NFL Week 13 preview

Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NFL NETWORK)

The Cowboys are suddenly alive and well, and they've won three straight thanks to plenty of balance on offense and a stout run defense. They'll need both of those things to have a realistic chance of springing an upset on New Orleans. The Saints are unbeaten on the road this year, have won 10 in a row and have the look of invincibility about them. Oh, and they can clinch a playoff spot with a win, and the NFC South with a win and a Carolina loss. Drew Brees, Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas and the rest of the offense are just about unstoppable. Dallas has the league's fourth-best scoring defense, but they'll still likely have to win a shootout. If you think the Cowboys can win this game, that means you think that Dak Prescott can put up more touchdowns than Drew Brees. No disrespect to Prescott, but on a fast, indoor track, I wouldn't pick any quarterback in history to outscore Brees and the Saints at the moment. A win keeps the Saints on track for the NFC's top seed, something that would make them a good bet to make the Super Bowl.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Lamar Jackson has led the Ravens to two straight wins, and even if Joe Flacco is healthy, Baltimore would be hard-pressed to go back to him. The Ravens have more balance, in theory, with Flacco under center, but their running game has taken off since Jackson took over. Given Baltimore's defensive prowess, a productive, clock-killing running game fits better into its ethos. Plus, Flacco has appeared genuinely miserable when forced to share the field with Jackson this year. The Falcons are all but done this season and have no one to blame but themselves. Injuries to their defense have been crucial, yes, but their offense is only 11th in the league in scoring despite having a plethora of elite weapons. That performance reflects poorly on Matt Ryan and Steve Sarkisian. Even with Devonta Freeman out, there's no excuse for the Falcons not to be among the handful of best offenses in the league. That said, they are better at home than on the road, and if they get an early lead, they might be able to best Baltimore.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Denver survived Pittsburgh thanks to some timely turnovers, including two that happened inside the Broncos' 5-yard line, and the win got them back into the AFC playoff race. They're a different team on the road compared to at home, however, and therefore Cincinnati might present a challenge. That said, the Bengals are in dire straits, with Jeff Driskel taking over the starting quarterback job following Andy Dalton's season-ending injury. Cincy has been humiliated twice in the last three weeks, first giving up 51 points to the Saints, then falling behind 28-0 to Cleveland and never seriously threatening a comeback against its division rival. Sandwiched in between those two losses was a come-from-ahead 24-21 defeat to Baltimore. If Marvin Lewis coached anywhere else, he'd be on the hot seat for all of this. In Cincy? His job security is rock solid. If the Broncos can take care of the football and keep Case Keenum in advantageous situations, which likely involves leaning on Phillip Lindsay, they should be able to get the win.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Detroit is 3-3 at home, including wins over the Patriots and Panthers, as opposed to 1-4 on the road, so the venue is working in its favor in this one. Not working in its favor? Literally everything else. The Rams can clinch the NFC West with a win, or a Seahawks loss, but  they have plenty of motivation to play hard, as the top seed in the NFC is still very much up for grabs, and they doubtless want to avoid having to go to New Orleans again in the playoffs. Detroit's defense has played valiantly in recent weeks, but the Lions don't have much to show for all of that in the win column. Paul Pasqualoni's charges rank 13th in the league in yards allowed but 24th in points allowed. One thing they don't do well is force turnovers, ranking 26th in the NFL. No team takes care of the ball better than the Rams, and they rank fifth in the league in turnovers forced — including five against Kansas City. Like most Rams opponents, the Lions' only chance is to win is a shootout, and they're ill-equipped for that task.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Another game, another infuriating loss for the Packers, and more questions about Mike McCarthy's job security. Truth be told, the vultures are circling around McCarthy, and given that another season seems to be circling the drain, any and all scrutiny is appropriate. The Packers are winless away from Lambeau Field, but this game is against a bad Cardinals squad and is taking place in the friendly confines. Josh Rosen and Arizona are a work in progress on offense, and that's putting it kindly. The Cards have topped 20 points only twice all season, and perhaps more incredibly, have produced only 300 yards of offense once all year. The Cards' running game has been truly disappointing, as they've rushed for only 100 yards in one game this year. All of this adds up to the Packers likely staving off the seemingly inevitable for one more week. But if they do find a way to lose, it may hasten McCarthy's exit. It can't be much fun to be a Cheesehead these days.