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SPORTS Saturday 21 december 2019
NFL This Week: Cowboys, Eagles chase East title at .500 mark

By DAVE CAMPBELL the playoffs. That’s just vision titles in the past five even need to beat the pick positioning. The Jag-
AP Pro Football Writer one man’s outside-the-box seasons. Rams for that to happen, uars are 10-20 since los-
Complaints about the NFL’s idea for enacting change, BUFFALO (10-4) at NEW but it would clearly be the ing the AFC championship
playoff structure have rare- though. The Cowboys and ENGLAND (11-3) best way to go, with the de game at New England af-
ly carried more clout than Eagles are both still fully en- Rare is the year for the Patri- facto division title game at ter the 2017 season.
down the stretch of this titled to the division cham- ots under coach Bill Belich- Seattle waiting in Week 17. BALTIMORE (12-2) at CLEVE-
season, given the glaring pionship that almost every ick and quarterback Tom The 49ers, who haven’t LAND (6-8)
weakness of the NFC East. team states as a goal when Brady when they haven’t swept the Rams since 2016, Baltimore can clinch home-
Though there are currently training camps convene in already wrapped up the could still fall as far as the field advantage through-
no teams in this quagmire the summer. AFC East on the weekend No. 6 seed, too. The de- out the AFC playoffs by
of a quartet with a winning Here’s a closer look at the before Christmas Day, but fending NFC champion beating the Browns, with a
record, yes, either Dallas other games this weekend: they host a Buffalo team Rams, who have been one second straight AFC North
or Philadelphia will still get HOUSTON (9-5) at TAMPA that still has a chance to of the league’s biggest let- title already secured. La-
to host a first-round game BAY (7-7) end their peerless streak of downs this year, can only mar Jackson can pad his
against a wild-card team The Texans and Bucca- 10 straight division crowns. return to the playoffs if they MVP credentials, already
already guaranteed to leading the NFL with 33
have a better record. The touchdown passes and
difference could be by as owning the single-season
many as four games. quarterback record with
Neither the Cowboys (7- 1,103 rushing yards.
7) nor the Eagles (7-7) are The Ravens can also exact
concerned about the im- some revenge for their 40-
balance, of course. They’re 25 loss at home on Sept. 29
simply aiming to close the to Cleveland. The Browns
year strong after so many have not done much well
puzzling struggles. They’ll at all since that eye-raising
play in Philadelphia on Sun- performance, though they
day afternoon, one of the remain mathematically
most meaningful games on alive for a wild-card spot.
the Week 16 schedule even NEW ORLEANS (11-3) at
if this is hardly a matchup TENNESSEE (8-6)
of Super Bowl-caliber com- With the NFL career record
petitors. for touchdown passes in
The Cowboys, who started hand for now, Drew Brees
the season 3-0, beat the has the NFC South cham-
Los Angeles Rams 44-21 last pion Saints in position to
week for a badly needed do some damage in Janu-
spark. The Eagles, who re- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady lands on the turf after being sacked by Kansas City ary and return to the Super
Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019,
covered from a 37-10 loss in Foxborough, Mass. Bowl for the first time in 10
at Dallas on Oct. 20 to im- Associated Press years. They’ll need some
prove to 5-4 entering their help to secure a first-round
bye, beat Washington 37- neers kick off a triplehead- The Bills haven’t had one of beat San Francisco and Ari- bye, though, and road
27 last week to keep pace. er on Saturday for the NFL those since 1995. zona in Week 17 and have games at Tennessee and
The Cowboys can clinch Network, with Houston in For that to happen, the up- Minnesota lose to both Carolina await. The Saints
the division with a win. The position to clinch a second start Bills must not only win Green Bay and Chicago are one of four 11-3 teams
Eagles need two more vic- consecutive AFC South title at New England but beat over the final two games. in the NFC, marking this just
tories to claim their spot, after overtaking the division the Jets in Week 17 and JACKSONVILLE (5-9) at AT- the second time since the
with their final game at the with a win over second- have the Patriots lose at LANTA (5-9) 16-game schedule was ini-
New York Giants. Dallas place Tennessee last week. home to the lowly Dolphins. The 2019 highlight film for tiated in 1978 that four NFC
wraps up 2019 against the The Texans have a rematch Both the Bills and Patriots the Falcons will start and teams were tied for the top
Redskins. Assuming no ties, waiting with the Titans in are safely in the playoffs, end with road wins over record with two or fewer
then, the NFC East will fin- Week 17, but that won’t but that’s hardly satisfying NFC powers New Orleans weeks remaining.
ish with a total of 24 wins. matter if they beat a Tam- for Belichick, Brady and and San Francisco, be- The Titans squandered their
Last season, the only one pa Bay team that is surging their cohorts. The Patriots, cause the rest of the story inside track to the AFC
of the NFL’s eight divisions too late. Even if the Texans who can also clinch a first- has been about the contin- South title, now needing
with fewer than 30 victories lose, they would wrap up round bye with a win and ued steady decline for the the Buccaneers to beat
was the AFC East with 28. at least a wild-card spot if a loss by the Chiefs at Chi- 2016 NFC champions who Houston before they can
Houston, which went 9-7 in Pittsburgh loses to the New cago, would match San were oh, so close to beat- be concerned about the
2016, was the last team to York Jets. Francisco for the most 12- ing the Patriots in the Super Week 17 rematch with the
win a division with nine wins The Buccaneers have won win seasons since the 1970 Bowl that year. They’ll finish Texans. There’s a wild-card
or fewer. four straight games, but merger. The 49ers have 13, with their second straight spot well within reach,
Denver coach Vic Fangio they’ll be absent from the and the Patriots and Cow- losing record. Matt Ryan though, with Pittsburgh the
went so far last week as to playoffs for a 12th straight boys have 12 each. needs 231 passing yards to primary competitor and
informally present to report- year. They’ll also likely be LOS ANGELES RAMS (8-6) at hit the 4,000-yard mark for both teams sporting the
ers his preferred format, missing both of their Pro SAN FRANCISCO (11-3) a ninth straight time. same record. Titans quar-
which would eliminate Bowl wide receivers, Mike Though they were set back This is one of four games terback Ryan Tannehill,
divisions altogether and Evans and Chris Godwin, by a 29-22 loss at home to out of 11 contests on Sun- who has quietly been one
have each team play ev- with hamstring injuries. an Atlanta team that’s long day afternoon pitting two of the league’s best come-
ery other conference op- The Texans, if they win, been eliminated from play- teams eliminated from the back performers, trails only
ponent on an annual basis would join New England off contention, the 49ers postseason race, playing Brees for the NFL’s best
to ensure the top six squads and Kansas City as the only can still seize the top seed only for pride, develop- passer rating and comple-
from each side qualify for teams with at least four di- in the NFC. They wouldn’t ment and, naturally, draft tion percentage.q