NFL Schedule Week 12: Highlighting Biggest Games of the Slate

The NFL is veering close enough to the finish line that postseason scenarios are beginning to emerge. 

Now that every team has played at least 10 games, fans can't help but monitor the standings and plot out their squad's path to the playoffs. To make it more fun, a majority of the teams hold a highly realistic shot of making the cut.

Bringing us even closer to the finish line, Week 12 will present a variety of intriguing matches that will further affect the playoff picture. To top it off, the main event pits two legends against each other in a potential AFC Championship game preview.

Here is this week's schedule along with a closer look at a few of Sunday's most interesting showdowns.

Away	Home	Time (ET)	TV
New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	8:25 p.m. (Thur.)	NFL Network
Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns	1:00 p.m	CBS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Detroit Lions	1:00 p.m	FOX
Minnesota Vikings	Green Bay Packers	1:00 p.m	FOX
San Diego Chargers	Kansas City Chiefs	1:00 p.m	CBS
Chicago Bears	St. Louis Rams	1:00 p.m	FOX
Carolina Panthers	Miami Dolphins	1:00 p.m	FOX
New York Jets	Baltimore Ravens	1:00 p.m	CBS
Jacksonville Jaguars	Houston Texans	1:00 p.m	CBS
Tennessee Titans	Oakland Raiders	4:05 p.m.	CBS
Indianapolis Colts	Arizona Cardinals	4:05 p.m.	FOX
Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	4:25 p.m.	FOX
Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	8:30 p.m.	NBC
San Francisco 49ers	Washington Redskins	8:30 p.m. (Mon.)	ESPN

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs finally suffered their first loss on Sunday night, but was anybody really surprised?

Sure, the Chiefs should be proud of starting 9-0 a year after going 2-14. But behind their incredible start lurked just one game against a winning team (and not a great one in the Philadelphia Eagles) and a few narrow victories where they barely slipped by.

The Chiefs are good; they're just not undefeated good.

Now that the Denver Broncos finally snapped the winning streak, can the San Diego Chargers expose them even further? After dropping their last three games (all by single digits), the Chargers need a win in the worst way to stay alive in the wacky AFC Wild Card battle.

Philip Rivers will provide another challenge for Kansas City's stout secondary, but it will be more interesting to see if Alex Smith can attack San Diego's 27th-ranked passing defense after completing just 46.7 percent of his passes against Denver, his lowest mark since 2007.

Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins

The difference in each conference's depth is glaring when looking at these two playoff hopefuls.

Even with their scorching play lately, a postseason bid is far from secure for the Panthers, who must fend off three 6-4 teams and the 5-5 Green Bay Packers, who are biding their time before Aaron Rodgers returns. 

They entered Monday night's clash with the New England Patriots sporting the NFL's fourth-best point differential at plus-99. This ferocious defense cannot be discounted.

On the other hand, the Dolphins have not looked so hot after starting 3-0. They squandered a strong start by losing five of their subsequent six games, but a win over San Diego put them in a tie with the New York Jets for a playoff spot at 5-5.

Their defense ranks 20th with 364.9 yards allowed per game, but that's actually their strong unit. The offense rates 30th with 307.8 yards amassed per game, as the offensive line creates a beating for Ryan Tannehill and no running lanes for Lamar Miller.

Yet Miami would hold as clear, if not a clearer path to the playoffs than Carolina with a victory on Sunday.

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots

Here's the matchup we're all waiting for.

When Peyton Manning's Broncos face Tom Brady's Patriots, the implications could span even further than Sunday's AFC West showdown. This game could mark the difference between the Patriots holding home-field advantage throughout the postseason and losing out on a first-round bye.

As for the Broncos, they can't afford to drop this one a week before traveling to the raucous Arrowhead Stadium for a rematch with the Chiefs.

Averaging 455.5 yards and 39.8 points per game, Denver's offense is operating on another level. But it has looked mortal after compiling 28 points against San Diego and 27 against Kansas City. 

New England holds a blueprint to prevailing by shredding Denver's shaky secondary and containing Manning to manageable totals through the air. That's easier said than done, however, as the Broncos have displayed more solid defense since Von Miller resurfaced. They have surrendered 22 points per game during their last five bouts.