Who can clinch a playoff spot in Week 17?

As the regular season wanes, each week brings with it a fresh opportunity for some teams to clinch playoff spots. Check out every possible scenario for each conference below, and predict the playoffs here:

CLINCHED: Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks

ELIMINATED: New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles

The Cowboys clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with: a win plus a Cardinals loss or tie and a Lions-Packers tie.

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Who can clinch a playoff spot in Week 17?

Aaron Rodgers "baffled" by Kromer"s Jay Cutler comments

GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler are rivals on the field, but they are also friends who happen to be members of a relatively small fraternity. And as a franchise quarterback who credits a supportive and open environment for helping him thrive with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers was appalled by what Cutler, his beleaguered Chicago Bears counterpart, had to endure last week.

Reacting to reports that Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer admitted last Monday to his players that he’d been an anonymous source in a report by NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport in which Cutler’s game-management skills were criticized, Rodgers strongly denounced Kromer’s behavior, saying he was "baffled" by the situation.

"I would have a major problem if somebody said something like that," Rodgers said Tuesday during an interview at Lambeau Field. "I think anybody that plays the position, you can’t help but empathize with Jay for that situation. You talk all the time about being connected, being a unit, believing in each other. But if you have unnamed sources, people out there cutting you down, and then you find out it’s the person calling the plays — that would be really hard to deal with, to look at him the same way."

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Aaron Rodgers "baffled" by Kromer"s Jay Cutler comments

Which teams can clinch a playoff spot during Week 16?

As the regular season wanes, each week brings with it a fresh opportunity for some teams to clinch playoff spots. Check out every possible scenario for each conference below, and predict the playoffs here:

CLINCHED: Arizona Cardinals

ELIMINATED: New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers 

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Which teams can clinch a playoff spot during Week 16?

Cardinals, Packers among teams that could clinch playoff position

As the regular season wanes, each week brings with it a new chance for a number of teams to clinch playoff positions. Check out every potential scenario for each conference below, and call the playoffs here:

NFC

CLINCHED: None

REMOVED: Giants, Redskins, Bears, Buccaneers

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Cardinals, Packers among teams that could clinch playoff position

Scout compares Baylor"s Bryce Petty to Matt Flynn, Drew Stanton

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Getting past Kansas State and possibly into the College Football Playoff is the immediate challenge for Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty. But another challenge — getting past the stereotype the Bears’ shotgun offense has not prepared him well for the NFL — could be even more demanding.

"He puts up monster numbers in a offense that does not have a history of creating successful pro style quarterbacks," an AFC place scout told NFL Media’s Albert Breer. & quot;He Is a bright, high character player. Respectable sportsman, having a powerful lower body, but I personally do not see him as a top prospect."

That scout compared Petty to the Green Bay Packers’ Matt Flynn as well as the Arizona Cardinals’ Drew Stanton — not just household names.

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Scout compares Baylor"s Bryce Petty to Matt Flynn, Drew Stanton

Scouting the scouts: Six clubs credentialed for Notre Dame-USC

Which school games will NFL teams send scouts to Saturday? College Football 24/7 brings you a glance at the teams that are credentialed to attend a few of the most important matches in college football. NFL Media analyst and former NFL scout Bucky Brooks adds comment for every match. Which positions might your NFL team be scouting? NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt supplies his main draft needs for every team.

Scouting the scouts: Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 | Oct. 18 | Oct. 25 | Oct. 31 | Nov. 7 | Nov. 14 | Nov. 21

Notre Dame at USC

Club attending: Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks.

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Scouting the scouts: Six clubs credentialed for Notre Dame-USC

NFL's greatest competition? Bears-Packers continues among top picks

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The NFL is constructed on classic competitions, as is clear in the primetime lineup for Week 10. First, the Cleveland Browns rolled over the Cincinnati Bengals on "Thursday Night Football," by having an honest to goodness AFC North race adding some juice to the Battle of Ohio. Next comes the granddaddy of these all: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on "Sunday Night Football."

As the Bears and Packers prepare for the 190th episode of among the more storied show in league history, we believed we had ask: Which NFL competition is the most effective right now?

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NFL"s greatest competition? Bears-Packers continues among top picks

Good Jay Cutler shows up; Bears roll in Atlanta

The Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons both badly needed at win Sunday. The Bears played like a team that could stick around in a playoff race with a 27-13 road victory. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Despite all the preseason talk, the Falcons are one of the least "tough" teams in football. Chicago’s pass rush finally woke up because they were playing Atlanta’s dreadful line. Meanwhile, the Falcons got no pressure on Jay Cutler all day. He responded with 381 yards and no turnovers.

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Good Jay Cutler shows up; Bears roll in Atlanta

Bryce Petty, Baylor mount huge comeback to beat TCU

Baylor and TCU filled up just about every slot on your college football bingo card on Saturday.

The Horned Frogs alone scored via a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown, a pick-six, a kick return for a score and a field goal. And they were the team that lost.

The Bears came back from 21 down in the fourth quarter to rally to a 61-58 win and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive in a wild shootout that packed all of the insanity of Week 6 into a single four-plus-hour game seven days later.

