NFL schedules Saturday tripleheader for Week 17, flexes Commanders and Falcons into 'SNF'

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NFL schedules Saturday tripleheader for Week 17, flexes Commanders and Falcons into 'SNF'

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Tue, Dec 17, 2024 ·

3 min read

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The NFL has officially scheduled its Saturday tripleheader for Week 17 while also flexing its post-Christmas "Sunday Night Football" matchup.

The Saturday slate on Dec. 28 will kick off with the Los Angeles Chargers at the New England Patriots at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the Denver Broncos at the Cincinnati Bengals at 4:30 p.m., and the Arizona Cardinals taking on the Los Angeles Rams at 8 p.m.

All three games will be broadcast on NFL Network and available on NFL+, the league's streaming service.

The NFL was set to pick three games from five possible matchups. One of the options – the Atlanta Falcons at Washington Commanders – will shift to "Sunday Night Football" on Dec. 29 in place of the Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns . The other game – the Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants – will be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

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The reworked could have notable ramifications for the playoff picture .

The Broncos (9-5) are in good shape to end their eight-season playoff drought, as they stand in the sixth seed in the AFC. But this Thursday's matchup against the Chargers (8-6) could prove critical in establishing the wild-card pecking order, and Denver will be facing a resilient Bengals team (6-8) that has posted at least 34 points in four of the last six weeks.

The Rams (8-6) claimed the NFC West lead this weekend thanks to owning a tiebreaker against the Seattle Seahawks , but they'll still need to finish strong given the state of the wild-card race and the Week 18 rematch with the Seahawks. The Cardinals need both teams to slip up in order to make up ground in the division.

The Commanders (9-5) are clinging to the final NFC wild-card spot, while the best hope for the Falcons (7-7) is probably catching up to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) for the NFC South crown given Atlanta has already swept the Bucs this season, a decisive tiebreaker if the clubs wind up deadlocked.