The Philadelphia Eagles will try to become the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season when they face the New York Giants on Sunday. Philadelphia (11-1) can clinch a berth with either a win or a tie against New York (7-4-1). The Giants have slipped in recent weeks, going 1-3-1 in their past five games. New York has not made the playoffs since 2016.
KEY MATCHUP: The Giants’ offensive line vs. the Eagles’ front seven. New York has won when it controls the ball by running effectively and throwing selectively. It’s crucial this week. The Eagles have the league’s best pass defense and the front seven has the majority of their 42 sacks. Ball control also keeps quarterback Jalen Hurts and company off the field.
BALTIMORE (8-4) at
PITTSBURGH (5-7)
The Steelers and Ravens renew their longtime rivalry at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh has won three of its last four. Baltimore will likely be without star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is dealing with a knee injury. Tyler Huntley, who went 1-3 last season while filling in for Jackson, is expected to start. Pittsburgh has won each of the past four meetings.
KEY MATCHUP: Ravens offensive line vs. Pittsburgh’s defensive front seven. Steelers star LB T.J. Watt has been hampered by a rib issue since returning from a torn left pectoral that forced him to miss seven games. Baltimore could lean on the run even more heavily than usual with Jackson out.
CLEVELAND (5-7) at
CINCINNATI (8-4)
Cincinnati looks to get even after being embarrassed by Cleveland 32-13 behind backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Halloween. The Browns this time will be led by Deshaun Watson, who looked rusty last week in his first game since serving an 11-game suspension after accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual harassment and assault during massage sessions. The Bengals have won four in a row, including last Sunday’s 27-24 victory over Kansas City. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow is 0-4 against the Browns.
KEY MATCHUP: Bengals receivers vs. Browns secondary. Ja’Marr Chase got the attention of Cleveland’s defensive backs with some negative comments about them on a podcast this summer. He missed the first matchup this season and had one of his worst games as a rookie last season against the Browns.
HOUSTON (1-10-1) at
DALLAS (9-3)
The Cowboys are heavily favored to clinch double- digit victories in consecutive seasons for the first time in 26 years. Dallas is a 16½-point favorite against hapless Houston. Davis Mills is back in as the Texans’ starting quarterback after being benched for two weeks. Kyle Allen had five turnovers combined in two starts in place of Mills. The Cowboys’ Dak Prescott is working on a five-game streak with at least two touchdown passes.
KEY MATCHUP: Prescott vs. Texans CB Desmond King. Prescott has a long memory, and King had a 90-yard interception return the only time he faced the Cowboys, with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. Dallas lost 28-6 and went on to miss the playoffs a year after being the top seed in the NFC. Prescott’s 13 interceptions in 2017 remain his career high.
MINNESOTA (10-2) at
DETROIT (5-7)
The Vikings can clinch the NFC North with a win or a tie, but that suddenly seems like a challenging task. The Lions have won four of five to surge into the playoff picture as a wild-card contender. Minnesota beat Detroit 28-24 in September at home and Lions coach Dan Campbell still laments a decision he made late in that game. Campbell made a cautious call to try a 54-yard field goal with 1:14 left and the Lions leading by three and the Vikings out of timeouts. The kick was no good, and the game was later lost.
KEY MATCHUP: Vikings WR Justin Jefferson vs. Lions CB Jeff Okudah. Keeping Jefferson out of the highlight reel is always a team effort, but Okudah played a big part in limiting Jefferson to a career-low 14 yards on three receptions in the first meeting in Week 3.
N.Y. JETS (7-5) at
BUFFALO (9-3)
The Bills host the Jets in what will be Buffalo’s first true home game in four weeks. The AFC-leading Bills are coming off a stretch in which they won three games in 12 days away from their home stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The stretch began with a massive snowstorm forcing the league to relocate Buffalo’s home game against Cleveland to Detroit. The Jets, who beat Buffalo 20-17 last month, are seeking their first season sweep of their AFC East rival since 2016.
