No matter what happens this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars will play for the AFC South title and a playoff spot at home in Week 18 against the reeling Tennessee Titans.

But coach Doug Pederson says Jacksonville isn’t going to take things easy on Sunday when it travels to division-rival Houston.

“There is never a meaningless game — never ever, ever, ever,” he said.

So there will be no week off for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and tight end Evan Engram. Not even for outside linebacker Josh Allen, safety Andrew Wingard or rookie outside linebacker Travon Walker.

“You play to win every game,” Pederson said. “The only way I rest players is if they’re hurt and can’t go.”

It’s been all systems go for the Jaguars (7-8) lately as they’ve won four of five, including a 19-3 road win last Thursday over the New York Jets. That outcome, combined with Houston’s 19-14 upset of Tennessee on Saturday in Nashville, boosted Jacksonville into a tie with the Titans for first place — with the Jaguars currently owning the tiebreaker.

Lawrence threw for 229 yards and rushed for the game’s only touchdown, while Riley Patterson booted four field goals. A defense which has been inconsistent at times completely stifled New York, allowing just 10 first downs and 227 total yards.

Pederson’s players seem eager to play a game with comparatively little on the line, aside from getting the team to .500.

“It’s another opportunity to show who we are, to put our best foot forward …” Lawrence said, “… to play another complete game, to keep the momentum that we have. If you go out there and lay an egg, no one’s feeling good about that, especially heading into the last week.”

Meanwhile, the Texans (2-12-1) would love to go into the offseason with momentum after breaking a nine-game losing streak last week. Houston has played better than its record indicates lately, nearly upsetting Dallas and Kansas City in its previous two games before finally finishing the job against Tennessee.

Houston trailed 14-13 before Davis Mills led a late touchdown drive, finding Brandin Cooks for a 6-yard scoring pass with 2:52 remaining to give them their first win since a 13-6 decision on Oct. 9 at Jacksonville.

Mills and Jeff Driskel have formed a two-quarterback system the last three weeks that has given the Texans their best production of the year. While they are still ranked 30th in the NFL at just 16.9 points per game, they have averaged 22 points in the last three games against three solid defenses.

Some feel Houston should tank its last two games and up its odds of earning the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft, but coach Lovie Smith isn’t interested in that logic.

“If you’re competing, you compete to win, right?” he asked. “Our last games are in our division. We want to eventually take over the division. For us to have an opportunity to have a winning record in our division is pretty important to our guys.”

The Texans have won nine straight over the Jaguars, dating back to 2018.

–Field Level Media

The Philadelphia Eagles can secure the top seed in the NFC playoffs by beating the visiting New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

The Saints (6-9) can’t qualify for the playoffs if they don’t beat the Eagles (13-2).

So, both teams have a lot at stake despite seeing drastically different levels of success this season.

The bye that comes with the top seed is becoming increasingly more important for the Eagles as their injuries mount.

Philadelphia missed an opportunity to clinch the NFC East and the top spot in the conference when it lost 40-34 at Dallas last Saturday. Gardner Minshew played well in place of injured quarterback Jalen Hurts (shoulder), but four turnovers did the Eagles in.

Hurts did not practice Wednesday and it’s unclear if he will be available Sunday. Philadelphia suffered another significant loss when Pro Bowl tackle Lane Johnson sustained an abdominal injury against the Cowboys, but multiple reports indicate he’ll be putting off surgery in the hopes of playing in the postseason.

Former Saints defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson (lacerated kidney) is eligible to come off of injured reserve this week but hasn’t been activated. Cornerback Avonte Maddox (toe) also didn’t practice Wednesday.

“One of the earliest talks that we have in training camp is … adversity is coming,” Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni said. “I don’t know when it is and in what direction it will come … it can be anything, how are we going to handle that?

“When you have to go through those things in life and when you have to go through those things in football when you have the leaders we have, it makes those roads a little bit easier to navigate.”

The Saints’ only chance to make the playoffs is to win the NFC South, which would require them to not only beat the Eagles, but also defeat visiting Carolina next week in addition to having first-place Tampa Bay lose its final two games against Carolina and Atlanta.

“At the end of the day if we don’t handle what we control, the rest doesn’t matter,” Saints quarterback Andy Dalton said. “The mindset is we have two games left, let’s go win two and see what happens.”

New Orleans has won its last two games, the first time this season it has strung consecutive victories together.

The Saints have been running the ball better and playing better defense recently. After allowing an average of 28.6 points in their first seven games, they have allowed just 15.6 in their last eight.

New Orleans had a stretch of five consecutive games in which it rushed for fewer than 100 yards, and it lost four of those games. But since then, the Saints rushed for 134 in a win against Atlanta two weeks ago before using 39 carries to rush for 152 yards in a 17-10 win at Cleveland last week.

