With regular season winding down, who are NFL's dangerous spoilers?
The 2014 NFL season has been especially compelling given the number of teams who have remained relevant late into the year. Entering Week 16, 21 of the league's 32 teams remain mathematically alive for the playoffs.
As for the others? Playing out the string could mean any number of courses -- some teams might pack it in, others will focus on showcasing and evaluating younger players. But pride is generally a common denominator among elite athletes and ruining another club's season can often provide motivation for a team that might otherwise have few objectives.
So who might some of this year's most dangerous spoilers be?
1. San Francisco 49ers (7-7)
Skinny: A team that had appeared in three consecutive NFC Championship Games -- and their win in the 2012 edition vaulted them into Super Bowl XLVII -- suddenly has nothing at stake and may be playing for a coach with one foot out the door. But despite myriad injuries, the Niners still have talent (they're the only eliminated team without a losing record) and, perhaps more importantly, fiercely prideful players like Anquan Boldin, Frank Gore and Justin Smith.
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Beware: The 49ers will finish out in their new Santa Clara home against the Chargers and Cardinals. San Diego can't run the ball, and its defense is vulnerable -- weaknesses the Niners could exploit to ruin the Bolts' fading playoff hopes. As for the Cardinals, who beat San Francisco in Week 3, they could be angling for the NFC West title in Week 17 with a fourth-string quarterback. The 49ers would surely prefer to end the season with a haymaker to their division rivals ... even if it ends up helping the hated Seahawks.
2. Washington Redskins (3-11)
Skinny: They've got plenty of talent, which is why, despite their well-documented struggles, their defense is respectably ranked 10th and the offense 12th.
Beware: The Redskins host the Eagles and Cowboys -- they barely lost to the former and beat the latter earlier this season -- to end the season, meaning they will have a huge say on the outcome of the NFC East race against two opponents who often play suspect defensively.
3. St. Louis Rams
Skinny: The preseason injury to QB Sam Bradford and defense's painfully slow start under coordinator Gregg Williams ultimately doomed them. But coach Jeff Fisher wasn't letting this team, 5-4 in its past nine games, mail it in. The defense has jumped to 11th in the standings, and QB Shaun Hill has been mostly solid since reclaiming the starting job last month.
Beware: The Rams will conclude their regular season in Seattle for the fourth time in five years, but they haven't won at CenturyLink Field in nearly decade. But they did dip into their bag of tricks to trip up the Seahawks earlier this season. If they successfully manage an encore, the Rams might keep the champs from winning the NFC West or possibly keep them out of the postseason altogether.
4. Minnesota Vikings (6-8)
Skinny: They could still salvage a .500 record, remarkable given their best player, Adrian Peterson, hasn't played since opening day. But the offense has shown steady progress with rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater at the controls, and first-year coach Mike Zimmer has unsurprisingly laid the groundwork for what could be a dominant defense in the coming years.
Beware: The Vikings travel to Florida this weekend. Handle temperatures they're not used to at this time of year, and they could turn up the heat on embattled Miami coach Joe Philbin while putting a stake in the declining Dolphins' season Sunday.
5. New York Giants (5-9)
Skinny: Despite a lost campaign, they've won their past two games in convincing fashion and would like to at least send coach Tom Coughlin off in style if his job can't be salvaged outright.
Beware: The Giants will welcome the archrival Eagles in Week 17. Given what Dallas' Dez Bryant did to the Philly secondary last Sunday, easy enough to envision scalding Giants rookie Odell Beckham doing the same and potentially preventing the Eagles from playing into January.
6. Chicago Bears (5-9)
Skinny: They've been dead in the water for a while and, frankly, have looked D.O.A. on the field. But you never know when up-and-down QB Jay Cutler might go off, especially with weapons like Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett at his disposal. (UPDATE: Can Jimmy Clausen go off? He'll have to be the one to do it with Wednesday's news that Cutler has been benched. He might enjoy some advantage against the Lions given the lack of recent game film on him.)
Beware: The Bears host the Lions on Sunday, a team they've beaten in five of their past six visits to Soldier Field. Detroit could win the NFC's No. 1 seed or could also miss the playoffs altogether. The latter scenario might become likely if they fall in Chicago before their Week 17 trip to Green Bay, a place the Lions haven't won since 1991.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-12)
Skinny: Few reasons for optimism, especially with the news that all-pro DT Gerald McCoy's season is over. But Even with him in the lineup, the Bucs have dropped nine of 10.
Beware: The Buccaneers play their last two at home but haven't won at Raymond James Stadium in 2014. However from the FWIW department, they've won seven of their last eight in Tampa against the Packers, Sunday's opponent. The Saints hit town in Week 17 and have lost one of their past three trips while barely winning the other two. The Bucs will certainly look overmatched on paper but could have the advantage of muggy weather, recent history and two shaky defenses in their sights -- maybe enough to derail a pair of division title hopes.
8. New York Jets (3-11)
Skinny: They probably can't save Rex Ryan's job (again), and they're likely out of the running for Marcus Mariota. But they're still playing awfully hard.
Beware: They'll wrap up against their two most-hated rivals, the Patriots and Dolphins. The Jets have dropped six of seven to New England, but four of the last five contests have been decided by three points or less. The Broncos will certainly be rooting for former mate Eric Decker and the Jets to give them an assist in the quest for home-field advantage. The Jets have also win six of their last eight in Miami. Not good for the Dolphins, who might already be belly up by Week 17.
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Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis