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Josh Allen returned and the Bills beat the Jags, though that isn't a win that carries the kind of weight that people thought it would when Jacksonville started 3-1. The Bills don't have much to play for, but a win would pull them even with Miami in the standings. The Dolphins lost a tough one against Indianapolis last week; had they won, they would have maintained their status as a wild-card threat in the AFC. Ryan Tannehill is undefeated in his last seven home games as a starter, and if he can run that to 8-0, Miami will stay on the fringes of the hunt. The Bills need to add talent, still, but they also want to see plenty of development from Allen. One intriguing potential piece of the puzzle for the Bills could be Alabama product Robert Foster, who has 199 yards receiving the last two weeks and caught a 75-yard touchdown against Jacksonville. Miami has a deep threat of its own: Kenny Stills is one of two wide receivers in the league with at least 200 catches and a minimum of 16 yards per catch.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Should the Bears rest Mitchell Trubisky against the Giants? The question would have been inconceivable at the start of the season, primarily because no one felt that Trubisky would be good enough, or the Bears in comfortable enough position in the NFC North, to justify such a discussion. Yet here Chicago is, having won five in a row and in a position to really solidify its lead in the division with a win here. If the Bears could convince their young signal-caller to merely take fewer risks with his body, that would be the best solution. But that is easier said than done. On the other side, Saquon Barkley has been superb all season and already is a top-three running back in the NFL. He has a realistic chance at 2,000 yards from scrimmage in his rookie campaign. The Giants will have to rely on a heavy dose of Barkley to both help minimize the chances of turnovers against the Bears' defense, which has forced the most in the league, and also to keep the ball away from Chicago's offense, which ranks fifth in the league in points.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Carolina is close to panic mode after three straight losses. The Panthers were riding high after a 42-28 win over Tampa Bay in Week 9 brought them to 6-2 on the season, but things have fallen apart since. Carolina got blown out by the Steelers on a short week then found ways to lose tight games to Detroit and Seattle. Carolina is now on the outside looking in in the NFC playoff picture, and they still have to deal with the Saints twice in their final five games. Tampa Bay got a sharp performance from Jameis Winston last week, but the Bucs are the definition of mediocre. This feels like it should be a "get healthy" game for the Panthers, but they can't afford to take anything for granted at this point. One encouraging development of late is the excellent play of Christian McCaffrey. The second-year back has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in four straight games and exploded against Seattle for 125 yards rushing, 112 receiving and two touchdowns. Another game like that from him will likely bring the Panthers' losing streak to an end.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Colts got a gut-check win over Miami to bolster their playoff position, and they're quietly turning into the team no one in the AFC wants to play in the postseason. Of course, the first thing they have to do is actually get in, but the Jaguars seem ripe for the picking and a good bet to become Indy's sixth straight victim. Blake Bortles is done, Leonard Fournette is suspended, and the Jags bottomed out with a loss to the Bills. Jacksonville's plan to try and make it work with Bortles looks foolish in retrospect, as its defense has remained strong throughout injuries. But his poor play has been the team's downfall time and again and has seemingly divided the locker room. Jack Doyle is done for the year for the Colts, but there are several other weapons at Andrew Luck's disposal. If Marlon Mack can go, he should be able to expose Jacksonville's subpar run defense. The Jaguars could try to rally and play spoiler here, or they could roll over on their home field. Both possibilities seem equally likely.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Oh, what could have been for Cleveland. First, there was the bad loss to Oakland, one aided by some truly terrible officiating. Then there was the bad performance against Tampa Bay that ended in an overtime defeat. Flip those to wins, and the Browns would be 6-4-1. Additionally, if those near misses, and some of their field goal issues from early in the season, were rectified, the team would be something like 8-2, and Hue Jackson would still have his job. As it stands now, they're 4-6-1 and would need to win out to have a shot at the playoffs. They'll have a tough test with Houston, winners of eight in a row. The Texans are stout on defense, have steadily improved on offense and are simply red-hot. This game could come down to ball security. The Browns have forced at least two turnovers in all but two games this season and have forced at least one in every game. Baker Mayfield has thrown 13 touchdowns against just two interceptions in his last five games, but during that time the Browns are only 2-3. 

