Five weeks remain in the 2024 NFL regular season and the playoff spots are slowly filling up, but whether there’s a lot of football still to be played remains a subjective argument with some teams probably needing more time to ensure that they can join Kansas City and Buffalo in the postseason.

Week 14 is the latest point at which any team can be on a bye and, again, pausing this late in the season can only be seen as favourable by those teams in need of a breather — or a reset. No fewer than six franchises get that opportunity this weekend: the Ravens and Texans will likely be thankful for a chance to sit back and reassess their seasons after a couple of tough weeks; the Broncos and Commanders may see it as momentum-stopping, while the Colts and Patriots will probably have different views as they pursue varying goals on their return.

Titanic clashes may, unlike the snow in Buffalo, be a little thin on the ground this weekend, but there are still games with more than just the result riding on them.

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GAME OF THE WEEK

Green Bay Packers (9-3) @ Detroit Lions (11-1)

Having made fans wait for the biggest game on the slate in recent weeks, the schedule planners start Week 14 with a banger as the NFC North provides a clash, not just of two of the longest-tenured teams in the league, but also big rivals both with playoff implications on the line.

Probably against expectation, the division can still put three of its four teams into the postseason (sorry, Bears fans!) and, somehow, the Packers are still only the third-best of that trio. That will count for nothing on Thursday night, however, as the Pack pours into the Motor City intent, not only on taking another step towards extending their season, but also exacting revenge for their third straight defeat by Dan Campbell’s marauding Lions, and on the hallowed turf of Lambeau Field no less, in early November. Green Bay still comfortably leads the all-time head-to-head, 104-77-7, thanks in big part to the Lions’ lifetime in the doldrums, but Detroit are riding a streak of five wins from six in the current era and are all but confirmed as a 2024 playoff team, with a second straight divisional title beckoning.

Campbell’s crew head into the rematch missing a large number of starters, making their lofty 11-1 record even more impressive. With bodies piling up on IR throughout last Thursday’s win over Chicago, however, the Packers clash looks slightly more difficult than it might have been even a fortnight ago. Fortunately, both running backs, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, appear ready to go, as do QB Jared Goff and his wide receiving cohort, even if the defense could be missing three members of its line as well as CBs Carlton Davis III and Emmanuel Moseley.

Although their lengthy touchdown streak was ended by the Bears, ‘Sonic and Knuckles’ both racked up in excess of 100 yards at Ford Field and had fruitful days in the last meeting with Green Bay. Gibbs needs seven yards from scrimmage this week to set a new career high, while Montgomery needs just three to complete a sixth straight 1000-yard season. Nine catches for WR Amon-Ra St Brown would make him just the third player in league history to reach 400 in his first four campaigns, while DB Kerby Joseph will be vying with Packers safety Xavier McKinney to be the first to reach eight INTs this term.

While the Packers know what they’ll be facing in former player Za’Darius Smith, one of the few Lions D-lineman still standing (if also a little banged up), they will be hoping to negate the big man with an offense currently humming under QB Jordan Love, who posted his highest single-game rating (129.2) as a starter just last weekend. Running back Josh Jacobs will also look to continue his recent strong form, having followed a three-touchdown performance against San Francisco with another score on Thanksgiving night against Miami. WR Jayden Reed continued his rapport with Love by snagging two TDs against the Dolphins, while breakout TE Tucker Kraft found the endzone in the Packers last road game. Goff and Co will be mindful of Rashan Gary’s recent form, which includes three sacks, two forced fumbles and a recovery in the teams’ last meeting in the Motor City.

PREDICTION: Packers to take advantage of an injury-hit host.

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WORTH A WATCH

Sometimes there are fixtures that just stand out on a schedule, whether it’s your favourite team(s), a rematch or a plain old revenge game…

Cleveland Browns (3-9) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)

Just two weeks ago, Jameis Winston and the Browns ended the Steelers winning streak at a snow-bound Huntingdon Bank Field. Winston will go into the rematch on the back of admitting that he, quite literally, threw away the Browns chances of building on that win in a high-scoring defeat to Denver on Monday night, and goes up against Russell Wilson coming off his best performance yet in a Steelers uniform. Around the two pick sixes that determined the outcome of Monday’s matchup, Winston threw for a career-high (and franchise record) 497 yards and four touchdowns, with WR Jerry Jeudy going off against his former team to the tune of 9-for-235 and a score.

While Winston and Co will be keeping a wary eye on Steelers LB T.J. Watt — who posted three tackles for loss, two sacks and a league-high fifth forced fumble last weekend — Wilson will likewise have to account for Browns DE Myles Garrett’s latest attempt to prove that he is more deserving of DPOY honours than his rival in black-and-gold, having posted three sacks and a forced fumble in the meeting two weeks ago.

PREDICTION: Russ is rolling, and the game is in Pitt. Steelers for (Acri)sure!

Seattle Seahawks (7-5) @ Arizona Cardinals (6-6)

Another rematch from Week 12, in which the Seahawks used the home advantage provided by the 12^th Man to win a dour 16-6 encounter. With no team breaking away in the NFC West (Seattle’s 7-5 record is just a game better than both the Cards and Rams, with San Fran a further mark back), this fixture carries just as much importance (it’s hard to say ‘juice’ given the score from game one) in terms of the postseason, with just one team likely to progress from the division.

Seattle has won seven of the past eight encounters between the teams, and comes into the game after a win over the New York Jets in which DE Leonard Williams stole the show with two sacks, a pick six and a blocked kick! WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has enjoyed playing the Cardinals since joining the league a couple of seasons ago, with a touchdown catch in two of his three meetings with them, including earlier in this campaign. Safety Coby Bryant also has reason to remember the Week 12 game, having returned an errant Kyler Murray pass 69 yards for a score.

