Who made the NFL schedule this year?
NE, Baltimore, Pitt are all playing flotsam and jetsam to end the season.
all the drama is gone.
I agree somewhat with what you're saying, they could have had better games, but let's look at it this way:
--NE--still goes on the road to DEN, for what will probably be a SNF primetime game with 2 of the hottest teams in the AFC. Both who are gunning for their divisions/playoffs. That's a pretty good matchup.
--PIT goes to SF for a huge MNF primetime game on Mon.Dec.19th. That's a pretty big game right there, no?
--The NFL likely felt as though a matchup of BAL vs SD would be quite a spectacle around this time of year, so I really don't fault them for SD not being in the hunt. That should've been another good game with playoff implications for BAL.
--The same thinking goes for the BAL vs IND matchup. Not the scheduling fault that IND suddenly is not a playoff contender after all these years.
--While we're on the subject of BAL, they do play their last game against a divisional foe fighting for the playoffs, as they have to go on the road to CIN in week 17. As of current status, CIN would get the last WC slot as a 6 seed. That will have some possible playoff implications. Maybe..
--The schedule maker did set up divisional games for NE too, as we have the revisit of the dreaded "Xmas Eve" game vs MIA on 12/24, and then a closeout of BUF the next week. Either one of those are locks, although we should certainly be able to handle BUF this time around. Actually the MIA and DEN games are looking a lot more like quite a challenge lately, at least in my opinion.
--I think PIT always seems to get some gimme games in the last month of the season. They certainly could lose to SF though.
