the NYJ vs. ATL - Little has gone right for the Jets this season while ATL is one of three teams that's still in contention for the one guaranteed playoff spot that the N.F.C. South will get (but probably doesn't really deserve - cue the debate over whether or not, in this day and age, division champs should be guaranteed a playoff berth).
N.E. vs. the LAC - the Patriots have won 7 straight games against the Chargers dating back to 2010 but currently have the worst record in the A.F.C. and the 3rd worst record in the league. Is this the year that the Chargers find a way to finally beat their nemesis from back East?
T.B. vs. CAR - the two worst teams in the N.F.C. South going H2H. Will a coaching change make any difference for the Panthers?
TEN vs. Indy - two also-rans from the A.F.C. South going H2H. Neither team appears to be *true* playoff material.
PIT vs. ARZ - the 'Stillers' keep coming up with ways to win despite a generally less-than-stellar offense. The Cardinals are probably already in the process of figuring out what to do with their (sure to be) early pick in next spring's draft.
'N'awlins' vs. DET - Each team coming in off of a loss here. The Lions are looking for their first division title in 30 years but they're not in the clear, yet. 'N'awlins' is tied for first place in its division - but with a losing record.
WAS vs. MIA - the Commanders come into this one on the back of a humiliating T'giving Day loss to their division rivals from TX. While MIA, to me, is very much like the N.F.C. entry based in TX - good, but not good enough to be considered true (league) championship material.
HOU vs. DEN - there's another game on the docket this weekend that's getting most of the hype but this might be the "under-the-radar" game to watch as DEN comes in riding a 5-game winning streak while with a couple more breaks earlier in the season HOU could very well be in first place in their division right now. One to watch this Sunday, for sure, in my estimation.
the LAR vs. CLE - the Rams have won 2 straight while the Browns lost to DEN last week AND saw their star DE Myles Garrett get injured. I'm not sure of Myles Garrett's status for today's game. It'll be a shame if he can't go as this would be a chance to see a couple of the best DLs the N.F.L. has to offer right now if he can.
PHI vs. SFO - a re-match of last season's N.F.C. championship game. Both teams are looking strong going in so this should be a good one. Hopefully Brock Purdy will be able to play the whole game this time!
G.B. vs. K.C. (Sunday night) - a few weeks ago this one didn't look like such a good match-up but the Packers come into this one having won 3 of their last 4 while the Chiefs, while not looking quite "right" all season, are still in first place in their division. I rate this one as one of the top three games of the weekend, at least on paper.
JAX vs. CIN (Monday night) - What looked like an enticing match-up a few weeks ago has lost some of its luster due to Bengals star QB Joe Burrow being sidelined for the season. The Bengals have shown a lot of "grit" over the last few years but the going figures to be pretty rough for them w/o Joe Burrow to help guide things.