“I think that has been an important part of what we’ve been able to do the last couple of weeks,” New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen said. “I think it’s really about getting those rushing attempts. I think that’s when you’re at your best.”

Running back Alvin Kamara missed practice Wednesday for an undisclosed personal reason. Also absent was starting guard Andrus Peat (ankle), who is unlikely to play Sunday.

–Field Level Media

The Washington Commanders will look to keep their postseason hopes alive when they host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon in Landover, Md.

The Commanders (7-7-1) finished December with a 0-2-1 mark but still control their playoff destiny.

Washington can clinch its second playoff berth in three seasons with a win over the Browns combined with a Detroit home loss to the Chicago Bears, a Seattle home loss to the New York Jets and a Green Bay home loss to Minnesota.

If Washington wins but doesn’t get the other three results needed, the Commanders will need to win their season finale at home against Dallas on the final weekend to assure a playoff spot.

Quarterback Carson Wentz replaced the benched Taylor Heinicke in last Saturday’s road loss at San Francisco and will start this week for the Commanders.

Wentz completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in relief of Heinicke, who was 13 of 18 for 166 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

“It felt good. It felt weird, not going to lie,” Wentz said of his relief role. “It’s a new experience for me at this level. It was good to be back out there. Obviously, coming up short is never fun. I feel for Taylor, too. I thought he played well. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done.”

Washington safety Kamren Curl traveled to San Francisco but missed Saturday’s game against the 49ers with an ankle injury.

Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne has 9.5 sacks this season and needs just a half-sack to become the second defensive tackle in franchise history with double-figure sacks in a season.

Dave Butz had a team-record 11.5 sacks from the defensive tackle spot in 1983.

The Browns (6-9) were eliminated last Saturday when they lost at home to New Orleans 17-10. They will post their second straight losing season under head coach Kevin Stefanski.

“We do want to finish strong,” Stefanski said. “We understand the scenario we’re in, but we also understand we have an opportunity this week versus Washington and another opportunity the next week. That’s really where our focus is.”

Quarterback Deshaun Watson is 2-2 in four starts since returning from his 11-game suspension to start the season. Watson is coming off a poor start in the cold weather on Christmas Eve, completing just 15 of 31 passes for 135 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

Cleveland starting right tackle Jack Conklin signed a four-year contract extension Monday that will keep him with the Browns through 2026.

Conklin, Cleveland’s 2022 Ed Block Courage Award winner, recovered from a torn patellar tendon injury that ended his 2021 season prematurely. Conklin has played every game at right tackle for the Browns this season after coming back in Week 3.

“It’s really exciting,” Conklin said. “I’m happy to be a part of this organization for longer. … I’m a Midwest guy and I love Midwest people. I’m from Michigan and my wife (Caitlyn) is from Cleveland, so this is home.”

The Browns could not overcome a 2-5 start to the season, despite home wins over AFC North leader Cincinnati on Halloween and second-place Baltimore on Dec. 17.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” Conklin said. “We played this game to go to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl, and not having that chance the last two years is frustrating. I think we really need to take a look at ourselves and figure out what we can do better at and what we’re good at and move forward with those things and really just come together as a team, be able to have our full team together.”

–Field Level Media

After constantly looking up at the New England Patriots in the standings for nearly two decades, the Miami Dolphins will have a golden opportunity to get back at their division rival on Sunday when the two teams meet in Foxborough, Mass.

Miami (8-7) has finished behind the Patriots (7-8) in the AFC East in 19 of the previous 21 seasons. It’s been a long, tumultuous road for the Dolphins, who, through their own doing and with a little bit of help, could lock down their first playoff berth since 2016 while sending New England into early hibernation.

A Miami victory paired with a Jets loss to the Seattle Seahawks would propel the Dolphins into the postseason. In losing, the Patriots would also be eliminated from playoff contention.

However, Miami will likely be without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the high-stakes matchup.

Tagovailoa entered concussion protocol one day after the Dolphins’ 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, and Miami coach Mike McDaniel said Teddy Bridgewater is in line to start after Tagovailoa was held out of practice on Wednesday.

“This is something that we have all of our fortunes ahead of us,” McDaniel said. “It’s up to us to choose what we do with all the past experiences, move on to the next game, which in this case is the New England Patriots — a division rival that they’ve gone through their set of circumstances as well.

“I think (the team is) going to respond the way I’d hope, which is fully embracing the challenge.”

Embracing the challenge will likely be at the forefront of the Patriots’ game plan, too, but New England’s mission is simply keeping its season alive.

The Patriots have their backs against the wall following back-to-back losses in heartbreaking fashion, with the most recent being a 22-18 setback against the Cincinnati Bengals.

