NFL Week 17 talking points: Eagles visit Bills, Ravens need help

The postseason is taking shape, with five teams in each conference having clinched playoff spots.

In the AFC, the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Chargers have already made the cut, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans close to locking in the final spots.

Over in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Green Bay Packers have all clinched a postseason berth, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers close to filling in the last seed.

There is still a path for the Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs but they will need help. All that and a possible Super Bowl previewing matchup headlines an action-packed NFL Week 17 talking points with five storylines to follow by DAZN News' Mark Lelinwalla.

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Lamar Jackson, Ravens must win out and get help

The Baltimore Ravens (7-8) must win out and get help to have a shot at making the playoffs. That is courtesy of their crushing home loss suffered against the New England Patriots last week.

For Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to make the postseason, they must win their final two games at home, beginning by defeating the Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) on Saturday night.

That said, if their AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) defeat the Cleveland Browns (3-12) on Sunday, the Ravens will be eliminated.

If the Ravens win Saturday night and the Steelers lose Sunday, however, then a Week 18 showdown between the rivals will decide the fate of the division and the playoff spot that comes with it.

Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP, might have his work cut out for him as the Packers own a Top 10 defense, allowing an average of 20.2 points per game.

High stakes for both Seahawks and Panthers in NFC tilt

The Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers are each coming off big division wins last week in defeating the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.

Seattle can clinch the NFC West by defeating the Panthers and a Rams’ loss or tie, plus a San Francisco 49ers’ loss.

The Panthers (8-7) can clinch the NFC South division with a win over the Seahawks and a Buccaneers (7-8) loss against the Miami Dolphins (6-9). If both the Panthers and Buccaneers win Sunday, they’ll clash in a Week 18 matchup with the division on the line.

Could the Eagles at the Bills be a Super Bowl preview?

Reigning league MVP Josh Allen and his Buffalo Bills are getting hot at the right time.

Buffalo has won four straight games entering their Week 17 home game against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

James Cook enters the matchup leading all running backs in rushing yards with 1,532 — with 12 touchdowns for good measure.

The Eagles, who are allowing nearly 124 yards rushing per game, will have to deal with Cook and, of course, the fact that Allen might be the best dual-threat quarterback in football.

Both teams have clinched their playoff spots, with the Bills still having a chance to swipe the AFC East division title from the New England Patriots.

Could the Bills vs. Eagles be a possible preview for a potential Super Bowl LX showdown, pitting Allen against former Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts? Hey, it’s possible.

Bears look to clinch NFC North against Niners in big NFC tilt

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Last week’s overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers was huge. Now, the Chicago Bears can clinch the NFC North with a Sunday Night Football road win over the San Francisco 49ers, who have already secured their postseason spot.

The connection between Caleb Williams and DJ Moore has especially been effective as the QB-wideout pair have combined for nine catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks.

Can the Bears topple the Niners?