Jeremy Green 18y

Meaningless games? Not in the NFL

Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans

The NFL schedule makers always try to see into the future. The problem is, what looks great in the preseason does not always come to fruition by the time Week 17 rolls around.

This week, there are many meaningless games, right? There will be games between Denver and San Diego, Arizona and Indianapolis, Chicago and Minnesota, and Seattle and Green Bay. Just a few weeks ago, some of these games looked as though they were going to have a lot of meaning. Now, Denver is the AFC's No. 2 seed and San Diego is out of the playoffs; Indianapolis is no longer undefeated; Chicago is locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC and Minnesota is out of the playoffs; and Seattle has locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The game that has the most meaning this week might be Houston vs. San Francisco. The only problem is that the fans of each of these franchises most likely won't even be rooting for their team to win. If Houston loses, it will get the No. 1 pick in next year's draft and the opportunity to select USC running back Reggie Bush, the most explosive player on the board. If San Francisco loses, there will be a logjam of 3-13 teams with that could have the opportunity to select Bush.

Kidding aside, every game this week has meaning. Why? Because no one should like to lose. For good teams, it is an opportunity to go into the playoffs on a positive note. For bad teams, Week 17 is an opportunity to get something positive going for the 2006 season.

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