Man, football fans will have a lot of GREAT football to watch this upcoming weekend! The slate is jam-packed with divisional games, as well as exciting matchups between contenders. Last weekend was an exciting one for the league, with eleven one-score games, two overtime thrillers, a few great Thanksgiving contests, and some surprisingly competitive primetime bouts. I’ll go ahead and say it now, don’t be surprised if this weekend tops last in terms of watchability. I’ve actually listed six games to watch this week for the first time in what feels like an eternity. Without further ado, let’s get to it and discuss all of the NFL drama set to take place in Week 13.
Bills at Patriots on Prime Video (Thursday Night Football)
The schedulemakers absolutely nailed this one as two divisional foes will face off here. This is the first time in what feels like an eternity that there’s actually an exciting TNF matchup. Bill Belichick will try & rally his troops after last week’s depressing outing against the Vikings. Kirk Cousins completed 81.6% of his passes against the Patriots D, a mark not seen since 2008. Meanwhile, the Bills rallied against the Lions for a last-second game-winning 45-yard field goal. They completed their game winning drive with 23 seconds left in the game, which is impressive. What’s also impressive is that all four AFC East teams have a legitimate chance at the playoffs. When was the last time we could say that of this division, one typically owned by the Patriots?
Jets at Vikings on CBS (Sunday early afternoon)
Believe it or not, we have our very first NFL playoff clinching scenario here in Week 13. Should the Vikings win this game, and the Lions lose their game against the Jaguars, then the Vikings would become NFC North champions & thus secure one of the NFC’s playoff berths. Talk about motivation for the Vikings to pull out the win against this cross-conference opponent. They’ll contend against newly anointed Jets starting QB Mike White, who was on fire last week. The Jets have a recipe for success going forward should White prove to be a stabilizing force for their offense, as their defense has proven that they are worthy of being part of a contending team. Will it be an NFC or AFC contender emerging from this battle of playoff contenders on Sunday?
Titans at Eagles on FOX (Sunday early afternoon)
Speaking of playoff clinching scenarios, the Eagles also have one in this week’s game. Basically, they need to have a bunch of things go right for them to get in, but this could happen. Regardless, with the best record in the NFL, the Eagles are sure to get in sooner rather than later. What’s notable too is that this is a revenge game for AJ Brown, one that he’s looked forward to. Losing to the Bengals for the second year in a row surely hurts the Titans on an emotional level. They’re obvious favorites to win the AFC South, but their goals are far more ambitious than that. Will the Titans prevail against the NFC’s top bird team, or will they crumble under the pressure?
Commanders at Giants on FOX (Sunday early afternoon)
This one’s for all the marbles, as these teams are fighting to stay alive in the NFC East. As a Falcons fan, I’m upset that the Commanders beat us last week on a great game-ending play. That said, they deserved to win as their defense was stout while their offense made stellar plays. Are the Giants starting to fall apart? Last week, we saw some chinks in the armor against Dallas. It’s blatantly obvious that they have no receivers, and that most of their offensive line is injured. The G-Men weren’t expected to be good this year, so this could be the end of their magical run. It’s a must win for both of these NFC East rivals as they do battle in a premier December contest.
Dolphins at 49ers on FOX (Sunday early afternoon)
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel makes his return to the Bay Area for the first time since last year as the former 49ers offensive coordinator joined the Dolphins in February 2022. Tyreek Hill also faces the 49ers for the first time since Super Bowl LIV, a game in which he shredded their defense on 9 receptions for 105 yards, including this crucial catch in the contest. Both teams took care of business last week in winning their games against inferior opponents. The Texans were no match for the Dolphins great offense, and the game was over by halftime. It’s weird to say that the 49ers struggled even though they won 13-0, but the matchup was close. There are plenty of playoff implications on the line here in this pivotal cross-conference contest.
Chiefs at Bengals on CBS (Sunday late afternoon)
NFL schedulemakers could have (and should have) scheduled this matchup in primetime. A rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game overtime thriller between these two teams, would it really surprise anyone to see these teams again do battle in this year’s AFC title game? Regardless, we could be looking at a potential AFC playoff game preview this coming weekend. Bengals fans should be happy to note that this year’s team follows a similar script to last year’s. Both teams had 6-4 records through 10 games, and last year’s team clinched a Super Bowl berth. With Ja’Marr Chase set to return from injury, could the Bengals yet again make a playoff push? Meanwhile, it’s been business as usual for the Chiefs, who handled the Rams 26-10 last week. Which teams emerge victorious from this week’s slate, and declare themselves true contenders?
The Sports Beacon 