Murray bounced back from that game-changing error to throw for 308 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings last weekend, but could not prevent his team from losing by a point. Murray now has a touchdown toss in eight of his past nine home games and will naturally want that streak to continue on Sunday against an opponent that has allowed him 1037 pass and 195 rush yards, as well as eight touchdowns, in their past four trips to State Farm Stadium. Tight end Trey McBride, meanwhile, enjoyed a career day the last time these two teams met, with a dozen receptions precipitating a record-setting repeat performance against Minnesota last week, while safety Budda Baker will also be looking for a double-figure reprise, having already bagged a pair of 10-tackle games in home matchups with Seattle.

PREDICTION: Seattle can see the postseason on the horizon and that will be incentive enough.

Atlanta Falcons (6-6) @ Minnesota Vikings (10-2)

This one has been on the ‘must watch’ docket ever since QB Kirk Cousins left the Twin Cities for Atlanta — but how much of a spectacle it turns out to be rests heavily on the veteran’s form.

Although he racked up 245 yards through the air in last weekend’s home defeat by the Chargers, Cousins also lofted four interceptions, including a 61-yard pick six to Tarheeb Still that sealed the Falcons’ fate. Vikings fans will not forget, however, that ‘Captain Kirk’ passed for 23,265 yards in his six seasons wearing purple, leaving Minnesota with a 101.2 rating across 88 starts. His 171 touchdown tosses remains the second most in team history. With Cousins being flaky of late, the Falcons have relied more and more on sophomore RB Bijan Robinson, and the former Texas Longhorn responded last week with 135 scrimmage yards and a seventh rushing TD of the campaign, while running mate Tyler Allgeier also found paydirt on the ground.

Arnold Ebiketie’s team-leading three sacks for Atlanta can’t hold a candle to the 10 already amassed by Minnesota’s summer signing Jonathan Greenard (or the nine posted by fellow FA acquisition Andrew van Ginkel for that matter) as Brian Flores’ defense continues to uphold its end of the Vikings bargain. That being said, the offense continues to roll, even without star WR Justin Jefferson racking up scores, as QB Sam Darnold extended his league-high accumulation of 100+ rating performances in Week 13. RB Aaron Jones also went over 1100 scrimmage yards for the fifth time in his career during last week’s game and the former Packer is aiming for a third straight 100+ yards and a touchdown showing against the Dirty Birds.

PREDICTION: The Vikes need to take advantage of any Lions stumble (and counter any Green Bay gain), and do so here.

Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)

Two of the league’s best records go head-to-head in Kansas City, with the Chargers bringing their playoff ambitions into Patrick Mahomes’ back yard with a real feeling that they can upset the reigning champions.

Although their Week 13 win over Atlanta wasn’t pretty, Los Angeles sit one game clear of the bye week Broncos and will want to stretch that advantage before season hits its closing stanza. Although QB Justin Herbert has got the Chargers’ offense moving, especially with rookie Ladd McConkey and a slowly-emerging Quentin Johnston, it still isn’t a fluidly as head coach Jim Harbaugh would want — and losing #1 running back J.K. Dobbins to injury isn’t going to help. Fortunately, Jesse Minter’s defense has established itself as the best at stopping opposing offenses this season (averaging just 15.7 points per game), with Poona Ford, Joey Bosa and Bud Dupree all relishing another outing versus KC.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, continue to win ugly, escaping with a 19-17 victory over the Raiders on Black Friday and locking up another playoff appearance into the bargain. That said, the running back department didn’t look great despite the return of Isiah Pacheco and the Mahomes-Xavier Worthy connection needs, well, reconnecting. Fortunately, Noah Gray is beginning to break out as heir apparent to Travis Kelce at tight end. With left tackle weaknesses proving troublesome for Mahomes and a defense that appears a shell of its season-opening self, this one might need more than a stroke of luck if the Chiefs are to improve to 12-1.

PREDICTION: The Chargers make them work for it but, somehow KC squeaks through again.

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ALSO ON

New York Jets (3-9) @ Miami Dolphins (5-7)

Tua is 4-0 against NYJ and Miami has won the past eight against Gang Green at home. ‘Nuff said.

New Orleans Saints (4-8) @ New York Giants (2-10)

Where to start with this one? How about the Giants play up (or down) to their likely draft position?

Carolina Panthers (3-9) @ Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)

The Panthers run of claiming scalps ends in the City of Brotherly Love as the Eagles continue to stalk Detroit

Las Vegas Raiders (2-10) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)

Tampa may have struggled to see off the Panthers in an OT game last week, but won’t be taken as far this time around.

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10) @ Tennessee Titans (3-9)

Home advantage the difference as Jacksonville remains a contender for first pick in 2025 NFL Draft

Buffalo Bills (10-2) @ Los Angeles Rams (6-6)

Only narrowly missed being Worth a Watch, but the Bills need a first-round bye more than the Rams need a playoff spot.

Chicago Bears (4-8) @ San Francisco 49ers (5-7)

Will the usual new coach bump or Christian McCaffrey’s trip to IR prove decisive for Chicago? Neither.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) @ Dallas Cowboys (5-7)

The Bengals have shown they know how to score points, and Dallas’ won’t have the sort of answer Pittsburgh, Baltimore and L.A. produced.

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PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

Kansas City can clinch the AFC West title with a win this weekend, while Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia are all in position to secure a postseason berth with the right combination of results.

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FEET UP

Baltimore Ravens (8-5), Houston Texans (8-5), Denver Broncos (8-5), Washington Commanders (8-5), Indianapolis Colts (6-7), New England Patriots (3-10)