Every Team's Most Important Remaining Game on the 2023 NFL Schedule
Thanksgiving represents the beginning of the home stretch on the annual NFL schedule.
Following this week, the majority of the league's teams will be left staring down a six-game run to the finish line.
Which of those games matters most to each team? With the end of the regular season now in sight, let's identify the biggest.
AFC East
1 of 8
Buffalo Bills: Week 14 at Kansas City Chiefs
Buffalo's chances of winning the division could come down to Week 18 against the Miami Dolphins in Florida, but this team is in Super Bowl-or-bust mode and a win in Kansas City would be more crucial in that regard. Plus, losses in their next two games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Chiefs could make that regular-season finale moot.
Miami Dolphins: Week 17 at Baltimore Ravens
Again, there's a decent chance that if the Dolphins take care of business between now and their Week 18 matchup with Buffalo, that one won't matter. Beating a good team on the road on New Year's Eve could wrap things up and send a statement considering Miami's struggles in those spots of late.
New England Patriots: Week 12 at New York Giants
If the 2-8 Pats drop this one coming off a bye, they could be contending for the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
New York Jets: Week 12 vs. Miami Dolphins
Pick either matchup with Miami, both of which take place in the next four weeks. But the Jets have to win one of them at least, and this one comes at home with the team trying to end a three-game losing skid. It would be hard for New York to recover from a loss Friday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
AFC North
2 of 8
Baltimore Ravens: Week 17 vs. Miami Dolphins
The Ravens' Week 16 tilt with the San Francisco 49ers will get a bigger billing, but the Miami matchup is likely to have a larger impact on the standings. Baltimore has the top record in the AFC right now, but it's hurting after last week's defeat to the Browns, and the Dolphins are just half a game back.
Cincinnati Bengals: Week 12 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
It's now or never. If you lose three in a row in November and discover Jake Browning can't save the season at home against a so-so divisional opponent, it's time to pack it in.
Cleveland Browns: Week 12 at Denver Broncos
If Cleveland can beat a surging potential wild-card competitor on the road to extend its winning streak to four games without Deshaun Watson Sunday afternoon, this team will have a serious playoff shot. If not, it's easier to envision the wheels coming off.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Week 12 at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 18 at Baltimore could be huge, but that won't likely matter if the Steelers slip up before then. This is a game Pittsburgh can't afford to lose considering the current state of the Bengals.
AFC South
3 of 8
Houston Texans: Week 12 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Remember, the Texans already beat Jacksonville earlier this season. Win this and they've got a damn good shot at winning the division.
Indianapolis Colts: Week Week 18 vs. Houston Texans
This was a tough call because the Colts have to be near-perfect the rest of the way and can't afford to lose to fellow AFC playoff fringe teams such as Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Houston. We're rolling with the Texans because that could also have divisional implications.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 12 at Houston Texans
A Week 15 victory over Baltimore at home could enhance the Jaguars' chances of landing a primo playoff seed, but they first have to focus on taking care of the division. Jacksonville has to avoid a season sweep at the hands of Houston this weekend.
Tennessee Titans: Week 12 vs. Carolina Panthers
Lose this and the Titans are just a game back of the Panthers in the race for the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft. That's all there really is when you're 3-7.
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AFC West
4 of 8
Denver Broncos: Week 12 vs. Cleveland Browns
Can the Broncos make it five in a row while also taking care of a team that sits just one game ahead of them in the AFC wild-card race? Tune in Sunday.
Kansas City Chiefs: Week 14 vs. Buffalo Bills
The division is realistically still the Chiefs', but this could be critical in case the talented Bills make a home-stretch run as juggernauts such as Kansas City, Buffalo, Miami et al battle for the top seeds in the conference.
Las Vegas Raiders: Week 12 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Raiders still have to play Kansas City on the road later and can't afford to get swept by the Chiefs in their final six games. A surprise home divisional victory coming off their bye would give them some hope.
