NFL Saturday Schedule 2017: Week 16 Start Times, TV Channels, Playoff Implications

Week 16 marks the final time in the 2017 NFL regular season that football games are scheduled on Saturday. While the two games aren’t expected to be especially competitive, they have plenty of playoff implications.

The Baltimore Ravens host the Indianapolis Colts in Saturday’s first game. It starts at 4:30 p.m. EST on NFL Network and nfl.com. The night game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers starts at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC, and a live stream will be available online with NBC Sports Live Extra.

Baltimore is fighting for a playoff spot against a team that has long been eliminated from postseason contention. Indianapolis is going to get a top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft after losing eight of their last nine games. The Ravens have the same record as the AFC’s two wild-card teams, but they currently lose the tiebreaker to both the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills.

Defeating the Colts would likely put the Ravens in the playoffs at the start of Week 17. Laying 13.5 points to Indianapolis, according to the betting odds at OddsShark, Baltimore is the biggest favorite on the Week 16 schedule. Buffalo is a double-digit underdog on the road against the New England Patriots, and the Titans are expected to have a difficult time with the visiting Los Angeles Rams.

Over in Saturday’s NFC game, Minnesota has already clinched a playoff berth. Green Bay was eliminated from the postseason with their loss in Week 15, and the Packers will rest Aaron Rodgers for the final two weeks since they’ve got nothing left to play for.

The Vikings still have a lot on the line. With the NFC North title already clinched, they are trying to secure a first-round playoff bye. If Minnesota wins in Green Bay, a loss or a tie by the Carolina Panthers Sunday would give the Vikings the No.2 seed at worst.

An unlikely tie with the Packers would make it theoretically possible for the Vikings to clinch a bye. They’d need the Panthers to lose, and both the Saints and Rams to either lose or tie in Week 16.

Minnesota has its eyes on the NFC’s No.1 seed and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. That seems like a long shot, considering they are a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles, who own the tiebreaker over the Vikings. Philadelphia will clinch the No.1 seed with a win over either the Oakland Raiders or Dallas Cowboys in the final two weeks.

Green Bay is a nine-point underdog against Minnesota.