The final weekend of the season starts today!
We’re still more than 24 hours away from seeing the Minnesota Vikings take the field for what could be the biggest regular season matchup in NFL history against the Detroit Lions. Before we get to that, however, the final weekend of the 2024 regular season starts in about 30 minutes with a pair of AFC North matchups, both of which will air on ABC and ESPN.
Things will kick off at 3:30 PM Central time in Baltimore with a matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. If the Ravens should win this one, they will wrap up the AFC North division title and the #3 seed in the AFC playoffs. If Cleveland should somehow win. . .and they’re about 20-point underdogs as things stand right now. . .that will open the door for Pittsburgh to steal the AFC North away.
Speaking of the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’ll be hosting the second half of today’s doubleheader. They’ll be welcoming the Cincinnati Bengals to town, with kickoff slated for 7:00 PM Central. The Steelers are already in the playoffs, so if Baltimore wins in the early game they won’t be playing for anything but Wild Card seeding. Cincinnati, on the other hand, needs this one to keep their playoff hopes alive.
In order to sneak into the playoffs, the Bengals need a win over the Steelers and a Miami loss to the Jets and a Denver loss to Kansas City. If all three of those things happen, Cincinnati will be the #7 seed in the AFC and earn a trip to Buffalo for Super Wild Card Weekend. Both Denver and Miami play in the late window on Sunday afternoon, so that might not be decided until around supper time on Sunday.
Here’s how we’re picking today’s games, courtesy of the folks from Tallysight. As always, we remind you that each of our selectors might have different odds and lines to deal with based on when they put their picks into the system. For the latest on these games or any other NFL game this weekend, be sure to check in with our friends from FanDuel.
If you’re going to be watching today’s doubleheader, feel free to hang out and talk about the games with your fellow Vikings fans. You can talk about what’s happening on the field or anything else you’d like.
Enjoy the games, everyone!