Week 16 of the NFL season has already begun with the Oakland Raiders' win over the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night, but several key matchups loom this weekend.The weekend's first game with playoff implications kicks off tonight, as the Washington Redskins hope to clinch the NFC East crown with a win over division rival Philadelphia. But with only a few hours to kickoff, I've chosen to focus on some of the big gameson Sunday and Monday.The New England Patriots' trip to the New York Jets headlines the Sunday morning contests, as this AFC East clash has playoff implications for both teams. The Patriots have already locked up the division and have the inside track at earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC.New York's playoff appearance is not guaranteed, as it will need to win its final two games and get some help to continue its season beyond Week 17.The Jets will hope to use ex-Patriot Darrelle Revis to their advantage in creating a defensive scheme to stop their AFC East rivals.However, the Revis inteldid little to slow down Tom Brady in the teams' first matchup, as the four-time Super Bowl champion torched the Jets defense for 355 yards and three total touchdowns in October.New York will rely on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to continue building on his strong 2015 campaign, which has subsequently turned the Jets into a playoff contender. If the Jets fail to slow down Brady on offense, they will have to rely on Fitzpatrick to match the Patriots in a high-scoring affair.Some injuries on both sides of the ball could factor into the outcome, and the Jets will certainly look to expose these absences while trying to beat New England for the first time in more than two years.New England has enough to play for against a division rival and should overcome the Jets, even in a hostile road environment. Head coachBill Belichick will have his team motivated despite the early start, as preventing New York from making the playoffs makes the victory even sweeter.Once the morning contests draw to a close, a variety of late games could also factor into the playoff race.One of Sunday afternoon's most intriguing matchups is the Green Bay Packers' trip to Arizona to take on the staunch defense of the Cardinals.Aaron Rodgers will face a difficult matchup against one of the NFC's top defenses, while Carson Palmer and the Cardinals offense hope to stay hot after putting up 40 points against Philadelphia last week.Although the Packers are already assured of a playoff spot, they face a variety of options as to which seed they will ultimately earn.Arizona has lost only one game at home this year, but it will face one of the NFL's top signal-callers, who has thrown just six interceptions all season.The absence of safety Tyrann Mathieu will be difficult for the Cardinals to replace, but they have the talent and depth to match up against an inconsistent Packers receiving corps.While the Cardinals might not have the same recognition as the undefeated Carolina Panthers or the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, a case could be made that they are the NFC force to be reckoned with.Home-field advantage should factor into this one, and with a first-round bye at stake, the Cardinals pull it out in a low-scoring affair.The final matchup of Week 16 with extreme playoff implications comes on the national stage of Monday Night Football.The Cincinnati Bengals will venture to Denver in one of the AFC's most anticipated games of the year in a battle of Brock Osweiler vs. A.J. McCarron.Seriously.At the start of the year, this battle of the backups would be worrisome to their respective fanbases, but both quarterbacks have played well enough to create some reason for optimism.McCarron earned his first NFL victory last week against the San Francisco 49ers, while Osweiler has gone 3-2 as a starter for Denver.The Broncos are coming off consecutive losses despite holding the lead at halftime, so finishing games has to be a top priority for Denver this week at practice.The Broncos will need more of a rushing attack if they hope to have success against the Cincinnati defense, as they have failed to have a running back produce more than 56 yards in its last three games.Cincinnati has had similar struggles on the ground, as Giovani Bernard has led the team with just 40- and 33-yard performances, respectively, over the past two weeks.Since it appears obvious that neither offense will be putting up points in bunches on Monday, it will likely come down to which defense can make more stops. If that turns out to be the case, Denver should hold the advantage.This game has postseason implications for both sides, with the No. 2 seed in the AFC up for grabs and both teams in contention for a first-round bye.Since Osweiler has more experience and home-field advantage, the Broncos are able to put together more drives than the Bengals, and they narrowly pull out a victory and move closer to the No. 2 seed in the AFC.Week 16 will be full of exciting games that could potentially decide which teams are playoff-bound and which will end up watching them from home.While nothing is guaranteed in the National Football League, it's quite probable that this week will yield some thrilling finishes and surprising results as the playoff picture becomes clearer.
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