Thursday Night Football has officially concluded for the 2021-22 NFL season. There will be no games played on Dec. 30th. Thus, Week 17 will return on Sunday, Jan. 2nd. The games to watch for are the Miami Dolphins vs the Tennessee Titans and the Cincinnati Bengals vs the Kansas City Chiefs.
If you’re a fan of either of those teams, you may know that this time of year is exciting when it comes to clinching a playoff spot. Feel free to find out more on where either of those teams stand in terms of NFL stats and get your sports betting insights.
Miami Dolphins vs Tennessee Titans
The Miami Dolphins have not lost a game since Halloween. They are on a hot streak right now as they have won seven straight games. When they travel to Tennessee in a few days, they will be aiming to make that eight.
Miami is currently in third in the AFC East, but still one game away from being tied with the Bills and Patriots in the win column. The franchise has a total of 23 playoff appearances. That is the second most of any team that got its start in the AFL. Only the New England Patriots have more.
If the Dolphins can finish their last two games with a win, they might very well have a shot at the final wild card spot. However, their opponents are also in the playoff race.
The Tennessee Titans are 1st in the AFC South. The magic number for this team is one. All they need is one more win – either against the Dolphins or the Houston Texans who they close their season with. Either of those scenarios seem likely. If for any reason they don’t happen, should the Indianapolis Colts lose one of their two final games, the Titans are in.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs
The Cincinnati Bengals have made a name for themselves this season as a force to be reckoned with in the AFC North – despite playing in the same division as the Baltimore Ravens. In fact, after beating the Ravens 41-21 on Sunday, Dec. 26, they improved to 9-6 on the season.
Cincinnati is currently in the hunt for the playoffs as well. Along with two AFC Championship wins, the franchise has appeared in the postseason a total of 14 times. From here on out, they control their own destiny. They have a final game against the Cleveland Browns, but they only need to win 1 more to slip into the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Kansas City Chiefs have already clinched a playoff berth. However, they’re looking to get home field advantage. Therefore, beating Cincinnati and the Denver Broncos is of extreme importance to them.
Unlike the NFL though, quite a few college football games will be played on Thursday. Those games include University of North Carolina vs South Carolina in Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Tennessee vs Purdue in the Music City Bowl, Pittsburgh vs Michigan State in the Peach Bowl, and Wisconsin vs Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Two border rivals will face off in Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The North Carolina Tarheels square up against the South Carolina gamecocks. Neither team has ever won a National Championship. South Carolina comes into the game working with a new head coach who’s in the process of rebuilding the team which puts them at a disadvantage despite each team having a 6-6 record.
Music City Bowl
The Music City Bowl was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19, but it returns this year. It’s more exciting as Tennessee’s coach Josh Huepel led them there in his first season. Their overall record in bowl games is 29-24, which they will soon be looking to make 30-24. However, that’s only if they can beat Purdue.
Peach Bowl
Although Pittsburgh is 11-2 on the season, their defense is not performing as well as they did in 2020. Last year, they led the country in sacks and tackles for loss, but most of the players responsible for that are playing in the NFL. With this being considered, it poses a problem for how they will match up against Michigan State’s offense and run game.
Las Vegas Bowl
The Wisconsin Badgers will be without their running back coach because of a non-COVID related illness as they prepare to take on Arizona State. However, former Badger Garrett Groshek will be serving as their temporary running back coach, according to USA Today.
