In the AFC, two of the four division titles were clinched in Week 13. In the NFC, several divisions are still up for grabs and most of the wild card berths are still hanging in the balance as well. Therefore, there are going to be a lot of great games this week. Thursday night football starts off the action with the Raiders hosting the Denver Broncos.
Dallas Takes On Cincinnati In A Big Game
The Cowboys travel to Ohio for a game that has playoff implications for both teams. If the Cowboys win, they can stay within two games of the Giants for the NFC East title as well as stay within a game of Seattle for the final wild card spot in the NFC. For the Bengals, they want to stay even with Pittsburgh for the final wild card spot in the AFC. Cincinnati is also looking to expand on its four game winning streak entering this game.
Chicago At Minnesota Will Be Entertaining
The 8-4 Bears will take on the 6-6 Vikings in Minnesota this Sunday. The Vikings desperately need a win to stay in both the divisional and wild card playoff races. Minnesota also needs a win to show that they are moving in the right direction. They were crushed by Chicago in their previous meeting just a couple of weeks ago. Chicago is hoping to rebound from a tough loss at home against Seattle. The winner of this game keeps their chances for a division title alive for at least another week.
Buffalo And St. Louis Are Still In The Running For Playoff Spots
The Buffalo Bills play host to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday afternoon in a battle of teams that most thought would be eliminated by now. However, the 5-7 Bills and the 5-6-1 Rams still are mathematically alive in their conferences. Buffalo needs to win out while hoping that both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati lose both of their remaining games against AFC opponents. For St. Louis, they are trying to stay with a group of teams in the NFC that are at 7-5 or worse.
Houston Takes On New England In A Battle Of AFC Titans
The Houston Texans travel to New England to play the Patriots on Monday night. This game will help determine who gets the number one seed in the AFC. If Houston wins, they will be one step closer to playing all of their playoff games at home as well as having a first round bye in the playoffs. New England is hoping that they can avoid having to play a wild card game by finishing at least second in the AFC. Either way, both teams have locked up playoff spots and are merely playing for seed at this point.
There are going to be a handful of games going on this week that fans of the NFL will have to tune in for. As the season enters its final month, there are going to be games that impact every team around the league. Even if your favorite team is out of contention, they could still play spoiler or at least finish the season with some momentum for next year.
This is a guest post submitted by Don Phan. Don currently writes sports content for blogs part-time and is with Fanatics Inc. full-time as a marketing associate. Fanatics is a leading retailer of licensed NFL merchandise and is a premier source for officially licensed Texans and Patriots NFL gear.