There were turnovers. There were amazing catches. There were also plenty of yards — all 1,265 of them — and points (a combined 119). In fact, it was the most yards and points ever in a game by two teams ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll.

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Bryce Petty, Baylor mount huge comeback to beat TCU

Bryce Petty has off day as Baylor narrowly moves past Texas

A win is a win for Baylor, but Saturday’s outing at Texas wasn’t pretty.

In Charlie Strong’s first meeting with offensive guru Art Briles, the Longhorns made life difficult for the normally high-flying Bears offense, limiting it to just a single touchdown in three quarters of action as Baylor eked out a 28-7 win in Austin.

Quarterback Bryce Petty, who came into the day with a chance to make a big statement in the Heisman Trophy race, was mediocre at best and looked out of rhythm all afternoon. He found Antwan Goodley with a nice touch pass for a score in the third quarter, but otherwise couldn’t find much consistency in the passing game.

The senior finished the game just 7-of-22 for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

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Bryce Petty has off day as Baylor narrowly moves past Texas

Son of former NFL star Bryan Cox shines for Florida in road win

Bryan Cox Jr. picked quite a day to play a lot like his father did during his NFL career.

The son of former All-Pro linebacker Bryan Cox came up with three sacks to lead a 10-9 win in a road game at rival Tennessee that threatened to send the Florida Gators’ season into an early tailspin.

Bryan Cox Sr., of course, had an impressive 12-year NFL career playing for the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and New York Jets, among others. The three-time All-Pro, currently the Atlanta Falcons‘ defensive line coach, amassed 51.5 career sacks, but as a college player at Western Illinois and a fifth-round draft pick, he never found himself on the center of a stage quite like his son was on Saturday.

Bryan Cox Jr.’s first sack of the season came at a big third-down moment, as he dropped Volunteers quarterback Justin Worley for a loss of 13 to force a punt in the second quarter. Cox, a redshirt sophomore who had two career sacks entering the game, sacked Worley again on third down in the third quarter to force a field goal attempt, and his third sack set up a 3rd-and-9 and helped force one of eight Tennessee punts.

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Son of former NFL star Bryan Cox shines for Florida in road win

NFL Week 5 viewer"s guide

The Green Bay Packers made easy work of the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, but there’s still a full slate of games on Sunday. Around The NFL’s Kevin Patra fills you in on the key storylines for each matchup. Here’s your guide as you settle into your couch for all the NFL action.

Cam Newton admitted this week he hasn’t been as mobile as he thought following offseason ankle surgery. One area he has improved is the deep ball. With rookie Kelvin Benjamin stretching defenses, the Panthers already have nine receptions of 20-plus yards in the air — last season they had 12 total. Expect more of that against a shaky Bears back end.

Jay Cutler has played well on the road this season, throwing for six touchdowns and zero interceptions. However, he’s thrown for 300-plus yards only once in his last 25 road games. The Bears need Good Jay verses a Panthers defense that knows it must bounce back from two poor performances.

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NFL Week 5 viewer"s guide

2015 NFL Draft to be held in Chicago

The 2015 NFL Draft will be held April 30-May 2 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Thursday.

"We are excited to have fans from throughout the midwest experience the NFL Draft," Goodell said in a statement announcing the draft location. "We look forward to returning the event to the city of Chicago and working with the city, Choose Chicago, and the Chicago Sports Commission to create a week-long celebration of football for our fans. Mayor Emanuel and the city of Chicago presented us with numerous ways to enhance the Draft experience for our fans and incoming players."

The Windy City beat out Los Angeles, which was the other finalist in the running to host the league’s marquee event next year. Various sites across the country expressed interest in hosting the affair but couldn’t beat out a strong bid from Chicago that was backed by Emanuel.

"Chicago is pleased to welcome the 2015 NFL Draft to America’s heartland," Emanuel said in a statement. "Next year, NFL fans from across the country will travel here or tune in as the future of their team is decided in Chicago. We look forward to working with the Chicago Bears, the NFL, and our neighborhood partners to make this an event that highlights our world class city and reinvests in our communities."

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2015 NFL Draft to be held in Chicago

Joining the dots: Where NFL scouts were Saturday

Which NFL teams are scouting which school matches this weekend? From College Football 24/7’s press box operatives around the country directly to you, here is a glance at the teams that were credentialed to attend some of the largest matches in college football Saturday:

Clemson at FSU: Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets. Three top players involved: Clemson (defensive end Vic Beasley, linebacker Stephone Anthony, defensive lineman Grady Jarrett); FSU (tackle Cameron Erving, cornerback P.J. Williams, defensive end Mario Edwards).

Miami at Nebraska: Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers. Three top players involved: Miami (linebacker Denzel Perryman, running back Duke Johnson, offensive lineman Ereck Flowers); Nebraska (defensive end Randy Gregory, running back Ameer Abdullah, receiver Kenny Bell).

Florida at Alabama: Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Three top players involved: Alabama (receiver Amari Cooper, safety Landon Collins, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson); Florida (offensive tackle Chaz Green, defensive end Dante Fowler, cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III).

