It’s hard to believe, but we’ve arrived at Week 17 of the NFL Season. It’s the penultimate week, featuring some crucial matchups. We saw three big games on Christmas. Now, it’s time for the rest of the slate, minus a couple Saturday games. Below are the games I’m most excited to see on the Sunday slate!

Early Games:

Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) at Indianapolis Colts (8-7)
About: Is it over for the Colts? If it’s not, we’re darn close. To have any chance, they need a big win here against the Jaguars. Jacksonville, meanwhile, is hot, and has an outside shot at the top seed. But they need to keep winning. This is a divisional matchup with some teeth.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8) at Miami Dolphins (6-9)
About: What happened to the Buccaneers? This season’s collapse will likely lead to some off-season questions. For now, in order to stay in contention for the division, the Buccaneers need a win. The Dolphins are on to the Quinn Ewers era. It hasn’t been impressive thus far, but a win in this battle of Florida would be huge. This one has some big stakes.

Seattle Seahawks (12-3) at Carolina Panthers (8-7)
About: Don’t look now, but the Seahawks sit atop the NFC. To stay there, they need wins. The team travels to Carolina today, battling a Panthers team that took the lead in the NFC South. The Panthers need wins to maintain a lead over the Buccaneers heading into their Week 18 showdown. That won’t come easy against the Seahawks. This has big stakes for the NFC.

Late Games:

Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) at Buffalo Bills (11-4)
About: A battle of contenders whose season hasn’t gone as expected. The Eagles won the NFC East, but they’re locked into a battle for the No. 2 seed, trailing the Bears. The Bills, meanwhile, trail the Patriots. It’s a tough road to catch them, but they have to win out to have a chance. If not, the Bills could find themselves on the road in Round One. Both teams have plenty of motivation here.

Sunday Night Football:

Chicago Bears (11-4) at San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
About: The Bears are leading the NFC North and leading for the No. 2 seed. The 49ers are third in their division, but still have a chance for the No. 1 overall seed. It’s been a crazy season to say the least. Both teams are hot, and both want to stay that way into the playoffs. Only one can win, and the one that does will improve their playoff position.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.