As we enter Week 12 in the NFL, the majority of teams still have major playoff aspirations. The week begins on Thursday with three Thanksgiving games on the schedule.
Here are the five most intriguing Week 12 matchups as they pertain to playoff positioning.
5. Green Bay Packers (5-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2)
’Sunday Night Football’ in Week 12 features two teams heading in opposite directions. The Packers have lost four of five, the first of which coincided with losing Aaron Rodgers to injury. Last Sunday, they got shutout by the score of 23-0 to the Ravens.
The Steelers have won five in a row, including Week 11’s 40-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Green Bay still has slight playoff hopes, but it seems highly unlikely with the way their offense has gone with Brett Hundley under center. He is 1-3 as a starter and has two touchdowns with seven interceptions on the year. They are only averaging 14.3 points in his four starts.
The Steelers are battling New England for the top seed in the AFC, a team they face in Week 15. The offense finally topped 30 points for the first time this season, but the defense has been their strong suit. During their five-game winning streak, they have given up no more than 17 points while forcing eight turnovers.
4. Houston Texans (4-6) at Baltimore Ravens (5-5)
The Texans won for the first time in Tom Savage’s four starts with a 31-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. They still have playoff aspirations despite an under .500 record as the Baltimore team they face on ‘Monday Night Football’ currently owns the second AFC wild card.
The Ravens shutout Green Bay last week to move back to .500.
The Texans hope the 31 points they scored last week becomes a trend rather than an aberration. In Savage’s first three starts, the team scored a grand total of 28 points.
It won’t be easy to put up that many points against a Baltimore defense that leads the NFL in turnovers forced (23) and is third in points allowed per game (17.1).
Opposing quarterbacks have struggled all year against the Ravens completing 56.9% of their passes with 11 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
3. Buffalo Bills (5-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
Both Buffalo and Kansas City enter their Week 12 tilt desperate to pull out a win. The Bills started 5-2, but have now lost three in a row to drop to .500. They were easily handled by the Los Angeles Chargers 54-24 in Week 11, in a game that saw rookie Nathan Peterman throw five interceptions in one half during his first start. The Chiefs have now lost four of their last five after dropping a game to the hapless New York Giants, 12-9 in overtime.
Tyrod Taylor was the scapegoat for Buffalo as he lost his starting job after losing the previous two games prior to the Chargers matchup, but he will likely be back after performing well while relieving Peterman following his abysmal showing.
Perhaps the defense should be the ones getting the blame though, as they have now allowed a whopping 135 points in their last three games.
After incredibly only turning the ball over once in their first seven games, Kansas City has six turnovers in their last three. Alex Smith has thrown three interceptions in the Chiefs’ last two outings after not having any in their first eight. Rookie Kareem Hunt got off to a ridiculously fast start, but has not seen the end zone in seven straight games.
2. Minnesota Vikings (8-2) at Detroit Lions (6-4)
One of the three Thanksgiving Day matchups features the top two teams in the NFC North. The Vikings had an impressive 24-7 victory over the Rams last Sunday and have now won six in a row.
They face a Detroit team that slipped under .500 but have now won three straight. They beat the Chicago Bears by the score of 27-24 in Week 11.
The post-Adrian Peterson Vikings have surprisingly run the ball very effectively during the course of the year. They are averaging 123.3 yards on the ground per game with 10 rushing touchdowns. Add to that the fact that Case Keenum is in the midst of a career-year at quarterback along with a defense that only allows 17.2 Points Per Game, and it’s easy to see why Minnesota is 8-2.
They face an opportunistic Lions’ defense that has forced 19 turnovers on the season. Stopping the run has been an issue for them though, so Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon will look to take advantage.
They have allowed 423 rushing yards in their last two outings and 12 rushing touchdowns on the season.
1. New Orleans Saints (8-2) at Los Angeles Rams (7-3)
After an 0-2 start, the Saints have now reeled off wins in each of their last eight games. They pulled off a come-from-behind win over the Washington Redskins in overtime last Sunday and lead the NFC South by a game over the Carolina Panthers. The Rams lead the NFC West by a game over the Seattle Seahawks. They are coming off a 24-7 road loss to the Vikings which ended their four-game winning streak.
Drew Brees has not had to shoulder as much of the load for the Saints’ offense as their running game has excelled. They are averaging 162.4 yards rushing during their win streak and lead the NFL with 15 rushing touchdowns.
Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara have combined for 1,925 yards from scrimmage.
Run defense has been the most glaring weakness for the Rams this season. They rank near the bottom in rushing yards allowed per game (123.3), yards allowed per carry (4.5), and rushing touchdowns allowed (10). Defense as a whole hasn’t been an issue for Los Angeles though, as they are sixth in the NFL, allowing 18.6 points per game.
