After a fun-filled week of Thanksgiving action, the action now shifts to Week 13. With the calendar flipping to December, it’s time for playoff races to materialize. Let’s take a look at the best games for Week 13 that will have the most playoff implications.
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots are the hottest team in the league as they’ll ride a six-game winning streak into this contest. Mac Jones is undoubtedly the best rookie quarterback in his class and the Pats defense has been phenomenal all around. The Bills have been inconsistent of late – even though Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs were able to torch the New Orleans Saints defense last week on Thanksgiving, beating them by double digits quite easily. They’ve alternated wins and losses their last seven games. If that streak continues, they’re due for another loss.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Chargers looked horrible in their loss to the Denver Broncos last weekend. A week removed from scoring 41 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chargers only mustered 13 against their division rivals. They are going to have to be a lot more consistent this week when they match up with the 7-4 Cincinnati Bengals, who dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 41-10 win last week.
Washington Football Team @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Washington Football Team barely beat the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football but they have now won three in a row. Strangely, the defense is playing better since star edge rusher Chase Young was lost for the season with an ACL injury. The Football Team now plays the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend, though, which is no easy task despite the horrible luck that they’ve had all year long. The Raiders are coming off a big win over the Dallas Cowboys and have 10 days to rest. They’ll likely be without Darren Waller, though. Will Taylor Heineicke be able to muster another strong game or will Carr cut their win streak down?
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers are starting to put it all together. They dropped 34 points against the Minnesota Vikings last week and looked strong. Deebo Samuel will be out for this matchup, which could severely impact their offense as a lot of it runs through him. Nevertheless, they should have the upper hand heading into this one because the Seahawks have had serious problems moving the ball down the field. In their last three games, they have scored a total of 21 points. Wilson is having trouble bouncing back from that finger surgery he had a few weeks ago and it is impacting his performance on the field.
Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Neither of these teams played well in their last game, though the Ravens were able to walk away with a victory. Lamar Jackson threw four interceptions against the Cleveland Browns for the first time in his career and yet they still found a way to win. Their defense played lights out and saved the day. The same can’t be said about Pittsburgh as Ben Roethlisberger’s horrible game was made worse by their defense being unable to stop the Bengals all afternoon. These two normally play tight games but with Pittsburgh struggling, the Ravens should have the upper hand here.