Around the AFC
One-score wonders. Kansas City is 12-1 and already has its ninth straight AFC West crown in the bag. But this has hardly been a dominant Chiefs team — until the fourth quarter. Patrick Mahomes and company are an incredible 10-0 in one-score games. Their past four wins have come by two or three points and three have been decided on field goals at the buzzer — the block against Denver and a pair of walk-offs vs. Carolina and last week vs. the Chargers. Can the Chiefs really do this all season?
Scoreboard watching. If the Broncos take care of business, they don’t need anybody’s help to get into the postseason. All the same, it’s worth keeping an eye on Miami at Houston. The Dolphins pose a threat and if they win a tough one at the Texans, then they’ll have good vibes going into a final three against San Francisco (6-8), at Cleveland (3-10) and at the New York Jets (3-10).
We’re No. 1 (in April). The Raiders are locked in a spirited battle for the No. 1 overall pick with the New York Giants, who are each 2-11. Las Vegas has Atlanta on Monday night and then closes the season against Jacksonville (3-10), New Orleans (5-8) and the Chargers (8-5). The Silver and Black better not slip up and win or their chances of landing CU QB Shedeur Sanders or two-way star Travis Hunter could fade.
Around the NFC
Can’t dodge Rams. The Los Angeles Rams were 1-4 at their early season bye week. They looked headed for a year lost to injuries. Since then, they’ve been one of the best teams in football. Sean McVay’s group beat San Francisco, 12-6, Thursday night for their seventh win in nine games. They enter the weekend a half-game behind Seattle (8-5 and hosting Green Bay) in the NFC West and brimming with confidence. Their closing run: at the Jets, vs. Arizona and then a potential division title game at home vs. Seattle in Week 18.
Healthy Jayden? Jayden Daniels lit up Tennessee before Washington’s bye week, playing his best game in a while to help the Commanders end a three-game skid. Now Daniels, who was playing through injury much of the season, has a rest week under his belt and a critical stretch upcoming. His team is in the No. 7 spot currently, but just barely ahead of the surging Rams.
True north. Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay make the NFC North the toughest division in the NFL. Their combined record outside divisional play: 25-3. The Packers are 9-4, a distant third in the division, and they’re 8-1 against everybody besides the Lions and Vikings. All three will be a handful in the postseason.
Game of the Week
Buffalo at Detroit
It’s one of the best games of the year and it’s one of two matchups on the weekend that could be a potential Super Bowl preview. The Lions have won 11 straight and are pretty clearly the most dominant team in football. The Bills are coming off a tough loss that delivered a blow to their No. 1 seed aspirations. Even despite the tough loss and Buffalo’s status as 2.5-point underdogs, this is a dangerous offense that has scored 30-plus each of its past seven games. It might take that and more to win at Ford Field, which will be a madhouse.
Lions 34, Bills 31
Lock of the Week
Baltimore at New York Giants
The Giants are currently tied with the Raiders for the worst record in the NFL. They jettisoned their quarterback and now have had injury issues with multiple others, including Drew Lock. They are essentially hurting themselves to do anything other than end up with the No. 1 or 2 pick in the draft. Baltimore, meanwhile, is locked in a three-way tie with the Chargers and Denver at 8-5 and has a tough finishing stretch against Pittsburgh, Houston and Cleveland. The Ravens are 14.5-point favorites and this game has blowout written all over it.
Ravens 38, Giants 13
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Upset of the week
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
This easily could have been the game of the week, too. The battle for Pennsylvania should be a terrific one. Both teams have monsters in their respective conferences, but it’s not totally out of the question that they could meet again in February. In the meantime, though, let’s enjoy watching two of football’s best defenses get to work. Pittsburgh will be shorthanded without George Pickens and is a sizable 5.5-point underdog, but given the way Mike Tomlin’s team has played all year and Russell Wilson has delivered since jumping into the starting lineup, we’ll roll with the underdog.
Steelers 21, Eagles 20
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