Week 17 often is a bore, with only a game or two really mattering. Not this year.

Check this bizarro situation out, brought to my attention by friend Todd Wright, the great radio voice of Sporting News:

• The Patriots and Texans play next Sunday in Houston. The Texans could play in Round One at New England in the playoffs.
• The Bengals play at the Jets next Sunday, The Jets could play at Cincy in the first round of the playoffs.
• The Packers play at the Cardinals in Week 17. It could be the same matchup the following Sunday for the postseason.
• The Eagles and Cowboys play at Dallas next week. They could play at Philly in — you guessed it — the first round of the playoffs.

I am almost certain this hasn't happened in recent NFL history, perhaps back in the old days, but not anytime recently.

It would make for some fascinating coaching decisions by these teams in terms of how much they show in Week 17, how badly they need to win, etc. In the case of the Cowboys and Eagles, there won't be much to hold back; they know each other so well.

Still, fascinating stuff here.