KEY MATCHUP: Bills offensive line vs. Jets defensive line. The Jets harassed Josh Allen and sacked him five times — the most in two seasons — in the last meeting. Allen finished with a season-low 205 yards passing and suffered an injured throwing elbow when defensive lineman Bryce Huff knocked the ball loose when the QB was attempting to pass in the final minutes.
KANSAS CITY (9-3) at
DENVER (3-9)
The Chiefs don’t lose back-to-back games very often, and they’re coming off a loss to Cincinnati. Kansas City is seeking its 14th straight victory over the Broncos. Denver hasn’t won a game in the series since 2015, the year the Broncos were on their way to winning Super Bowl 50. Since then, the Broncos haven’t been to the playoffs, and the Chiefs have won the AFC West every year. The Chiefs can wrap up a seventh straight division crown with a win and a loss by the Chargers on Sunday.
KEY MATCHUP: Chiefs TE Travis Kelce vs. Broncos defense. Denver will have to double Kelce and is hoping CB K’Waun Williams is able to play so he can help out the linebackers. Williams has been dealing with elbow, wrist and knee injuries and hasn’t played since Nov. 13.
CAROLINA (4-8) at
SEATTLE (7-5)
The Seahawks begin a stretch of four of their final five regular-season games at home. Seattle is seeking a second straight win after last week’s 27-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. It’s also an important game in the NFC West race with a quick turnaround on the horizon and a Thursday night showdown with San Francisco next week. Carolina is looking for a third win in its past four and trails in the NFC South race by just two games. It will be the second straight start for Carolina’s Sam Darnold at quarterback.
KEY MATCHUP: Seattle defense vs. Carolina run game. The Seahawks were terrific at stopping the run during their four-game winning streak at midseason. But they’ve given up 615 yards and a 5.3 yards per attempt average over the past three games. Carolina has rushed for at least 169 yards in four of its past six.
TAMPA BAY (6-6) at
SAN FRANCISCO (8-4)
The 49ers will be going for their sixth straight win. Brock Purdy is making his first career start, replacing the injured Jimmy Garoppolo after being the last pick in this year’s NFL draft. Purdy threw for 210 yards and two TDs in relief last week and is trying to keep the Niners’ bid for the playoffs and a division title on track. Tom Brady engineered Tampa Bay’s late comeback win last week against New Orleans to keep the Bucs in sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
KEY MATCHUP: Bucs tackles vs. 49ers DE Nick Bosa. Bosa leads the NFL with 14½ sacks after getting three last week and will be a tough test for Bucs LT Donovan Smith and backup RT Josh Wells, who is filling in for the injured Tristan Wirfs. Bosa has at least one sack in 10 of the 11 games he has played this season. His six-game sack streak is one shy of the franchise record.
MIAMI (8-4) at
L.A. CHARGERS (6-6)
The Chargers host the Dolphins on Sunday night in a game with AFC playoff implications for both teams. The Dolphins are back on the West Coast following a 33-17 loss to San Francisco, sitting one game behind Buffalo for the AFC East lead. The Chargers, who lost 27-20 to the Las Vegas Raiders, are trying to keep pace for a wild-card berth.
KEY MATCHUP: Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill vs. the Chargers’ secondary. Hill should be ready to feast on a collection of defensive backs shredded by the Raiders’ Davante Adams for 177 yards and two TDs. Hill had seven scores in 11 games against Los Angeles when he played for Kansas City. Slot CB Bryce Callahan has three interceptions this season, but more production is needed on the outside.
NEW ENGLAND (6-6) at
ARIZONA (4-8)
The Patriots will be trying to snap a two-game losing streak on Monday night. They’ve dropped back-to-back games against the Vikings and Bills. The Cardinals have dropped four of their past five games, and New England has won seven of the past eight games in the series.
KEY MATCHUP: Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has his two top receivers, DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown, together on the field for just the second time this season, and that combination should provide a challenging test for the Patriots’ secondary, which has been among the best in the NFL this season.