FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

It is an NFC Championship Game rematch on Sunday night on NBC as the Carolina Panthers visit the Seattle Seahawks in a Week 13 matchup. The Seahawks are a definite contender to return to the NFC title game as they are 7-3-1 and leading the NFC West but the Panthers are virtually out of playoff contention at 4-7 and in last place in the NFC South. The Panthers are coming off a tough loss last week as they were outscored in Oakland, losing 35-32 while the Seahawks were awful last week in a 14-5 defeat to Tampa Bay.... 

Does anybody want to win the AFC South? It’s there for the taking for the Houston Texans, but they keep trying to give it back. And if the Texans continue to squander opportunities, someone just might snatch the title from them. Houston has made the race interesting by losing two straight and visits Lambeau Field for a Week 13 contest with the Green Bay Packers. Bill O’Brien continues to stick with mega-bucks free agent Brock Osweiler, even though he may cost the coach a chance at winning a division title.... 

One of these teams has represented the NFC in each of the last three Super Bowls, but it will be up to the Seattle Seahawks to keep that streak alive. The Carolina Panthers nearly saved their season with a miraculous second half comeback in Oakland, only to have the lead evaporate late and watch the game turn into another frustrating loss that has become all too familiar. Though not mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, the Panthers are all but done heading into their Week 13 contest in Seattle.... 

Quick, guess which team has the second-best record in the NFC. If you said the New York Giants you win a gold star. That’s right folks, the G-Men are right behind Dallas in the NFC and New York is the only team to beat the NFL’s best team this season. But that means nothing heading into a Week 13 battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh doesn’t own one of the best records in the NFL but they are locked in duel for the top spot in the AFC North with rival Baltimore again.... 

I guess we can officially call it a rebuilding year for the Philadelphia Eagles. The euphoria over their 3-0 start has subsided and reality has set in. While the Eagles actually have a bright future, what does that leave for the Cincinnati Bengals? One of the biggest disappointments of the season, the Bengals played as though they had cashed it in during a sleep walk with the Ravens last week. The teams will meet in a Week 13 battle of non-playoff teams.... 

The Miami Dolphins certainly have the look of a playoff team and they’ve done things during a six-game winning streak that playoff teams do. Winning games in a variety of ways, the Fins look like a solid all-around club, which is saying something now about a team that looked hopeless after a 1-4 start. The Dolphins control their own destiny for a wild card spot, but the AFC East isn’t out of reach. The Baltimore Ravens will look to keep their share of the AFC North when the teams collide in a Week 13 tussle.... 

The Indianapolis Colts play in what might be the worst division in the NFL, and because of it they are right in the hunt for a division title despite being a game under .500. But as they proved last week, they won’t win the AFC South without a little luck. After missing the Thanksgiving loss to the Steelers, the Colts are expecting Andrew Luck to play when they visit the New York Jets for a Week 13 tilt, and the best quarterback in the division might be enough to lift Indy to a title.... 

After an exhausting overtime win on Monday night, we have to wonder just how much the Kansas City Chiefs have left in the tank for Sunday’s Week 13 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. The fact that K.C. pulled off the stunner and remains a game behind the Raiders in the AFC West should be enough motivation to keep them playing at a high level. The Falcons are the team being chased in the NFC South and they need a victory to stay ahead of the Bucs. There’s plenty on the line in this inter-conference tilt.... 

We wouldn’t have predicted a Week 13 matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers would have playoff implications. But here we are, with both clubs still in the playoff picture and the Bucs nipping at the heels of the NFC South leading Falcons. The Bolts have a longer road to navigate if they want to continue playing after the regular season and need to win out to have any chance. Don’t put it past Philip Rivers to author an improbable end-of-the-year postseason push.... 

With a combined total of three wins, all that the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears have to play for this season is draft positioning. These once proud franchises have fallen on hard times and enter their Week 13 showdown looking to stay ahead of Cleveland in the overall standings, and that would drop them in the draft pecking order. The Niners would of course like to end their team record losing streak, which reached 10 following a loss in Miami.... 

Things haven’t come so easily for the Arizona Cardinals this season and as a result they will likely be watching the postseason instead of participating. A favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LI back at the beginning of the season, the Cards continue to stumble and are left to play the role of spoiler. Arizona can put a damper on the playoff hopes of the Washington Redskins when the teams collide in the desert in Week 13.... 

When they don’t play their best and their quarterback has an off-game, the New England Patriots find a way to win. When the Los Angeles Rams don’t play their best, the result is a 28-point blowout loss. Such is the current state of both franchises. The Rams’ once promising season is spiraling out of control after losses in six of their past seven games and even the insertion of Jared Goff as the starter hasn’t helped. Maybe the No.1 overall pick can get some tips from Tom Brady this week.... 

