Plenty is on the line and those who enjoy some NFL betting will be looking for some value to make their selections on a robust NFL schedule.

Key AFC Matchups

In the AFC East, the Indianapolis Colts head to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. Both teams stand at 8-4, tied for the division lead and the Colts are favored by 1.5 points.

Cornerback Sauce Gardner will be out for Indianapolis with a calf injury, which could benefit Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has double-digit interceptions for the third time in his career.

The AFC North offers another big matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers traveling to Baltimore. Both teams are tied for the division lead at 6-6, but seem to be going in opposite directions.

The Steelers have lost three of their last four games while the Ravens have rebounded from a 1-5 start and have now won five of the last six. It’s still unknown if Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers will be on the field as he battles a wrist injury.

“It’s definitely healing,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. I’d love to be able to be under center. That’ll probably be a later in the week decision. I didn’t come out of the game any worse for wear. So, the healing process has continued and we’ll see what happens as far as the type of cast I use come Sunday.”

The Ravens are favored by 5.5 and could finish off the Steelers’ playoff hopes with a win. Another matchup to watch is the Houston Texans at the Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5). Patrick Mahomes looked sharp in a losing effort on Thanksgiving and both teams need a win to really stay in the playoff race.  

NFC Matchups to Watch

In the NFC, the Chicago Bears head to Green Bay for what should be another bruising battle. The Bears sit at 9-3 and lead the NFC North, but the Packers are just a half-game back at 8-3-1. The Packers are a 6.5-point favorite and are fresh off a big win on Thanksgiving over the Detroit Lions.

The Lions helped themselves in the division and playoff race by knocking off the Cowboys on Thursday in a 44-30 shootout. The loss more than likely ended the Cowboys hopes for a playoff appearance after three straight wins.

Another NFC team to watch is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl champs lead the NF East at 8-4 but have struggled of late. Philly heads to L.A. to take on the 8-4 Chargers and is favored by 2.5.

For some value, bettors might be looking at the matchup between the red-hot L.A. Rams (9-3) and the Arizona Cardinals (3-9). The Rams are 8.5-point favorites and quarterback Matthew Stafford is fifth in the league in passing with 3,073 yards and is the league leader in touchdown passes with 32.

Thanksgiving Games Rack Up Big TV Ratings

In related news, the NFL’s traditional Thanksgiving games produced big ratings to TV networks this year. The Chiefs-Cowboys game saw 57.23 million viewers, a record number for a regular season NFL game.

The Packers-Lions game brought in 47.7 million viewers while the Bengals-Ravens drew 28.4 million, becoming the most-watched Thanksgiving night game.

The total audience across all three games reached 44.7 million viewers, topping last year’s numbers and the previous record of 34.5 million. This marked the fourth-straight Thanksgiving that the league has set new total viewership records.

Some of the increase has been attributed to changes in the way Nielsen calculates ratings, but there is no doubt that there continues to be rising interest in the league.

“It’s probably a bigger number than we projected, but again, I think we’re now measuring an audience that wasn’t measured before, which is obviously helpful,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told the Associated Press. “We also had great matchups and great games all the way through the weekend. We’re going to have a weekend that will be the most-viewed weekend in the history of the NFL. So we’re thrilled by that.”