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Joining the dots: Where NFL scouts were Saturday

Lookouts compare Alabama"s Amari Cooper to experts

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Five NFL staff executives went in five different ways when asked who Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper compares to among NFL receivers, but all five set the Crimson Tide’s possible first-round draft pick in remarkable business.

NFL Media analyzer Daniel Jeremiah gathered these five comparisions for his weekly "Inquire 5" attribute: the Atlanta Falcons’ Roddy White, the Chicago Bears’ Santonio Holmes, the Green Bay Packers’ Jordy Nelson, and two high picks in the NFL draft in May — New York Giants first-rounder Odell Beckham and Jacksonville Jaguars second-round pick Marquise Lee.

Cooper would definitely do well to match White’s NFL career. White should reach the 10,000-yard career receiving milestone at some stage this season. Said the NFL personnel guy who made the White comparison: "He Is sneaky quick, really physical, tough and dependable. He is a man you need to get the ball in the clutch."

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Lookouts compare Alabama"s Amari Cooper to experts

Brian Hoyer delivers in clutch for legendary Cleveland Browns triumph

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Here Is the backstory to among the significant minutes of Week 2, the Cleveland Browns’ stunning last-second triumph on the New England Patriots. The Browns’ heroic success, along with the Green Bay Packers’ come-from-behind triumph on the New York Jets as well as the Chicago Bears’ frenzied fourth quarter rally past the San Francisco 49ers are nominees for the GMC Never Say Never Minute of the week. Cast your vote for the GMC Never Say Never Minutes of Week 1.

Brian Hoyer

The New Orleans Saints entered the 2014 season as many pigskin prognosticators’ pick to win the NFC South. The Cleveland Browns, meanwhile, were a popular decision to carry on to reside in the basement of the AFC North. This juxtaposition of preseason expectations squared off on a gridiron close to the shorelines of Lake Erie, where the local professional football team was riding an awkward run of nine straight home openers lost. The effect proved to be a memorable matchup when a team appeared prepared to kick aside its recent woes thanks to the clutch play of a well-traveled quarterback.

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Brian Hoyer delivers in clutch for legendary Cleveland Browns triumph

Vernon Davis (ankle), Charles Tillman (triceps) leave match

In a closely contested Sunday night game, two big names went down.

San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis suffered an ankle injury in the 2nd half and was later ruled out for the rest of the match. Davis last injured his ankle through the 2010 season, and his role in the 49ers’ offense is a significant one.

To the reverse sideline sat Charles Tillman.

The Bears’ expert cornerback affectionately called "Peanut" suffered an arm injury after shoving wide receiver Michael Crabtree in the 3rd quarter of Sunday night’s match from the San Francisco 49ers. After sideline evaluation, it had been disclosed that Tillman injured his right triceps. Tillman’s reaction was not supporting.

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Vernon Davis (ankle), Charles Tillman (triceps) leave match

Like/Dislike: Eli Manning lost in translation

Wonderful Week 1, anticipate more

This man is the truth

What did I only see this week?

Congratulations to the city of Buffalo, the Buffalo Bills as well as the Bills Mafia on new owner Terry Pegula. Things are looking up for the Bills and its own great lovers. Jim Kelly is cancer free! The Bills knocked off the Bears in Week 1. And now the team will be in Buffalo eternally. The single way things could be any better would be if Scarlett Johansson declared that she was leaving Paris and going to Buffalo to join the Bills Mafia.

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Like/Dislike: Eli Manning lost in translation

14 first-rounders, including 6 of top 10, started in Week 1

A bit less than half of the 2014 first-round picks — 14 of 32 — started their first NFL games this past weekend.

Also of interest: Three undrafted free agents were among the 35 rookie starters.

Seven teams started at least two rookies, with the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders starting three each. There were eight teams that started zero rookies: the Chicago Bears, the Denver Broncos, the Detroit Lions, the New England Patriots, the New Orleans Saints, the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Diego Chargers and the Tennessee Titans.

The total of 35 rookie starters was four fewer than in 2013, 15 fewer than in ’12 and 12 fewer than in ’11. In the past 10 seasons, the 35 rookie starters was the sixth-most; it also was behind the 39 that started in 2010 and the 36 in 2008. It was ahead of the 34 in 2006, the 32 in 2007 and ’09 and the 26 in ’05.

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14 first-rounders, including 6 of top 10, started in Week 1

Bills stun Bears in overtime

CHICAGO — Fred Jackson set up Dan Carpenter‘s field goal in overtime with a 38-yard run to the 1, and the Buffalo Bills stunned the Chicago Bears 23-20 in the season opener Sunday.

The Bears had just punted to open the extra period and Buffalo took over on its 22 to start the winning possession. The Bills got the ball to the Chicago 39 when Jackson turned toward the left side and broke off his big run, pushing safety Chris Conte out of the way twice inside the 10 before being knocked out of bounds at the 1.

Buffalo’s EJ Manuel backed up 2 yards and put the ball in the middle of the field. After a delay of game, Carpenter won it with a 27-yarder.

Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press

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Bills stun Bears in overtime