With seven weeks to go, the seven AFC playoff teams could be coming into focus. Only that many franchises — the Bills, Steelers, Ravens, Texans, Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos — have winning records.
In the NFC, it’s more wide open at the bottom. At the top, the Lions are the team to beat. But the Eagles might be ready to give them a run for their money.
Six teams are off this week. That leaves 13 total games, with 12 on Sunday and Monday. Here’s a snapshot glance at each one.
9-1 Chiefs (-11) at 3-7 Panthers, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
On Sunday in Buffalo, Kansas City suffered its first loss since Christmas. The Panthers have won two in a row against the Saints and Giants, both of whom had two wins at the time. Carolina is going for its first three-game winning streak in three years.
Quarterback Bryce Young continues to start after being benched following Week 2. The door initially opened due to an Andy Dalton injury, but Young has since earned his spot, one game at a time. He should get some help from rookie running back Jonathan Brooks. The first tailback taken in the 2024 draft, Brooks has not yet played due to a torn ACL suffered last year at Texas.
This will be his toughest game yet, against a two-time defending NFL champion that will be very motivated to avoid a two-game losing streak — especially with the Bills now on their heels.
8-2 Vikings (-3.5) at 4-6 Bears, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)
The Bears have lost four in a row this season, and four in a row at home to the Vikings. Chicago’s offensive coordinator change worked in Week 11, even though the Bears came up short against the Packers.
Minnesota has pumped its record to 8-2 with sluggish wins over the Colts, Jaguars, and Titans. The road gets harder the rest of the way, with no more cupcakes, four division games, the Cardinals, Falcons, and Seahawks.
Watch quarterback Caleb Williams on the ground. He had 70 rushing yards last week, as new coordinator Thomas Brown got the first pick in the draft moving more.
2-8 Titans at 7-4 Texans (-8), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker and Jay Feely)
The team that was the Oilers makes its annual return to Houston, where the Texans have become the class of the division. A Tennessee loss would give them their third three-game losing streak of the season.
Running back Joe Mixon has become a beast for the Texans, with 11 touchdowns scored in only eight games played. He had three in the Monday night win over the Cowboys.
A win by Houston and a loss by the Colts would give the Texans a four-game AFC South lead plus the head-to-head tiebreaker, forcing the Colts to gain five games with only six left.
In other words, get the T-shirts and hats ready, Houston.
9-1 Lions (-7.5) at 5-6 Colts, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)
The Lions have won eight in a row, running their record to the best in franchise history since 1934. Detroit has clinched its third straight winning season for the first time since 1993 through 1995.
The biggest issue for the Lions comes from the question of when to pull starters. Coach Dan Campbell calls such issues a good problem to have. A bad problem to have would be losing a key contributor for the rest of the season to a garbage-time injury.
For the Colts, quarterback Anthony Richardson engineered a win in his first start after a two-game benching. Indianapolis is a game behind Denver for the No. 7 seed; the Colts and the Broncos square off in Week 15.
3-8 Patriots at 4-6 Dolphins (-7.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)
Miami has beaten New England seven of eight times, and three in a row. More importantly, the Dolphins have won two in a row to commence the effort to dig out of an uncharacteristic (under Mike McDaniel) early-season hole. It will still be a fight to get to the playoffs, given the way the 7-3 Chargers and 6-5 Broncos have emerged.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has a 77-percent completion percentage, seven touchdown passes, and one interception in four games since returning from a Week 2 concussion. However, the Dolphins are only 2-2 in those games.
4-6 Buccaneers (-6) at 2-8 Giants, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty)
Don’t look now, but Tampa Bay is very much alive in the NFC South. And if they can start stacking wins coming out of their bye, they might catch and pass the 6-5 Falcons.
They got a gift this week when the Giants benched Daniel Jones to save money — and when they skipped over Drew Lock for Tommy DeVito to make money.
Tampa Bay should get receiver Mike Evans back from a hamstring injury that was aggravated in a Week 7 Monday night loss to the Ravens.
Either way, something has to give. The Bucs have lost four in a row; the Giants have lost five. And we’ll get to see them on Thanksgiving, against the Cowboys. Our advice — eat extra turkey and drink extra wine.
3-7 Cowboys at 7-4 Commanders (-10.5), Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Davis and Greg Olsen)
The Commanders are 1-4 against teams that made the playoffs in 2023. This is their first of two cracks at the Cowboys, who have plunged from 12-5 and a division title to 3-7.
Washington had three extra days to get ready after returning from a short trip to Philly; the Cowboys travel to Washington after playing on Monday night at home. Advantage, Commanders.
The Commanders also are the better team. That often goes out the window in division rivalries. In Washington’s last Super Bowl season of 1991, Dallas beat them in D.C. when Washington was 11-0.
The key to beating Dallas is to get a lead and make them one-dimensional. In Monday’s 34-10 loss to the Texans, quarterback Cooper Rush threw 55 passes — only nine fewer attempts than the total Dallas rushing yards of 64.
6-5 Broncos (-6) at 2-8 Raiders, Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)
Denver’s 38-6 win over the Falcons in Week 11 ws both the most points scored and fewest points allowed by the Broncos during coach Sean Payton’s tenure as head coach. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix keeps improving; his performance of late has thrust him into the offensive rookie of the year conversation.
After starting 0-2, the Broncos have won six of nine games. Five of the six wins have come by double digits.
The Raiders continue to struggle under coach Antonio Pierce. Gardner Minshew remains the starting quarterback, with Aidan O’Connell still on injured reserve with a thumb injury. A coaching change feels inevitable for Las Vegas after the season.
5-5 49ers at 7-3 Packers (-1.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)
The 49ers are desperate for a win; however, they won’t have quarterback Brock Purdy (shoulder) or defensive end Nick Bosa (hip/oblique).
Despite missing two games with a knee injury, Packers quarterback Jordan Love has 11 interceptions — tied for the most in the NFL this season.
This will be the fifth regular-season meeting between these teams since 2018, with the Packers going 3-1. In that same time frame, they’ve met three times in the playoffs; the 49ers are 3-0.
6-4 Cardinals at 5-5 Seahawks (-1), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez)
Seattle has beaten Arizona five straight times. The Cardinals are undefeated in the division this season, with wins over the 49ers and Rams.
The Seahawks got their first division win of the season over the 49ers in Week 11; Seattle is now 1-2.
Arizona has a four-game winning streak. The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 60-15 in the last two games.
8-2 Eagles (-2.5) at 5-5 Rams, Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)
The Eagles and Rams have represented the NFC in four of the last seven Super Bowls.
Philly has won six straight, with quarterback Jalen Hurts accounting for 17 total touchdowns during the streak.
The Rams have won four of five since starting 1-4.
7-4 Ravens (-2.5) at 7-3 Chargers, Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
It’s the third installment of the Harbaugh Bowl. John has a 2-0 record over Jim.
Baltimore has the NFL’s No. 2 scoring offense; L.A. has the No. 1 scoring defense.
Ravens-Chargers is the only Week 12 game between two teams with winning records.
