FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

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.... 

The Houston Texans once again proved they aren’t ready to compete with the big boys. And in the process they allowed competition in the AFC South a chance to move closer to the top spot. The Texans had that signature win they’ve been looking for within their reach until they couldn’t stretch far enough on a fourth down play. Houston’s four losses this season have come against teams with a combined .725 winning percentage. None of their remaining opponents currently have a winning record and that includes Week 12 foe San Diego Chargers.... 

The Cincinnati Bengals are still mathematically alive for a playoff berth, but even in a weak division the reality is that they are most likely done after another lackluster performance in a loss to the Bills. They can make things interesting in the AFC North, however, and deal a blow to the Baltimore Ravens when the teams hook up in Week 12 in the first of two meetings over the final six weeks. Cincinnati also has a game with Pittsburgh in a few weeks and their postseason hopes could be revived with a victory.... 

Instead of just passing time while the turkey and stuffing are cooking, there will be an interesting early game on Thanksgiving Day to watch with plenty at stake when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Detroit Lions in Week 12. The teams are tied for the top spot in the NFC North and the surprising Lions could take control with their second win of the season over the visitors. Detroit has staged a fourth quarter comeback in each of its six wins and at some point we expect the magic to run out.... 

The Tennessee Titans have alternated wins and losses over their past six games and if the trend continues they’ll get a victory in their Week 12 showdown with the Chicago Bears. It’s not just about trends, however. Another reason why the Titans are favored is that the Bears have been ravaged by injuries and might be one of the unluckiest teams in the NFL when it comes to time missed. They also have Jay Cutler, who thwarted another possible comeback with one his patented turnovers in a loss to the Giants on Sunday.... 

It’s rare that a game featuring a pair of 5-5 teams would have such an impact as the Thanksgiving night Week 12 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts. Pittsburgh ended its four-game slide and got back on top of the AFC North by keeping the Browns winless while the Colts still have visions of an AFC South crown after winning two straight and three of their past four games. Both divisions are up still for grabs and one of these teams will keep moving in the right direction with a victory.... 

Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for real? Just when we started to count them out of the playoff race, they get pulled back into it with a couple of victories. The Bucs knocked off AFC power Kansas City on the road Sunday to get to .500 and within a game of the Falcons in the NFC South. Now they get another test against the juggernaut Seattle Seahawks in a Week 12 contest. Winning at home would help the Bucs’ cause, beating the Seahawks would be an even bigger help.... 

With another loss the Jacksonville Jaguars were denied the chance of finishing the year with a winning record, extending their streak of such seasons to nine straight. The Jags will be hard pressed to match last season’s win total of five, but they’ll give it a shot in Week 12 against the Buffalo Bills. However, it’s likely just a matter of time before Gus Bradley becomes their former coach after compiling just a 14-43 record in his tenure.... 

The Arizona Cardinals are a team built to win right now. And when they aren’t winning it makes the future look awful bleak. It’s been a sharp decline for a team that was one win away from playing in the Super Bowl last season and the biggest drop-off has come from Carson Palmer. An MVP candidate last season, Palmer has looked ordinary and the Cards are suffering because of it. He’ll get another crack to prove that he’s not done yet when facing the Atlanta Falcons in a Week 12 contest....