NFL Week 16: The Ultimate Guide to Saturday's Action

For the first and only time during the 2014 regular season, NFL football will be played on Saturday in Week 16.

Playoff implications will be on the line in both games, as the Philadelphia Eagles will try to keep themselves in the NFC East race with a win over the Washington Redskins, while the San Diego Chargers need a win over the San Francisco 49ers to boost their chances of earning a wild-card berth in the AFC.

Even for the two teams playing Saturday that are already eliminated from the playoff hunt, there are plenty of storylines: Washington will be taking the field with Robert Griffin III as its starter, for the first time since he was benched before its Week 13 game, while San Francisco will try to end a three-game losing streak in what could be Jim Harbaugh’s second-to-last game with the team.

Storylines: Philadelphia at Washington

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The Philadelphia Eagles’ hopes of winning the NFC East, or even making the playoffs at all, took a big hit in Week 15 when they lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. That said, it’s possible they could be back on top of the division race by the end of Week 16.

They have to reverse a two-game losing streak by winning each of their last two regular-season games, but Philadelphia (9-5) is fortunate in that it gets to finish its season against two clearly inferior divisional opponents, Washington (3-11) on Saturday and the New York Giants (5-9) in Week 17. The Cowboys, meanwhile, face a tough matchup of 10-4 teams with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Washington has nothing left to play for but its pride, as it has lost its last six games dating back to October 27. Still, the Redskins have one more chance to play spoiler to each of their division rivals still in the playoff hunt, as they also play the Cowboys (the last team they won a game against) in Week 17.

No player should feel as though his pride is on the line more than Robert Griffin III, who returns to the starting lineup this week but only because Colt McCoy, who the Redskins named as the new No. 1 quarterback in Week 13, is out for the season with a neck injury.

RG3 has completed 69.3 percent of his passing attempts this season, but he hasn’t been the running threat he used to be. He's also been a target of public criticism by Washington coach Jay Gruden.

Injury Report: Philadelphia at Washington

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The Eagles would benefit greatly from a return of quarterback Nick Foles to the starting lineup, as Mark Sanchez has struggled badly in his past two starts, but it won’t happen this week. Eagles coach Chip Kelly announced Monday that Foles will not play Saturday as the third-year quarterback continues to recover from a fractured collarbone.

"Nick is not healed," Kelly said Monday according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. "He is out this week."

According to a report from Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo, Foles is unlikely to return to the Eagles by the end of the regular season.

Foles isn’t the only key player out for the Eagles this week. Starting outside linebacker Trent Cole will miss Saturday’s game after undergoing surgery for a broken bone in his hand.

All other 51 players on the Eagles’ active roster were full participants in practice Thursday.

Washington could be without a few of its starters in addition to Colt McCoy. Starting defensive end Jason Hatcher missed Thursday’s practice with a knee injury, according to the team’s official injury report.

Safety Brandon Meriweather also missed practice with a toe injury, while left tackle Trent Williams was limited Thursday with a shoulder injury.

Matchups to Watch: Philadelphia at Washington

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Jeremy Maclin vs. Washington Secondary

Jeremy Maclin caught eight passes for 154 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown, when the Eagles and Redskins played one another in Philadelphia in Week 3. He found gaps in the Washington defense throughout the game, as he also got open deep on a couple of other occasions on which Nick Foles missed him with badly inaccurate throws.

The Redskins secondary has had a tough time all season holding top receivers in check—just last week, it got burned by Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr. for 12 receptions, 143 yards and three touchdowns—and Maclin has had an excellent 2014 season, currently ranking eighth in the NFL in receiving yards and tied for eighth in receiving touchdowns.

Philadelphia Rush Linebackers vs. Washington Offensive Tackles

No Trent Cole, no problem? While the Eagles will miss his veteran presence Sunday, they should be fine without him, as Brandon Graham, the No. 3 outside linebacker in the team’s rotation, is ranked as the third-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and is more than capable of taking on a starting role.

On the other side, the Eagles have Connor Barwin, who ranks fourth in the NFL this year with 14.5 sacks. With an ailing left tackle in Trent Williams and a sub-par right tackle in Tom Compton, the Redskins could have a tough time keeping the Philadelphia edge-rushers away from RG3.

That said, the Eagles had no sacks in the Week 3 matchup, a game in which they allowed Kirk Cousins—who now backs up a then-injured RG3—to throw for 427 yards. Even against Washington’s unstable passing offense, the Eagles are going to need to be able to rush the passer on Saturday, as their passing defense ranks 28th in the NFL. 

Prediction: Philadelphia at Washington

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The Redskins only lost by three points in the Week 3 game at Philadelphia, and it could be said that they have upgraded slightly at quarterback, to RG3 from Cousins, while the Eagles have downgraded, to Sanchez from Foles.

But even with the quarterback changes and the game being at FedEx Field, it would be a stunner if the Eagles lost this game Saturday.

It’s clear that Washington, which has lost its last six games by an average of 14 points, doesn’t have much faith in its ability to win with Griffin at quarterback. Philadelphia, meanwhile, still has a chance to extend its season but needs to win its last two games.

The key to this game, as both teams’ defenses rank outside the NFL’s top 20 in points allowed per game, will ultimately be determined by which team’s offense can find the most rhythm despite its quarterback issues.

