Sunday Night Football Schedule 2013: Showcasing Remaining Prime-Time Games

Week	Away	Home
13	New York Giants	Washington Redskins
14	Carolina Panthers	New Orleans Saints
15	Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers
16	New England Patriots	Baltimore Ravens

Sunday Night Football is a blessing for NFL fans.

Thanks to the "flex" option, NBC can eliminate miserable matchups from the national spotlight in favor of games with playoff implications.

This is probably for the best considering the schedule is made in advance based on oft-times inaccurate assumptions as to how things will play out (it can't be done any other way, right?).

Fans will have to suffer through the New York Giants visiting the Washington Redskins in Week 13, but who doesn't love a little NFC East action with some quarterback melodrama concerning Robert Griffin III mixed in for good measure?

After that, it is full sail ahead with some quality matchups in Week 14 and beyond.

Week 14: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

All hail the flex.

Previously a matchup between Atlanta and Green Bay, two teams with a combined record of 7-14-1 prior to Week 13 action, fans are now treated to an NFC South showdown of epic proportions.

New Orleans has done its best to fend off Carolina in the division for weeks, but things come to a head in Week 14. Going into Week 13, the Panthers made a strong surge with seven straight wins and had the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense at an average of 13.7 points allowed per game.

The push has not been enough to catch the Saints. Drew Brees and the high-flying offense is a known commodity, but coordinator Rob Ryan has his defense playing at a high level in all phases—and an elite level against the pass.

Something has to give when these forces collide. The Saints have yet to lose at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this season, an advantage matched only by CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

It does not get much better than this, except for when these NFC powerhouses go at it again in Week 16.

Week 15: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The AFC North may be in the midst of an underwhelming year outside of the Queen City, but fans know divisional battles will be entertaining nonetheless.

So it should come as no surprise if this game is worth the price of admission. Cincinnati visited Pittsburgh in Week 2 on Monday Night Football and escaped with a 20-10 victory thanks to 10 second-half points.

Pittsburgh appears out of the playoff race, but with a variety of 5-6 teams still hanging around entering Week 13, who knows how the conference will shape up and where the Steelers will stand by the time this game rolls around?

Either way, the implications for the Bengals will be huge as they attempt to gain favorable seeding in the postseason.

These two simply do not like each other, and quite often that is enough to make an NFL game a must-see event. This won't be an affair for offensive-minded fans, but those who appreciate traditional defensive struggles must tune in when Cincinnati makes the trip to Heinz Field.

Week 16: New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens

The fine folks in charge of making the schedule at least know how to pit teams that do not like each other very much together.

That is the case here with New England and Baltimore, two teams familiar with each other for postseason escapades in recent years. New England will surely have the AFC East won by this point, while Baltimore will either fall on its face or grab a wild-card spot in the same time span.

Regardless, the Ravens field a woeful offense and a defense that can at least contain Tom Brady and the Patriots to keep this one competitive.

Last season, these two gave fans moments to remember. First it was a 31-30 thriller that swung in favor of Baltimore in Week 3. The two met again in the postseason, where a 28-13 final favored the eventual champions in the AFC Championship game.

That seems like a lot to live up to, but New England and Baltimore always seem up to the task against each other.

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