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Titans looked like they might be a serious contender after drilling New England three weeks ago, but consecutive lopsided losses to divisional opponents have their season on life support. They'll likely need to win out to have a chance at the postseason, and while the Jets would appear to be easy pickings, especially with Sam Darnold likely out, Tennessee has been bad enough of late that no opponent can be taken for granted. Josh McCown is even banged up, which means it might be Davis Webb time for Gang Green. That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for them, either, because a loss would help them do what is most necessary at this point: get a higher draft pick so as to maximize their chances of adding an impact player to a roster still woefully short in that department. The Titans are desperate, and the Jets are banged up and don't really need the win. Sounds like a nice recipe for Mike Vrabel's team to get healthy, at least for one week.

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Chiefs are still on track to secure the AFC's No. 1 seed, and can in fact clinch a playoff berth this week with a win and several other teams losing, but after their loss to the Rams, their margin for error is gone. Two of their final five games are against the Raiders, which is good, but a showdown with the Chargers looms as does a date with the suddenly renewed Ravens. There isn't really anything to nitpick with Kansas City — tits two losses both came on the road and were both by a mere three points. Patrick Mahomes has been a little more turnover-prone of late but he has 37 touchdowns, so quibbling about a stray interception here and there seems ridiculous. Surely Jon Gruden would love to have Mahomes instead of Derek Carr. While it is a theme around the league for several teams, it is fair to assume that no team has more incentive to lose than the Raiders. Their stockpile of first-round picks over the next few seasons means that as bad as things have been, they could turn around in a hurry if they make the right moves in the draft.

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

New England, predictably, is unbeaten at home, which doesn't bode well for a Vikings team that hasn't done all that well outside of Minneapolis. That said, Minnesota's defense is stout, Harrison Smith is the kind of safety who can actually match wits with Tom Brady, and the Vikings are tough to move the ball on in general. They rank third in the league in yards allowed, and if Kirk Cousins and the offense could do a better job of taking care of the ball, the defense would be better than 10th in the league in points allowed. Brady and New England have Rob Gronkowski back, but even with him in the fold, they were sluggish against the Jets last week. There are still whispers that the Pats aren't quite the same dominant outfit that they normally are, and this game will be a good test of that theory. If there are vulnerabilities in the Pats machine, Minnesota would theoretically have the manpower to test them. Conversely, if Brady, Gronkowski, Sony Michel and Co. steamroll Minny, the rest of the league will be on notice.

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Seahawks are lurking just outside the NFC playoff picture, and if they qualify, they'll instantly become the team that no one wants to play. That's because Russell Wilson is playing at a high level, and the Seattle running game is tops in the league in terms of yardage. The Legion of Boom may be long gone, but Seattle still has some playmakers on defense too. The playoff chase should get a boost in the form of the Niners as an opponent because San Francisco figures to offer minimal resistance with Nick Mullens at quarterback. The 49ers are impossible to evaluate in any useful way this season due to Jimmy Garoppolo's injury. They seem to have a few nice weapons in the fold, like Matt Breida and George Kittle, but not having Garoppolo means that the cornerstone piece of their franchise is absent. The 49ers could use a premium pass rusher to pair with DeForest Buckner — Nick Bosa, anyone? Bosa may well be the top pick, so San Fran had better keep on losing.

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

The Steelers outgained the Broncos by over 200 yards but lost thanks to four turnovers, all of them varying degrees of avoidable and infuriating. Ben Roethlisberger's decisive interception on third and goal was particularly hideous, but the quarterback went on Pittsburgh sports radio and didn't seem to feel chastened by his mistakes. This should be the best game of the week, at least on paper, and should also be a shootout. Melvin Gordon's injury hampers the Chargers, but they still have plenty of firepower all over the field for Philip Rivers to utilize. Additionally, the Steelers are dealing with some injuries to key defensive starters, namely T.J. Watt and Stephon Tuitt. Pittsburgh should have the advantage, being that the game is at home. But the Chargers defense has been good all year and is not overly reliant on any one player to generate pressure or make plays. The Chargers may have to focus their defensive efforts on JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is fast becoming the No. 1-a to Antonio Brown's No. 1 in the Steelers' offensive hierarchy.

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

An Eagles win here would turn the NFC East into a true quagmire of mediocrity, what with Dallas a considerable underdog against New Orleans this weekend. Alex Smith's injury opened the door for the Cowboys and Eagles, and Philly should consider itself lucky, given how uneven the team has been all season. The Eagles need to win both of their games against Washington then figure out how to somehow take two out of their remaining three games. The Rams are one of those opponents, so that figures to be a loss, and the Cowboys and Texans are the other two. It is not out of the realm of possibility that 8-8 wins the division. Philly is the most talented team of the bunch and has, by far, the best quarterback, but Carson Wentz simply hasn't been consistent enough this year. Now would be a good time for a command performance from the defending champs. If they can't deliver one, they don't deserve to win any division, even one as bad as the NFC East.