Five most important NFL games outside playoff picture

There's no such thing as meaningless football.

Sometimes, the word gets floated around when describing games between teams outside of the playoff hunt, but the truth is every game in a 17-game season means something.

Below, we take a look at the five most impactful remaining games between teams that won't be playing in the Super Bowl this season. Because the results over the next two weeks could be felt for months to come.

Five most impactful NFL games outside of the playoff picture

Arizona Cardinals (3-12) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-10) (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox) | Head coaches Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals) and Zac Taylor (Bengals) have uncertain futures with each set to miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Arizona has regressed in Gannon's third year, losing seven in a row, including four by at least 19 points. That's after the Cardinals' first five losses came by 13 points combined.

While last Sunday's blowout win at the Miami Dolphins showed the Bengals haven't checked out completely under Taylor, quarterback Joe Burrow's concerning comments earlier in December about his future should make the front office examine the quarterback-coach relationship. Cincinnati has only made three coaching changes this century, but could be forced to make substantial alterations with a loss to Arizona.

New Orleans Saints (5-10) at Tennessee Titans (3-12) (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS) | Tyler Shough has been the best quarterback of the 2025 rookie class, breathing life into a Saints franchise that had dim future prospects entering the season. He's led New Orleans to three consecutive wins and is coming off his first 300-yard game. On Sunday, Shough faces off with 2025's No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward, who is coming off his best performance in a 26-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs (6-9), completing a season-high 75 percent of his passes for 228 yards (8.1 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns. The two rookie quarterbacks are trending upward, but one's forward momentum will be curtailed for at least one week.

New York Giants (2-13) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-13) (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS) | This is the Super Bowl of bad teams, with the loser gaining the inside track to the No. 1 overall pick of the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Of the two teams, the Raiders need a loss more. The jury remains out on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart after a promising start to his career, but it seems unlikely New York would draft another one a year after trading up for Dart.

Las Vegas, meanwhile, needs a franchise quarterback (among other things). Possessing the No. 1 pick would give the organization a chance to find a quarterback of the future.

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (6-9) (Sunday, Jan. 4, TBD) | With a Saints win and Falcons loss in Week 17, the season finale between NFC South rivals will be a battle for last place. That could have serious implications for the 2026 season. Based on the current league standings, the last-place team in the division will benefit from what appears to be a much more favorable schedule.

Entering Week 17, fourth place in the NFC South would have 2026 games against the Cardinals, Giants and Raiders, while third place would play the Chiefs, Washington Commanders (4-11) and Los Angeles Rams (11-4) in addition to common games against the AFC North and NFC North.

Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders (Sunday, Jan. 4, TBD) | Could this be it for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce? It would be an anticlimactic swan song for arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history, but after hinting at this season potentially being his last, the Week 18 road trip might be his final game.