If the Eagles can score four touchdowns, they should be in good shape. While they lost 38-27 to Dallas and its explosive offense on Sunday night, Philadelphia has won its other nine games in which it has scored 27 or more points, while it has scored 21 or less points in its other four losses.

Philadelphia’s lackluster defense will give Washington a chance to cover the spread, which was set at Philadelphia -7.5 as of Thursday, per OddsShark.com, but it also shouldn’t be a surprise if the Eagles win in blowout fashion.

Storylines: San Diego at San Francisco

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Unable to pull an upset over either of the AFC’s top two teams, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos, the San Diego Chargers have lost consecutive games heading into Week 16. They must come up with a victory on the road Saturday to have a realistic shot at the playoffs in Week 17.

At 8-6, the Chargers currently sit one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, who hold the AFC’s two wild-card playoff berths. A loss in either of their final two regular-season contests, against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday and versus the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17, would all but eliminate them from contention.

Fortunately for San Diego, the 49ers aren’t playing at nearly the level that brought them to the NFC Championship Game the past three years. Instead, San Francisco is out of the playoff race and likely facing a coaching change in January.

The 49ers have lost their last three games, including one two weeks ago against the 2-12 Oakland Raiders.

Ranking 28th in the NFL in points scored per game, the 49ers have had some major issues offensively, as quarterback Colin Kaepernick has really struggled passing the ball in recent weeks. Defensively the 49ers have continued to be tough, but they have been ravaged by injuries, while they released another starter, defensive end Ray McDonald, after news broke Wednesday that McDonald is being investigated for a sexual assault.

Injury Report: San Diego at San Francisco

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The Chargers’ best quarterback, running back and wide receiver are all dealing with injuries this week.

Philip Rivers “is battling a back injury that is more severe than the team has acknowledged,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but he practiced Thursday and is expected to play Saturday.

The same cannot be said for Ryan Mathews, who has not practiced this week after missing Week 15's game with an ankle sprain, while Keenan Allen has both a broken collarbone and an injured ankle and is not expected to play Saturday, according to Ricky Henne of Chargers.com.

Punter Mike Scifres, who broke his collarbone in Week 14, is also unlikely to play after missing practice this week with his injury. Filling in for Scifres is Mat McBriar, who averaged 49.8 yards on four punts against the Broncos last week.

The 49ers, meanwhile, go into Week 16 with a bevy of key players injured.

Rookie inside linebacker Chris Borland, who has been exceptional in a starting role with All-Pro veterans Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman already out for the year, is expected to miss the team’s last two games with an ankle injury.

Michael Wilhoite, who has also been starting at inside linebacker, did not practice this week due to a hip injury. Three additional defensive starters—defensive end Justin Smith (back), linebacker Ahmad Brooks (thumb) and cornerback Tramaine Brock (hamstring)—also missed the week of practices.

Offensively, it looks as though the 49ers could be without their top two running backs, Frank Gore (concussion) and Carlos Hyde (ankle), who also missed practices this week, according to the 49ers’ injury report. Two of San Francisco’s top wide receivers, Michael Crabtree and Steve Johnson, missed the week with knee injuries.

Matchups to Watch: San Diego at San Francisco

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Brandon Flowers vs. Anquan Boldin

Anquan Boldin, aside from Colin Kaepernick, is the 49ers’ only healthy offensive skill-position player with more than 300 yards from scrimmage this season. He has caught 74 passes for 920 yards and four touchdowns this year, and he will need to be productive for San Francisco to move the chains Saturday.

Likely to spend most of the game matched up against Boldin is Brandon Flowers, who is the best of a bad crop of cornerbacks in San Diego. The two players’ physical style of play should make for a good matchup on the outside, but Flowers will need to play better than he did against the Broncos and Patriots, as he allowed a combined 263 receiving yards, according to Pro Football Focus.

San Diego Rushing Offense vs. San Francisco Rushing Defense

Considering that San Francisco’s defensive front seven Saturday could consist of outside linebacker Aldon Smith and a bunch of players who have been backups for most of the year, one would expect the Chargers to look to take advantage of potential weakness in the 49ers rushing defense.

Of all teams to try to do so, however, San Diego is one of the NFL’s least capable, especially with Ryan Mathews sidelined. All Chargers rushers except Mathews have combined to average just 3.01 yards per carry this season.

This very much looks to be a battle of weaknesses given the injuries on both sides, but it could have an important effect on the game’s outcome.

Prediction: San Diego at San Francisco

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This has the potential to be a very low-scoring game: The Chargers have scored 14 or less points in their past two games and four of their last six, while the 49ers have scored 13 or less points in their last three outings.

Yet while the Chargers have been playing very underwhelming football, having won just three of their last eight games and none by more than seven points, they still look to be in much better shape coming into this game than their adversary.

The 49ers, a team in apparent disarray with key players sidelined throughout the roster, are going to be hard-pressed to win another game this season.

As San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention in a loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, while rumors about Jim Harbaugh potentially coaching elsewhere in 2015 have been flying, it’s unknown how motivated the 49ers will be. By contrast, the Chargers have reached must-win territory if they are going to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The 49ers are a one-point favorite in Vegas as of Thursday, according to OddsShark.com, but all the factors working against them make it look as though a bet on the Chargers might be money well spent.

Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Dan_Hope