The Buccaneers probably are feeling like Jim Carrey’s Lloyd Christmas in "Dumb and Dumber."
While the Bucs (8-7) aren't quite eliminated from playoff contention in the NFC, they need a lot of things to fall their way. It starts with Tampa Bay beating the visiting Panthers (6-9) on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox). Easy enough, right?
This is where it gets tricky.
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The Bucs, who'll be without injured tight end Cameron Brate, also need the Lions (9-6) to beat the Packers (9-6) in Sunday night’s NFC North championship game. Tampa holds a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker over the Packers, but only if the Titans (8-7) beat the Texans (9-6), the Colts (7-8) beat the Jaguars (3-12), the Cowboys (13-2) beat the Eagles (6-9) and the 49ers (2-13) beat the NFC West champion Seahawks (9-5-1).
But wait, there’s more. The Redskins (8-6-1) also have to tie for the second time this season in their regular-season finale against the visiting Giants (10-5).
"So you’re telling me there’s a chance. Yeah!"
Speaking of that Packers-Lions game, the Lions could be the No. 2 seed with a win or completely out of the playoffs with a loss. The Packers essentially are in the same boat, a possible 3 seed if they win or completely out of the postseason if they fall at Ford Field.
Going into an all-Sunday Week 17, the six teams in the AFC playoff field are known, but there's the matter of seeding. Only the AFC North champion Steelers (10-5) and the AFC South champion Texans (9-6) are locked in as the No. 3 and 4 seeds, respectively. In the NFC, the East champion Cowboys have clinched home field advantage throughout and the Giants are locked in as the No. 5 seed.
Patriots (13-2) at Dolphins (10-5), 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The scenario is easy for the Patriots: Win and they get home field throughout the AFC playoffs. A Dolphins win would open up things for the Raiders (12-3), who are at Denver (8-7) but also without injured quarterback Derek Carr.
The Dolphins have clinched an AFC playoff berth but need a big game from Jay Ajayi against New England’s top-rated scoring defense to ensure the 5 seed. A Miami loss means it will be the 6 seed and have to go to Pittsburgh in the wild-card round.
Chiefs (11-4) at Chargers (5-10), 4:25 p.m., CBS
In what could be the final NFL game in San Diego, the Chiefs can clinch the AFC West and the No. 2 seed with a win and Raiders loss. The Raiders would win the division by beating the Broncos.
While the Chiefs defense has played well, it could be getting a motivated Chargers team that wants to give its fans one last victory at Qualcomm Stadium. Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, who needs just 3 yards to get to 1,000 on the season, is questionable with a hip injury suffered Dec. 11 at Carolina.
A Chiefs loss could drop them to the 6 seed should the Dolphins win.
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Packers (9-6) at Lions (9-6), 8:30 p.m, NBC
The winners of the NFL’s final regular-season game will be the NFC North champions. Where that puts them in the NFC playoff picture is a bit muddled, though will be clear by the time they kick off. The Lions actually could be the 2 seed if the NFC South champion Falcons (10-5) lose at home against the Saints (7-8) and the Seahawks lose in San Francisco. The Lions also could be the 3 or 4 seed, depending on what happens in Atlanta and San Francisco.
But the Lions also could miss the playoffs if they lose and the Redskins beat the Giants. A Redskins victory would almost ensure Washington the 6 seed, barring a Packers-Lions tie. A Redskins loss would mean the loser of Sunday night’s game would be in as the 6 seed.
The Packers cannot get the 2 seed, but their scenarios for the 3 or 4 are similar to that of the Lions. Green Bay holds a head-to-head tiebreaker with Seattle, but lost to the Falcons earlier this season.
If the Lions are going to win, Matthew Stafford has to take care of the ball. He has five turnovers over the past three games, and the Packers defense has 12 takeaways the past three weeks.
"We just stayed persistent," Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said. "Since (defensive coordinator) Dom (Capers) has been here the past eight years, we’ve always done a good job of being one of the league leaders in taking the ball away.
"That’s ultimately the difference in the games. You look at the percentages of the games in which you’re able to get takeaways, it favors heavily in the win column. We’ve been fortunate these past weeks — stick at it and hopefully continue to create those turnovers."