Week 13 kicks off on Thanksgiving Day and there's plenty for NFL fans to be thankful for. Bye weeks are officially over three compelling games are taking place Thursday and playoff races are tightening up. It's a great time of the year for football.
Speaking of playoff races this week brings plenty of postseason implications. The end results of several divisional contests and nonconference games will certainly change the landscape of the playoff picture once again. Here's how it's currently looking heading into Week 13 per the NFL's official Twitter account
If the season ended right now... The Falcons would face the Cowboys on Wild Card Weekend http //t.co/eTBttzbTy3 pic.twitter.com/mjQ1FgXdlB
NFL ( nfl) November 25 2014To ensure not a moment of this week's compelling action on the gridiron is missed let's take a look at the full Week 13 schedule and coverage map listings for the entire slate of games.
NFL Week 13 Schedule Date Matchup Time (ET) Channel Thu. Nov. 27 Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions 12 30 p.m. CBS Thu. Nov. 27 Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys 4 30 p.m. Fox Thu. Nov. 27 Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers 8 30 p.m. NBC Sun. Nov. 30 Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills 1 p.m. CBS Sun. Nov. 30 San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m. CBS Sun. Nov. 30 Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m. Fox Sun. Nov. 30 Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 p.m. CBS Sun. Nov. 30 Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans 1 p.m. CBS Sun. Nov. 30 Washington Redskins at Indianapolis Colts 1 p.m. Fox Sun. Nov. 30 New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars 1 p.m. Fox Sun. Nov. 30 New Orleans Saints at Pittsburgh Steelers 1 p.m. Fox Sun. Nov. 30 Oakland Raiders at St. Louis Rams 1 p.m. CBS Sun. Nov. 30 Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons 4 05 p.m. Fox Sun. Nov. 30 New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers 4 25 p.m. CBS Sun. Nov. 30 Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs 8 30 p.m. NBC Mon. Dec. 1 Miami Dolphins at New York Jets 8 30 p.m. ESPN506 Sports
Full television info via nationwide coverage map can be found at 506 Sports.
Top Games to Watch on Sunday
New Orleans Saints at Pittsburgh Steelers
The differences between the AFC North and the NFC South are staggering. The Steelers are second in their division with a 7 4 record and the Saints are first in theirs with a 4 7 mark. Regardless both teams are in need of a big win to remain in the hunt.
Pittsburgh has been phenomenal at home for the most part this season. Through five games at Heinz Field the Steelers hold a 4 1 record however that loss is a bit concerning considering it came at the hands of the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers cannot afford to play down to their opponent this time around.
One giant factor in Pittsburgh's success will be running back Le'Veon Bell. He's nearing the 1 000 yard rushing mark on the season and is coming off a 204 yard performance against the Tennessee Titans. The Saints have been getting torched by ball carriers of late as Jeremy Hill of the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Forsett of the Baltimore Ravens notched 152 and 182 yards respectively over the last two weeks.
Here's what Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor had to say recently regarding Bell per Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Ike Taylor on Le'Veon Bell I told him couple weeks ago that he's a Nov/Dec back. In the 4th quarter not too many people want to hit you.
Mark Kaboly ( MarkKaboly_Trib) November 21 2014Aside from stepping up on the defensive side of the ball the Saints need better efficiency from quarterback Drew Brees. He's struggled in the turnover department this season and that has cost the team dearly. In fact just last week a pick six by Ravens safety Will Hill proved to be the difference maker in the game.
Still Brees was impressive otherwise against Baltimore completing 35 of his 45 passing attempts for 420 yards and three touchdowns. Yet his production has severely dipped on the road this season and playing in Pittsburgh is never an easy task for any opposing quarterback.
New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers
This could very well be a Super Bowl preview. Both the Packers and the Patriots have been the NFL's most dangerous teams in recent weeks blowing away practically every opponent they've faced. Now they face each other.
The Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers have been virtually unstoppable at Lambeau Field this season. In five home contests Green Bay is 5 0 and has won by multiple scores in four of those games. Quarterback play is a big part of that success. Take a look at how efficient Rodgers has been at home versus on the road this year
Aaron Rodgers at Home vs. on Road in 2014 Split CMP% AVG TD INT RAT Home 66.7 9.81 18 0 138.1 Away 66.7 7.80 12 3 104.0ESPN.com
That's right Rodgers has yet to throw an interception in Green Bay this season. The NFL Network's Jeff Darlington noted the quarterback has set a new NFL record in that category
According to our research dep't Aaron Rodgers has thrown 322 consecutive attempts at home without an interception which is nfl record.
Jeff Darlington ( JeffDarlington) November 17 2014New England has a pretty darn good quarterback of its own. Tom Brady has been playing as well as anyone in the league this season but he'll have a difficult test against a solid Packers defense. Brady is putting up some gaudy numbers this year but he's struggled at times on the road. Here's a look at his splits on the season
Tom Brady at Home vs. on Road in 2014 Split CMP% AVG TD INT RAT Home 67.2 7.29 17 2 107.8 Road 61.7 7.04 9 4 90.8ESPN.com
While Green Bay does have home field advantage and has looked unbeatable at home this year the Patriots are a well rounded team with a very savvy head coach. This contest will be a fantastic conclusion to what should be a great Sunday of football.
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