Four divisional titles will be at stake in Week 17, the penultimate week of the 2022 NFL season, which kicks off this Thursday, December 29, with the Tennessee Titans taking on the Dallas Cowboys.
Of the eight divisions that make up the NFL, four champions have already been defined. In the National Football Conference (NFC), the San Francisco 49ers were crowned in the West and the Minnesota Vikings in the North in the American Football Conference (AFC), the Buffalo Bills did the same in the East, as did the Kansas City Chiefs in the West. Therefore, the NFC East and South, and the AFC North and South remain to be defined.
The four division titles that will be up for grabs in the penultimate week of NFL action
In the National Conference, the Philadelphia Eagles – leaders of the East with the best record in the NFL with 13 wins and two losses – will only need to beat the already-eliminated New Orleans Saints on Sunday to win the division title. That or the Cowboys lose to the Titans the previous Thursday.
In the South, the duel that will define the champion will be staged next Sunday, January 1, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leaders with a 7-8 record, against their pursuers, the Carolina Panthers, with a 6-9 record. A win for the Bucs will be enough to win the title and qualify for the playoffs.
In the NFC, there are still two wild card tickets available for the playoffs. Giants and Commanders have it in their hands to get those passes if they maintain a winning pace. Lurking in the wings are the Seahawks, Lions and Packers.
In the American Conference, the Cincinnati Bengals, number one in the North at 11-4, will have a tough game next Monday against the Bills, the top-seeded team in the AFC with a 12-3 record. To win the division title, the Bengals must win and the Baltimore Ravens, second in the North at 10-5, must lose Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Should both win, they will define the North title in the direct duel in week 18 of the campaign.
The race for the AFC South division crown between the Jacksonville Jaguars vs Tennessee Titans is the most evenly matched. Both teams have seven wins and eight losses, but the Jaguars are in the first place because they won their head-to-head matchup in Week 14.
On paper, the Jaguars seem to have the advantage because on Sunday they will face the Houston Texans, the worst team in the league with a record of two wins, 12 losses, and a tie, while the Titans will play against the Cowboys, one of the most powerful teams in the National Conference. Should both teams win, they will define the champion when they meet in the last game of the season.
In the AFC, there is one place left for the wild card round. The Miami Dolphins have it in their hands to occupy it if they break their streak of four consecutive defeats. In the hunt for Miami are the Patriots, their opponent this Sunday, the Jets, Steelers and Raiders.
NFL Week 17 games that will define four titles
Thursday, 12/29
Titans vs Cowboys
Sunday 1/1
Falcons vs Cardinals
Lions vs Bears
Chiefs vs Broncos
Patriots vs Dolphins
Giants vs Colts
Águilas vs Santos
Buccaneers vs Panthers
Comandantes vs Browns
Texans vs Jaguars
Raiders vs 49ers
Seahawks vs Jets
Packers vs Vikings
Cargadores vs Rams
Ravens vs Steelers
Monday 2/1
Bengals vs Bills
