With four weeks to go, the key number for week 15 is 4:25.

Then begins a quartet of games brimming with playoff significance for both teams. Somehow none of these games were moved to the 1:00 p.m. ET timeslot or any of the other primetime slots.

As the line between contender and contender becomes increasingly clear, let’s take a look at the upcoming Sunday and Monday games with one important principle in mind: the less important the game, the less we have to say about it.

5-8 Cowboys at 3-10 Panthers (-3), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)

The biggest humiliation of the year for them Team formerly known as America’s is that the Panthers are the favorites to beat the Cowboys. The Panthers!

Both teams are cooked. The Cowboys are not mathematically eliminated yet. It’s just a matter of time.

Which team has the better future? Who knows, considering the Cowboys (according to Stephen Jones) won’t be spending much money to improve this coming offseason? Maybe the Panthers will finally find their way out of a streak of six straight seasons of double-digit losses before Jerry Jones completed his search Gloryhole.

12-1 Chiefs (-4) at 3-10 Browns, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)

Cleveland has beaten both the Ravens and Steelers at home this season. Can they also beat the Chiefs?

With Kansas City on top in three games just ten days apart (Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday), this could be a trap for the Chiefs.

But let’s be honest. Every game is a trap for the Chiefs; They are 10-0 in one-score games this year. And there’s a good chance Jameis Winston’s unbridled enthusiasm before the game won’t change that.

6-7 Dolphins at 8-5 Texans (-3), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)

The Texans appear to be locked in as both the AFC South champions and the No. 4 seed. The Dolphins aren’t finished yet, but they’ll have to hope that one of the three wild card teams at 8-5 (Ravens, Chargers, Broncos) eventually collapses.

While it is an away game for Miami, it is taking place indoors. This allows the Globetrotters to control their offense, with Tua Tagovailoa masterfully keeping the defense guessing as to who has the ball.

The Texans secure the division with a win and a Colts loss. More importantly, Houston will get a much-needed confidence boost by beating a contender – something they don’t do often enough.

3-10 Jets (-3) at 3-10 Jaguars, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth)

The loser of this game should be exiled to the UFL.

8-5 Commanders (-7.5) at 5-8 Saints, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Davis and Greg Olsen)

Jayden Daniels returns to Louisiana with a chance to edge out Bo Nix for Offensive Rookie of the Year. And it’s about more than just postseason honors for the Commanders; The NFC West has a few teams that could chase Washington for the No. 7 seed.

The Saints likely won’t be without quarterback Derek Carr, who has a left hand injury and a concussion. First up is Jake Haener.

New Orleans is still alive in contention for the division title, but they are one game behind the Falcons and two behind the Bucs.

8-5 Ravens (-16) at 2-11 Giants, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty)

Once upon a time, a team from Baltimore faced the Giants in a game that has been called the greatest game of all time.

This could be the worst.

It comes down to whether the Giants can muster something/something against a team that appears to be better than their 8-5 record suggests. Stranger things have happened. For example, Tommy DeVito somehow became the team’s starting quarterback.

5-8 Bengals (-5) at 3-10 Titans, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)

Titans coach Brian Callahan knows the Bengals well. But Cincinnati is gunning for a slim chance of making the postseason — and the Titans are pulling the strings.

The Bengals have won just one straight game this year and are 2-7 in one-score games.

With a loss this week and a win from Denver, the Bengals are finished. With a win, there’s still a chance that the Week 17 showdown against the Broncos will have some significance.

Receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who didn’t get the contract he wanted before the start of the season, could set the bar at $40 million per year. He has 93 catches, 1,319 yards and 15 touchdowns.

3-10 Patriots at 6-7 Cardinals (-6), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker and Jay Feely)

The Cardinals have fallen apart in recent weeks. If they lose another, they will be cooked.

The Patriots are only playing for pride – and possibly for the continued employment of coach Jerod Mayo.

6-7 Colts at 8-5 Broncos (-4), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)

The Broncos are the No. 7 seed and in. The Colts are the No. 8 seed and out. Despite a difficult season, Indy has a chance to jump into postseason contention.

The key is Anthony Richardson, who has unlimited talent but still needs work.

The Broncos are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

10-3 Bills at 12-1 Lions (-2.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)

It’s a potential Super Bowl preview between two of the league’s elite teams. Since Buffalo won in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day 2022, the Bills are 28-11 and the Lions are 31-8.

The challenge for the Bills will be to avoid being overwhelmed by Detroit’s offensive line. The challenge for the Lions will be slowing down Josh Allen – and finding the line between aggressiveness and recklessness.

The Lions are looking for their 13th win for the first time in franchise history. Especially because they have never been this good since 1960, when the schedule was expanded from 12 to 14 games.

7-6 Buccaneers at 8-5 Chargers (-2.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez)

It’s a huge game for both teams. The Bucs hold a one-game lead over the Falcons in the NFC South and the Chargers are trying to stay in the wild-card field.

The key player will be Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield. Can he maximize the good (28 passing touchdowns this year) and minimize the not-good (13 interceptions)?

The Chargers are 1-4 against teams with winning records and 7-1 against teams with losing records.

10-3 Steelers at 11-2 Eagles (-5.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)

It’s the Pennsylvania State Championship. And the Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since 1965.

They need to break a 10-game losing streak in Philly without receiver George Pickens. They need one or more of the other receivers (Mike Williams, Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek) to step up.

The Eagles spent much of the week trying to defuse the impression that there is a personal issue between quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver AJ Brown. They were hollow arguments that did little to hide the fact that something was wrong.

Last year, the Eagles were nine games over .500 when the train derailed. They are now nine games over .500 this year.

9-4 Packers (-3) at 8-5 Seahawks, Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)

The Packers have lost four games to three teams, with an overall record of 34-5.

The Seahawks went from 4-5 to 8-5 with a playoff mentality settling in after the bye week. It worked.

Seattle is looking for its first five-game winning streak since 2020. They will have to slow down Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs, who has scored eight rushing touchdowns in the last four games.

4-9 Bears at 11-3 Vikings (-6.5), Monday 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+ (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)

The Vikings still have three difficult games to finish the season. This is the trap.

Especially because the Bears looked terrible in their first game after Eberflus.

The Vikings blew an 11-point lead in Week 12 in Chicago before winning in overtime. Since then, Minnesota’s offense has reached a higher level of performance, culminating in a 42-point outburst last Sunday.

The Bears have lost seven straight since a 4-2 start. The Vikings have won six straight since starting 5-2.

6-7 Falcons (-4) at 2-11 Raiders, Monday 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN (Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky)

The Falcons continue to revolve around quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is in the worst slump of his career – four games, four losses, eight interceptions, no touchdown passes.

The Raiders have lost nine straight. They haven’t lost 10 in a row since 2014.

If the Falcons lose this game, will Atlanta pull the plug on Cousins ​​and give rookie Michael Penix, Jr. a chance? Factors include the preferences of fans, other players and, ultimately, the man who signs all the paychecks.