Sunday is the new move day this NFL weekend

On By Littum

There is a day in every professional golf tournament when competitors try to prepare for the final push on Sunday. It’s Saturday. Better known as “Moving day”.

On Sunday, we’re about to have a similar situation in the NFL.

The Program for week 11 is packed with great matchups headlined by the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs traveling to Orchard Park, NY to take on the Buffalo Bills. How good is that game? NFL on CBS will be there on site, taking a page out of ESPN’s College Gameday.

But there are other games that are arguably even more important, including one that starts Thursday night.

If the commanders win: Washington would find itself in the loss column with the Eagles, with a win in Philadelphia in hand. Looking ahead, the rematch is Week 16, and by then the Commanders could be in a good position where a loss wouldn’t do as much damage. Washington’s next three games are against the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints, with the first two at home.

If the Eagles win: Philadelphia would suddenly advance 1.5 games while securing a split between these two teams at the very least. Over the following three weeks, Philadelphia has a much tougher slate, including games with the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The skinny one: Philadelphia, while leading the NFC East by a half, needs this game more than Washington given that it’s at home and in the coming weeks.

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If the Ravens win: Baltimore would be in the driver’s seat, at least until it hosts Pittsburgh in Week 16 at 3:30 PM ET Saturday, December 21st. The Ravens will likely be favored every game the rest of the way, but their schedule is not easy with games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Eagles and Steelers remaining. Still, a victory in Pittsburgh would be a crushing blow to the Steelers’ hopes for an AFC North crown.

If the Steelers win: For Pittsburgh, there is not a major game on the schedule. The Steelers have one of the toughest roads in the league to the finish line, with the Ravens in Baltimore, the Chiefs coming to town for Christmas, a road tilt with the Eagles and two games left against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The thin one: Although the division remains up for grabs, the game is more important to the Steelers.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey

The 49ers get healthier with the return of Christian McCaffrey last week against the Buccaneers. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

If the Seahawks win: Seattle has been on a roll in recent weeks, including a Thursday night home loss to the Niners. The Seahawks began the season 3-0 before losing five of their last six. But if they go on the road and win in Santa Clara, Mike Macdonald’s team would leapfrog San Francisco in the NFC West and the wild-card standings while gaining a half game on the vacant Arizona Cardinals.

If the 49ers win: That would be three straight wins for San Francisco, which is suddenly getting a lot healthier at the right time. Additionally, the 49ers would have a chance to tie the Cardinals atop the division. Already down two in the NFC West, a loss here to San Francisco would hurt its chances of winning any tiebreakers down the line.

The thin one: This is massive for both teams. The Seahawks would be on the verge of falling out of the playoff picture with a loss, while the Niners would have a tough road to win the division if they falter.

If the Chiefs win: The AFC’s top seed is finally locked up. Kansas City would be at least three games up in the loss column on Baltimore and Buffalo with head-to-head tiebreakers in hand. With a win, the Chiefs would move to 10–0, and the conversation would be about whether they can become the second team in NFL history to go undefeated and win the Super Bowl.

If the Bills win: The AFC East is long over, but Buffalo would have a chance to gain home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs for the first time since 1993, which is the last time the Bills reached the Super Bowl. A win would put Buffalo just one loss behind Kansas City with a chance to overtake the Chiefs down the line.

The thin one: For any hope of hosting the Chiefs in the playoffs, it’s a must-win for the Bills. For Kansas City, that’s a luxury.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and head coach Jim Harbaugh

Harbaugh and Justin Herbert have the Chargers positioned to make the playoffs. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

If the Bengals win: Cincinnati is back in the playoff hunt after winning a key game. The Bengals have two games left with the Steelers, but otherwise have a favorable docket including the Cleveland Browns, Titans, Cowboys and others. With nine wins potentially enough to earn a wild-card spot, this isn’t a must-win, but a loss eliminates most of Cincinnati’s breathing room.

If the Chargers win: They are all but assured of a playoff spot barring a huge collapse. But one loss and things go awry. Los Angeles plays the Ravens, Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the next four weeks. However, they finish with the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders. Handle business in these games and this weekend and Jim Harbaugh is playoff bound.

The thin one: It’s a more important game for the Bengals, but the Chargers can’t afford to relax with a tough month ahead.