2012 NFL Schedule: Prime-Time Games That Will Come Down to the Wire

Now that the NFL schedule has been released, you are free to start circling dates on your calendar and cancelling all previous appointments.

You've probably already done that, so I'll move right along to talking about this season's prime-time slate.

Last season's prime-time slate was a mixed bag. For every great contest, there was a Monday night contest that fell completely flat. I remember doing a lot of channel surfing during those games.

I don't think I'll be doing that again. There are a lot of pretty good games lined up for prime time this year, and some of them will no doubt go down to the wire. 

I'm looking for these five games to come down to a photo finish.

New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens

Date and Time: Sunday, Sept. 23 at 8:20 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

The last time we saw the Patriots and Ravens out on the same field, they played exactly the kind of game we're here to talk about. It all came down to a series of key plays in the final moments.

The Ravens should have won, for the record, but that's neither here nor there now.

Baltimore will be looking for revenge in this game. All they'll have to do is put their excellent defense to work and hope that Tom Brady is just as ineffective against it as he was in the AFC Championship Game.

They'll also have to hope that Joe Flacco is as good as he thinks he is. He's not, but he's occasionally decent. And with the Ravens defense at his back, decent is oftentimes good enough.

Neither of these teams is going to win this matchup in a rout. New England's offense is too good to be shut down by Baltimore's defense and Baltimore's offense isn't good enough to light up New England's defense.

I'll take the Pats to win it by a nose, thus denying the Ravens their revenge.

Patriots 24, Ravens 21

Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans

Date and Time: Sunday, Oct. 14 at 8:20 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

The Packers are arguably the most complete team in the NFC. The Texans are arguably the most complete team in the AFC.

Put them together, and you have a recipe for extreme awesomeness.

It will be fun to watch Houston's defense go up against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense. The Texans finished third in the league in passing defense, and they also finished among the league leaders in sacks. They have the goods to make life tough for Rodgers and his merry band of pass-catchers.

I'm expecting Green Bay's own defense to be a lot better after it underachieved in 2011. Thanks to the explosiveness of the Packers offense, the defense was asked to do a lot against pass-happy teams. They just weren't capable of putting up the same numbers in 2011 as they did in 2010.

Given the overall quality of these two teams, I doubt we'll get a shootout. We will, however, get a back-and-forth game that will be pretty intense as the clock winds down.

I'll take the Texans to win it.

Texans 27, Packers 24

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints

Date and Time: Monday, Nov. 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Look for the Eagles to be a lot better in 2012 than they were in 2011, when they never really got off the ground until it was far too late.

Philly's offense will be more in sync than it ever was in 2011. More importantly, the Eagles defense will be more in sync than it ever was. They figured out late in the season how to make all their new toys fit together, and the addition of DeMeco Ryans gives them a solid presence at middle linebacker.

The Saints are going to be good again in 2012, even if Sean Payton will be sitting out the season. There will be a lot of pressure on Saints defenders to play nice, but the team will be fine as long as Drew Brees is his usual self.

I don't think Brees needs Payton in order to be his usual self. He'll be able to keep New Orleans' offense from falling apart at the seams.

Put the Eagles and the Saints on the same field, and what you're going to get is a game that features two explosive offenses and two defenses that are going to be overwhelmed. Last team standing wins.

I'll take the Saints, but they'll need a late touchdown to seal it.

Saints 38, Eagles 28

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

Date and Time: Sunday, Nov. 25 at 8:20 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

The Packers and Giants played each other twice last season, and they were two very different games.

In the first one, the Giants matched the then-undefeated Packers step for step at MetLife Stadium. In order for the Packers to stay unbeaten, Rodgers had to engineer a late scoring drive reminiscent of something Eli Manning would have done.

In the playoffs, the Giants responded by destroying the Packers at Lambeau Field. It was brutal. Unless you're a Giants fan, of course. Then it was glorious.

I doubt we'll see another destruction job in this game. The Packers will be looking for revenge, and they'll have a good shot at getting it.

It will come down to Rodgers and Manning. Both of them are going to get a shot to win this game for their respective team. May the most clutch QB win.

Or not in this case. I'll take Rodgers and the Packers.

Packers 31, Giants 28

Houston Texans at New England Patriots

Date and Time: Monday, Dec. 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

By the time this game rolls around, both the Texans and the Patriots are going to have their eyes on the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The Texans should have no trouble winning the AFC South in 2012, and the Pats should have no trouble winning the AFC East. They're two of the best teams in the AFC.

This game will be a battle for conference supremacy. The Pats will be favored simply because Tom Brady and Bill Belichick don't lose at home. So despite the fact they'll be sitting on a very good record, the Texans will be an underdog with something to prove.

The Patriots won't dominate them and they won't dominate the Patriots. It will be a back-and-forth affair that will feature a lot of points.

In the end, the Texans will beat the Pats at their own game.

Texans 31, Patriots 28