Los Angeles Chargers: Week 12 vs. Baltimore Ravens
At 4-6, the Chargers likely have to run the table now, so every game matters pretty much equally. The toughest of them all might come this Sunday night against the AFC's top seed.
NFC East
5 of 8
Dallas Cowboys: Week 14 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
There's almost no way the Cowboys can win the division while getting swept by the Eagles, so this one is simple. It beats out fun but less important December road matchups with the Bills and Dolphins.
New York Giants: Week 12 vs. New England Patriots
In a quest for a primo draft pick, the Giants can't afford to "accidentally" beat a two-win Patriots team at home Sunday afternoon.
Philadelphia Eagles: Week 13 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Obviously a victory in Dallas in Week 14 would be massive, but the Eagles are thinking Super Bowl and it's just as important that they stave off a potential attack from the 49ers at home one week prior.
Washington Commanders: Week 12 at Dallas Cowboys
The Commanders are two games out of a wild-card spot and have lost back-to-back games. If they fall to the Cowboys on Thursday, it's season over.
NFC North
6 of 8
Chicago Bears: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers in Week 18
That's right, it's not even a game that involves the Bears. But Chicago owns Carolina's 2024 first-round pick, and this finale could determine whether the Bears get to pick first in April. It's also a winnable divisional home game for a Panthers team that would have no significant incentive to lose.
Detroit Lions: Week 17 at Dallas Cowboys
The Lions could still be in trouble if they don't at least split two late-season meetings with the spunky division rival Minnesota Vikings, but a victory over Dallas on the road in front of a national audience in Week 17 could lock them into a higher playoff seed while also sending a big message to the rest of the conference.
Green Bay Packers: Week 12 at Detroit Lions
Drop to 4-7 with a divisional loss on Thanksgiving Thursday, and it's probably lights out for the Packers this season.
Minnesota Vikings: Week 16 vs. Detroit Lions
Even if this doesn't have major implications in the NFC North race, that battle is unlikely to be over considering Minnesota also plays the Lions in Week 18. At the very least, the team will probably be alive in the wild-card race for this challenging late-season home game.
NFC South
7 of 8
Atlanta Falcons: Week 12 vs. New Orleans Saints
Atlanta is a game back of first-place New Orleans in the divisional race. They can't lose this one at home and expect a Week 18 meeting with the Saints in the Big Easy to matter.
Carolina Panthers: Week 14 vs. New Orleans Saints
The Panthers lack a first-round pick and are out of playoff contention, so let's go with a tilt that will at least provide a gauge for how struggling rookie No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young can fare against a division rival with a strong defense.
New Orleans Saints: Week 18 vs. Atlanta Falcons
There's a tiny bit of margin for error this week in Atlanta, but it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the Saints pull away dramatically between now and Week 18.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 17 vs. New Orleans Saints
The Buccaneers have to keep their head above water between now and then, but completing a season sweep of the current division leader could be huge for the fringe contender.
NFC West
8 of 8
Arizona Cardinals: Week 12 vs. Los Angeles Rams
This is basically a pick'em. It's likely as close as the Cardinals will come to being favored again this season. They can't afford to "accidentally" beat a mediocre division rival and lose precious potential draft capital.
Los Angeles Rams: Week 13 vs. Cleveland Browns
Still on the edge of contention, the Rams really have to at least take care of teams like Cleveland, Washington and New Orleans at home. We'll go with the Browns because they're next up amid those three. One step at a time, right?
San Francisco 49ers: Week 13 at Philadelphia Eagles
There are so many good options here. The 49ers are trying to stave off the second-place Seahawks, who they meet twice in the next three weeks. But they're also trying to overtake the 9-1 Eagles in Week 13. Any of those next three are acceptable answers, but the Niners will have their sights set on that top NFC seed.
Seattle Seahawks: Week 12 vs. San Francisco 49ers
If you want to come back and win that division, you can't lose to the division leader at home on Thanksgiving night.
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