The season should build towards a crescendo. Unfortunately, more than half the league has already collapsed.
Seventeen teams are below .500. Unless some of them warm up late, there will be little drama in the final weeks of the season.
The top of the league remains bunched, with many seeds still to be determined – including the all-important No. 1 spot, in both conferences.
Both of these races would have been a lot more interesting this weekend, if the Bears and Raiders hadn’t botched basic game management decisions that any kid playing Madden can execute well.
7-4 Chargers (-2.5) at 6-5 Falcons, Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)
LA makes a short one-week trip to Georgia to face a Falcons team that didn’t play in Week 12. Advantage, Atlanta.
The Chargers’ running game has been impacted by JK Dobbins’ knee injury, who has been dealing with a sprained MCL every week.
All four of the Chargers’ losses came against teams with a winning record; six of their seven wins have come against teams that have more losses than wins.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris said his team needed more playmaking on offense. The team also needs more wins; the Buccaneers take on the division leaders.
8-3 Steelers at 4-7 Bengals (-3), Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
The Steelers are 12-4 against the Bengals since 2016.
Cincinnati comes out of the bye week with a 1-3 record over its last four games. Six of the Bengals’ seven losses came against teams in playoff position.
Still, quarterback Joe Burrow is tied with Lamar Jackson for the most touchdown passes in the league this season, with 27. The last quarterback to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns but didn’t make the playoffs was Russell Wilson with the Seahawks in 2017.
Pittsburgh sees its five-game winning streak end in the snow against the Browns. Pittsburgh finishes with the Bengals, Browns, Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs and Bengals.
7-5 Texans (-5) at 2-9 Jaguars, Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)
The Texans are 11-2 against Jacksonville since 2018, but the teams split in 2022 and 2023. Houston won its first game of 2024 in Week 4.
Many people around the league were stunned by owner Shad Khan’s failure to not fire coach Doug Pederson during the bye. There is a theory in league circles that Khan may have sat out in order to score points with potential 2025 head coach Bill Belichick, who hates in-season coaching firings.
The Texans have lost four of six, but they hold a two-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Colts.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is expected to start, after missing two games with a left shoulder injury.
6-5 Cardinals at 9-2 Vikings (-3.5), Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Davis and Greg Olsen)
The Vikings return home for three straight games at US Bank Stadium, culminating with the Bears visiting Monday night. Minnesota has won four in a row and swept a three-game road trip (Jaguars, Titans, Bears).
Arizona slipped into a tie for first place in the NFC West with the Seahawks, after losing 16-6 at Seattle. It was the first time the Cardinals had failed to score a touchdown all season.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has 14 turnovers, tied for the league lead with Gardner Minshew. Minnesota officially added Daniel Jones to the practice squad on Friday.
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon served as the Vikings’ assistant defensive backs coach from 2014-17.
5-7 Colts (-2.5) at 3-9 Patriots, Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)
Ten years after #DeflateGate, the Colts and Patriots meet again in New England. The Colts are still alive for a wild card spot at 5-7. The Patriots are cooked at 3-9.
The Patriots have lost four of five at home; four of the five games played at Gillette Stadium were decided by a single score.
The Colts remain in contention for a division title and a wild card spot, but their path isn’t easy. They have lost three of four after starting 4-4.
6-5 Seahawks (-2) at 3-8 Jets, Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez)
The Jets return from the bye after even more chaos, starting with the firing of general manager Joe Douglas and continuing with real questions about Aaron Rodgers’ future with the team. The good news is he’s completely off the injury report for the first time since Week 4.
For Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, it’s a chance to beat the team that drafted him in 2013. It will be his second start against the Jets and his second start at MetLife Stadium since leaving New York. In 2023, the Seahawks beat the New Jersey Giants.
While Smith is having another solid year, he leads the league in interceptions, with 12.
3-8 Titans at 7-5 Commanders (-5.5), Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty)
Reality has set in for the Commanders, who have lost three straight and could be in danger of losing the NFC’s No. 7 seed. The offense averaged 29.2 points through the first nine games. Over the last three games, the number per game has dropped to 23.7.
Tennessee upset the Texans in Week 12. Quarterback Will Levis played his second game with a passer rating above 123 in three weeks. Even though the Titans have little to no chance of making the playoffs, Levis has an opportunity over the last six games to convince the new coaching staff to stick with him in 2025.
5-6 Buccaneers (-6) at 3-8 Panthers, Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth)
The Buccaneers had four rushing touchdowns in Week 12; they previously had eight for the entire year. Running back Rachaad White has scored a touchdown in five straight games.
Bucs remain alive and well in the NFC playoff picture; they trail the Falcons by one game (plus tiebreaker) for the NFC South lead. Tampa Bay is 1.5 games behind the Commanders for a wild card spot; Tampa Bay owns this tiebreaker, coming in Week 1’s win over Washington.
Bryce Young is starting to improve significantly for the Panthers after being benched after week two. He had 263 passing yards in a 30-27 loss to the Chiefs last week.
5-6 Rams (-2.5) at 4-7 Saints, Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)
A week after being shredded for 314 rushing yards (the second-most total in franchise history) by the Eagles, the Rams travel to New Orleans to face the doubles of Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill, who totaled 138 rushing yards against the Browns on just seven carries.
The Saints have won two in a row under interim coach Darren Rizzi; they are just two games behind the Falcons in the NFC South.
Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robison will play despite an arrest Monday morning on suspicion of drunken driving.
9-2 Eagles at 8-4 Ravens (-3), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)
Today’s game features two elite teams and four MVP candidates. The Eagles, who have won seven in a row, appear to be the surefire No. 2 seed in the NFC — with a chance to catch the Lions for first place. The Ravens are chasing the Steelers for the AFC North crown.
The two best rushing attacks will face off in this one, powered by the league’s two best running backs, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has 10 rushing touchdowns, and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson leads all NFL signal-callers with 599 rushing yards.
The Eagles are 8-0 this season when wide receiver AJ Brown plays.
Jackson has another chance to improve on one of the league’s most impressive stats: He’s 23-1 against NFC teams.
5-6 49ers at 9-2 Bills (-7), Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)
A lake effect snow warning has been issued for the Buffalo area until 7 p.m. ET Sunday.
The Bills have won six in a row; they are one game behind the Chiefs for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. (Buffalo holds the tiebreaker.) Buffalo has scored 30 or more points in five straight games.
The 49ers were eliminated by the Packers last week. Several key players missed the game due to injuries. At 5-6, the 49ers already have more losses than in 2023.
Christian McCaffrey hasn’t scored in three games due to an Achilles injury that delayed his debut until November. He averages 3.5 yards per carry.
3-8 Browns at 7-5 Broncos (-5.5), Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
The Broncos have a chance to solidify their playoff prospects against a team that likely would have made the playoffs if it had picked up quarterback Jameis Winston earlier.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has 20 total touchdowns over the last 10 games and just two interceptions.
Winston signed with the Saints when Broncos coach Sean Payton was in New Orleans. In 2021, Winston was 5-2 in New Orleans before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.
