CNN
—
Thanksgiving leaves many torpid and in a meals coma.
But for 22 NFL groups on Sunday, they should shake off that rust as a full slate of video games takes place on Week 13 of the 2024 season.
The conventional Thanksgiving video games kicked off the week’s motion, with the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers all choosing up victories on Thursday.
And then on Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs grew to become the primary crew to clinch a playoff spot after beating the Las Vegas Raiders in a dramatic end.
Here’s a take a look at three of Sunday’s standout matchups.
It has been unusual seasons for each the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.
One is atop the AFC North division and the opposite is languishing exterior the playoff positions. If you had requested many earlier than the season, they could have predicted the Bengals can be the crew thriving whereas the Steelers undergo a season of transition.
But that isn’t the case. Pittsburgh is using excessive by way of 12 weeks of the 2024 season whereas the Bengals sit third within the AFC North.
The Bengals’ 4-7 document has come regardless of a wonderful season from quarterback Joe Burrow who’s having arguably his greatest 12 months within the NFL to date. The 27-year-old has thrown 27 touchdowns and simply 4 interceptions however Cincinnati has struggled to transform these performances into victories.
Close defeats have come to outline the Bengals’ marketing campaign, dropping by some extent to the Kansas City Chiefs, 5 factors to the Washington Commanders and two heartbreakers to the Baltimore Ravens, first by three in time beyond regulation after which one level.
Despite their standing and rising likelihood they miss the playoffs – NFL.com predicts the Bengals presently have a 15% likelihood of reaching the postseason, with a win on Sunday bettering these to 23% and a loss decreasing it to 4% – the Steelers are nonetheless cautious of the problem they current, with Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin calling Burrow “MVP-caliber.”
“It’s a 60-minute recreation. I believe that’s mirrored in watching them play,” Tomlin stated of the Bengals. “I believe oftentimes you see groups are able to slowing (Burrow) or slowing them down on the early parts of the sport, however within the fourth quarter, he and they’re approaching like gangbusters.
“I’ve been round lengthy sufficient to have an appreciation for that. I understand how and why that occurs. You higher carry sufficient protection. They get snug as the sport goes on with what it’s that you simply’re doing, what it’s they should do to achieve success.”
Conversely, it’s been a season to recollect for the Steelers who’ve stunned many as they’ve all however wrapped up a playoff spot.
It’s not been an offensive masterclass by the Black and Gold however between serviceable quarterback play from at first Justin Fields and now Russell Wilson has supplied simply sufficient on the key second. And, as is commonplace underneath Tomlin, the Steelers’ protection is as soon as once more among the best within the league.
They are coming off a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns final outing, however that was a recreation performed in heavy snow so most of the miscues could possibly be put all the way down to that.
If the Steelers need to maintain their noses in entrance of the Baltimore Ravens and assure a division-winners spot within the playoffs, this conflict towards the Bengals may show pivotal.
The greatest photographs from the 2024 NFL season
Saquon Barkley vs. Derrick Henry. Two working backs with new groups and each having MVP-contending seasons.
It appears reductive to boil down a match-up of two Super Bowl contenders to 2 gamers, however all eyes will probably be on Barkley and Henry when the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens take to the sector at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
The pair lead the league in speeding – Barkley with 1,392 yards and Henry with 1,325 – and have each added lacking parts to their respective groups.
Barkley’s huge landing runs and athletic evasion of defenders has made him a weekly spotlight reel producer whereas Henry’s rumbling, highly effective model of working wears down defenders and by the tip of the sport, the 30-year-old is an nearly unstoppable pressure.
Their capacity to maintain choosing up first downs and imply the crew can depend on the bottom recreation which has taken the stress of the groups’ quarterbacks.
After a sluggish begin to the season, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has cleaned his recreation up with simply two turnovers within the final seven weeks in comparison with 18 complete touchdowns.
On the opposite hand, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is the favourite to retain his MVP award and be a part of solely a handful of gamers to win three or extra MVP trophies.
Between their star working backs and their cellular quarterbacks, there are many similarities between the Eagles and the Ravens on offense.
It’s been a unique story on the opposite aspect of the ball although with the Ravens having one of many worst passing defenses within the league however the second-best run protection whereas the Eagles have allowed the second-fewest passing yards and the sixth-fewest speeding yards.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed his enthusiasm for the powerful matchup towards the Eagles.
“It’s all the time thrilling to play in huge video games. It’s one other huge recreation for us,” he informed reporters on Wednesday. “We had an enormous recreation final week; we had an enormous recreation the week earlier than that; we had an enormous recreation the week earlier than that, and that is the following one, and it is a actually huge recreation.
“This is a extremely good crew we’re enjoying. I believe some folks suppose that they is likely to be one of the best crew within the league, and that’s the best way they’re enjoying. It’s a problem for us, a problem for our run protection – sure – as a result of they do it with their offensive line, they do it with their again, in addition they do it with their scheme – which the quarterback is part of, too – and so they can throw off the runs. So, there’s rather a lot happening there.”
With the Ravens at 8-4 and second within the AFC North and the Eagles at 9-2 and high of the NFC East, it’s a recreation by which playoff seedings will probably be impacted relying on the outcome.
In years prior, this might be a high-powered showdown of Super Bowl hopefuls. The San Francisco 49ers are usually playoff regulars, dropping within the Super Bowl twice in current editions, whereas the Buffalo Bills are additionally no strangers to January soccer.
And whereas the Bills look set to make the postseason in emphatic vogue at 9-2, the 49ers are going by way of a down season of their lofty requirements.
A mixture of accidents and failing on the key moments have hampered any progress San Francisco has made this 12 months. The newest to succumb to the harm bug is quarterback Brock Purdy who missed final week’s beatdown by the hands of the Green Bay Packers with an harm to his throwing shoulder.
Although Purdy returned to observe earlier within the week, he may miss the journey to Buffalo on Sunday. Even if he does, the 49ers look set to overlook two extra very important cogs – left deal with Trent Williams and defensive finish Nick Bosa – each missed observe with their respective accidents.
For one of many NFL’s superpowers, it’s a shocking down 12 months and one which require a outstanding turnaround if it hopes to realize related success.
On the opposite hand, the Bills come off their bye stuffed with optimism having handed the Chiefs their first defeat of the season of their final look on the sector.
After a midseason blip, Buffalo have recalibrated in emphatic vogue by profitable six consecutive video games to reestablish themselves as one of many AFC’s heavyweights with the stretch run of the season to come back.
Quarterback Josh Allen is enjoying his greatest all season and benefiting from an bettering set of ability place gamers – the advance seen in rookie Keon Coleman and third-year receiver Khalil Shakir has added additional weapons to their arsenal.
Ahead of their high-powered recreation vs. the 49ers, Allen pressured that though they’ve had a promising begin to the season, the “job’s not completed” for Buffalo.
A defeat on Sunday may go a great distance in eliminating the 49ers from playoff rivalry – their possibilities of reaching the postseason would stand at 10%, in keeping with NFL.com – whereas the Bills would sustain their stress on the Chiefs for the No. 1 spot within the AFC convention and the first-round bye that comes with it.
Away vs. residence
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Atlanta Falcons – 1:00 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals – 1:00 p.m. ET
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – 1:00 p.m. ET
Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings – 1:00 p.m. ET
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots – 1:00 p.m. ET
Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Jets – 1:00 p.m. ET
Tennessee Titans vs. Washington Commanders – 1:00 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers – 4:05 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints – 4:05 p.m. ET
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Baltimore Ravens – 4:25 p.m. ET
San Francisco 49ers vs. Buffalo Bills – 8:20 p.m. ET
