Giants' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 16
The New York Giants reside in the best position possible of the four teams vying for the final two NFC wild-card spots.
New York's Week 15 win over the Washington Commanders handed it some buffer room at 8-5-1.
Brian Daboll's team heads to Minnesota on Saturday knowing that it can't drop out of a playoff position.
The Giants hold a two-game edge over the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions in the loss column.
Week 16 is a difficult one for the Commanders and Seahawks, which is fantastic news for Giants fans. A loss in Minnesota is not the worst thing in the world.
Detroit has the easiest Week 16 matchup of the four teams, but it is not a direct threat to the Giants yet because of the gap in the loss column. A Lions loss would not hurt because it would take away the worst-case scenario for the Giants.
49ers over Commanders
New York's win over Washington last week damaged the Commanders' playoff hopes.
Washington now has to head to San Francisco to take on a 49ers team fighting for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
The 49ers should be rooting for the Giants to beat the Vikings so that the one-game gap between those two teams is eliminated in the race for the No. 2 seed.
New York needs the 49ers to return the favor and at least keep the Commanders one game back in the loss column.
Washington is still the biggest threat to the Giants in the wild-card race because of their tie. The Commanders are one game back of the Giants, while the Seahawks and Lions are 1.5 games behind.
The Commanders close with home games against the Cleveland Browns and a Dallas Cowboys side that could be resting up for a wild-card round game.
The Giants need the Commanders to lose to the 49ers to make the playoff match simpler in the next two weeks.
If the Giants and Commanders both lose on Saturday, New York would need one win to finish ahead of Washington because of its head-to-head win.
A Giants win and Commanders loss opens up the potential for the Giants to clinch a playoff spot. They would also need a loss by the Seahawks or Lions for the playoff berth to be clinched.
Chiefs over Seahawks
The Giants should get help from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City can't afford a loss in its fight for the No. 1 seed in the AFC with the Buffalo Bills.
Seattle comes into Arrowhead Stadium with losses in four of its last five games. The Seahawks are in danger of falling to ninth place with two weeks to go.
The Giants need the Seahawks to lose for their potential clinching scenario and to back the NFC West side into a must-win set of games against the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams.
Seattle's remaining schedule would scare the Giants only if the Seahawks pulled off the upset in Kansas City.
A Chiefs win keeps the Seahawks 1.5 games back of the Giants with two weeks left in the regular season. The Giants would need a win over either the Indianapolis Colts or Philadelphia Eagles to lock up a playoff berth in that situation.
Panthers over Lions
The Detroit Lions are not a direct threat to the Giants' playoff life just yet.
New York would love it if the Lions remain 1.5 games back and it can apply the same scenario to the Lions as it would with the Seahawks.
Detroit has the most winnable game of the four wild-card hopefuls, as it takes on the Carolina Panthers on the road.
Carolina displayed some improvements over the last few weeks, but it may not be good enough to beat the surging Lions.
New York has to hope the pressure of the playoff chase gets to the Lions and they stumble on the road.
Week 16 could be a wash in the NFC wild-card race if all four teams lose on the road. That scenario benefits the Giants the most.
If the Giants beat the Vikings, they need at least two of their challengers to lose to clinch a playoff berth.