It sounds funny to say, but after another fourth quarter comeback victory, the Detroit Lions are in first place in the NFC North. The Lions haven’t won a division title since 1993, but their Thanksgiving Day win over the Vikings puts them a full game up in the standings, and more importantly gave them the season sweep of the second place club. It’s not going to be easy for the Lions, especially with their tendency to fall behind in games, and going against one of the best offenses in the league in the New Orleans Saints in Week 13.... 

The Minnesota Vikings were the best team in the NFL for the first month and a half of the season, then reality, and a bunch of injuries, set in. Minnesota was the last team to lose a game and that perfect 5-0 record seems like such a long time ago. Now the Vikings are in scramble mode just to keep their fading playoff hopes alive and the best team in the league, the Dallas Cowboys, pay a visit in Week 13 Thursday night action.... 

Gus Bradley continues to coach and the Jacksonville Jaguars continue to lose football games. It’s just a matter of time before Bradley gets the axe and the bet is on if he makes it through the season. This was supposed to be the year the Jags made a push to the top of the AFC South, but even in a mediocre division, the Jags are bringing up the rear and have gone just 14-45 in Bradley’s tenure. The Denver Broncos are next in line and even a win over the defending Super Bowl champs in Week 13 won’t be enough to save Bradley’s job.... 

It’s been 13 years since the Oakland Raiders have had a winning season but that run of futility is now behind them. The Raiders guaranteed themselves a winning campaign with their fifth consecutive victory, knocking off both of last season’s Super Bowl combatants during the streak. Next up is securing a playoff spot and they can solidify their position in the AFC while dealing the Buffalo Bills a crippling blow to their slim postseason chances in a Week 13 battle.... 

We're officially on the verge of the last quarter of the NFL season, and with that, we can really start talking about the teams that are and are not in the playoff picture. In both conferences. Week 13 will provide a big test for a lot of away teams, as just a few of the 15 are favored, none of which are by big good margins, and that includes a few division leaders who are out on the road this week. What does that mean? These division races are probably going to get a heck of a lot closer when this week is said and done with.... 

This matchup in Week 12 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, November 27, 2016, at 4:25 pm ET at MetLife Stadium.


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We have the Washington Redskins to thank for the Prescott phenomenon. It was in our nation’s capital back in Week 2 when the Dallas Cowboys’ rookie quarterback authored his first victory, in comeback fashion no less. And the Boys have continued to win, rattling off nine straight since that one. The Skins haven’t been bad since that loss, posting six wins, a loss and a tie, but they need to knock off the Cowboys in their Week 12 Thanksgiving Day showdown to gain any ground in the NFC East race.... 

With the strong play of several rookie quarterbacks around the league, Los Angeles Rams’ No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff had a lot to live up to in his debut. Unfortunately for the Rams, the offense showed the same ability to be absolutely terrible under Goff as it was with Case Keenum running the show. We can’t judge Goff’s career off one game and the situation will be a little different in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints, but the lid has been removed and there’s no going back now.... 

The miserable season for the New York Jets is not expected to get any better on Sunday as they host the New England Patriots in Week 12 action. The Jets come into this game at 3-7 and with no clear starter at quarterback as they are going back to Ryan Fitzpatrick this week after using Bryce Petty two weeks ago. The Jets will be facing a New England team that comes into this game at 8-2, tied with Oakland for the best record in the AFC.... 

The Carolina Panthers are a desperate team, and desperate teams can be scary to play. The Panthers kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a win over the Saints and have little room for error if they want a chance to defend their NFC crown. The Oakland Raiders can guarantee themselves the first winning season in 14 years with a Week 12 victory, and they also would maintain their slim lead in the AFC West.... 

There must be something about the NFC North that a higher being doesn’t like because teams in the division have been crippled with an insane amount of injuries. The Green Bay Packers can barely field a team and the one that’s on the field hasn’t been very good recently. The Pack will search for healthy bodies and trot them on the field at the Link for Week 12 Monday Night Football showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.... 

The New York Giants don’t want to be that team. You know, the one that is the victim of the Cleveland Browns first win of the year. While that should be enough motivation for the G-Men, how about still being in contention for the NFC East title while fighting to maintain a playoff position. The Giants have turned things around by winning five straight after their 2-3 start and now it’s their turn to beat up on the Browns in Week 12, just like the rest of the division has already done.... 

The tightest division race in the NFL will start to get some separation after this Week 12 showdown. The AFC West boasts three teams with at least seven wins and barring a tie, which we can’t automatically exclude given the way this season has gone, either the Kansas City Chiefs or Denver Broncos will remain right behind the Raiders near the top of the division standings....