New England rallied from a 22-0 third-quarter deficit and had a chance to tally the go-ahead points late in the fourth quarter, but running back Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled at the Bengals’ 8-yard line with 59 seconds left to snuff the Patriots’ comeback hopes.

But it’s a new week, and the Patriots are eager to redeem themselves.

“We (have) got to play more consistent, have a higher level of attention to detail across the board,” New England tight ends coach Nick Caley said. “We just got to do a better job and get ready to play our best game here, coming up on Sunday.

“But in terms of the opportunity, it’s a great opportunity. … It’s everything you want, and all things considered, (we) didn’t play our best game obviously last week, (but) this is a great opportunity for us to come out and right the ship and play a 180-degree different game.”

The Patriots might be trying to flip the script without defensive back Marcus Jones, tight end Jonnu Smith and receiver DeVante Parker, who all missed Wednesday’s practice with concussions.

Cornerback Jalen Mills (groin) was also out, while tight end Hunter Henry (knee) and running backs Damien Harris (thigh) and Stevenson (ankle) were limited.

In addition to Tagovailoa, tackle Terron Armstead (toe/pectoral/knee/hip) and linebacker Bradley Chubb (ankle/hand) missed practice on Wednesday for Miami. Linebacker Jaelan Phillips (toe) and safety Eric Rowe (quad/knee) were limited participants.

–Field Level Media

The Kansas City Chiefs are shooting for their 15th straight win over Denver at a time when chaos is overwhelming the Broncos.

Denver is missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season and interim coach Jerry Rosburg will be running the team as the Broncos aim to notch a monumental upset of the Chiefs on Sunday in Kansas City.

While the Chiefs (12-3) are fighting for the top seed in the AFC, Denver (4-11) has dropped 10 or more games for the fifth time in six seasons.

And last Sunday’s 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams was particularly ugly. One day later, the Broncos fired first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett after just 15 games.

In the midst of all the turmoil, Rosburg gets the opportunity to lead Denver to its first victory over the Chiefs since Sept. 17, 2015.

“Who would sign up for this?” Rosburg said at his press conference on Wednesday. “So you get to coach in the National Football League, huh? OK. Here’s the Kansas City Chiefs.”

Kansas City beat the Broncos 34-28 on Dec. 11 in Denver. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson left that contest in the fourth quarter due to a head injury.

Wilson is the poster boy for Denver’s lackluster campaign. The Broncos gave up five draft picks (including two first-rounders) and three players to acquire Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks and then awarded him with a five-year, $242.5 million extension.

But Wilson hasn’t been a difference-maker and Denver ranks last in the NFL in scoring at 15.5 points per game. The Broncos have scored fewer than 20 points 11 times this season.

Rosburg said Wilson will remain the starting quarterback. The 34-year-old’s number of touchdown passes (12) and completion percentage (60.1) are both the worst marks of his 11-year career.

Wilson said Wednesday that he felt bad that Hackett was fired.

“He’s one of the brighter minds I’ve been around,” Wilson said of Hackett. “… The reality is, I wish I could have played better for him, too. I wish I could have played at the standard and the level that I’ve always played at and know how to play at.”

The Chiefs have little trouble moving the football as they rank first in total offense (420.6 yards per game) and second in scoring at 29.2.

Kansas City has won eight of its past nine games and shares the best AFC record with Buffalo, but the Bills own the tiebreaker by virtue of their 24-20 win over the host Chiefs on Oct. 16.

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is making a bid for his second MVP award. He leads the NFL in passing yards (4,720) and touchdown passes (37) and looks like a lock to surpass his own franchise record of 5,097 yards, set in 2018.

“I think he’s the ultimate competitor, man,” Chiefs right guard Trey Smith said of Mahomes. “Whatever the team needs to do to succeed and win, he’s gonna go out there and do it. … He’s always gonna do what this organization needs him to do to win.”

Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce is just three receptions away from recording his third 100-catch season. Kelce (1,257 yards) has back-to-back 100-yard outings and six for the season, and also is tied for the NFL lead with 12 touchdown receptions.

Running back Jerick McKinnon has scored six touchdowns (one rushing, five receiving) in December. He entered the month with one.

The Chiefs could have wideout Mecole Hardman (abdomen) back on the field for the first time since Week 9. Kansas City will likely activate him off injured reserve prior to this week’s game.

“Unless there’s a setback, I presume he’ll be there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “That’s where we’re at right now.”

The Broncos had eight players miss practice Wednesday due to injury, including offensive tackle Calvin Anderson (ankle), outside linebacker Randy Gregory (knee) and nose tackle Mike Purcell (elbow).

–Field Level Media