The division rivalries continue into Week 12 with several high-stakes games on Sunday. Then, Sunday Night Football brings an NFC showdown between the Eagles and Rams. Check out the five can't-miss games happening Sunday, below.
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Sunday, Week 12 -- Top 5 games to watch
- WHERE: Lumen Field (Seattle)
- WHEN: 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX
The NFC West is the tightest division right now. The Cardinals (6-4) are leading a division they haven't won since 2015 and are coming out of their Week 11 bye on a four-game winning streak. Offensively, they are ranked fifth in overall rushing efficiency, balanced by a version of Kyler Murray that ranks first in QB scrambles, sixth in play-action passing yards and fifth in overall completion rate. Defensively, their last three games have them in the top five in yards allowed, points allowed, and red zone scoring percentage. This is a sneaky good team that is in a good position win the NFC West if it keeps its foot on the gas pedal.
The Seahawks won in an inspiring way last week against fellow NFC West foe San Francisco, and will look to carry that momentum into Week 12. Geno Smith put together another 200-plus-yard game -- a feat he’s accomplished consecutively since Week 2 -- and a 78.1% completion rate -- his highest of the year. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been the top receiving target for three straight games, which is a bright spot, but consistency still looms large for this team.
¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøPro Insight for :
The Cardinals have struggled to generate pressure this season, as they are the only team in the ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøwithout a defender who has generated at least 20 pressures, and their pressure rate as a team (29.1%) is the third lowest.
Geno Smith has completed 77.8% of his passes when he is not under pressure this season, the second-highest completion percentage in the league. When not pressured, Smith has generated positive EPA on 58.4% of his dropbacks, the fourth-highest success rate among quarterbacks.
- WHERE: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wis.)
- WHEN: 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX
San Francisco’s loss to Seattle in Week 11 made its path to the playoffs significantly harder. The 49ers have now lost to all three NFC West opponents once and it doesn’t get any easier down the stretch with the Packers, Bills, and Lions still on their schedule. The loss of Nick Bosa in the second half of last week was glaring, as the Seahawks went on to score two touchdowns after his exit, which ultimately sealed their fate. Bosa’s status will be a critical one to monitor heading into Week 12. It’s hard to judge this team too much considering the injuries they’ve faced this year, but the Super Bowl runner-ups look sorely different this year.
The Packers won a gritty rivalry game in Chicago in Week 11. They are now 7-3 heading into a matchup against a team that’s defeated them in the playoffs for two straight years. Their offense works when Jordan Love is at his best, but their defense showed some vulnerabilities against the Bears, allowing a struggling offense to rack up nearly 400 yards and almost come away with a win (if not for a clutch field goal block).
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Jordan Love has averaged a league-high 9.5 yards per attempt when facing four or fewer pass rushers this season, one full yard more than the next-closest quarterback (Jared Goff, 8.5). He has been effective in part due to how infrequently he has been pressured -- he’s faced quick pressure (under 2.5 seconds) on a league-low 5.5% of dropbacks versus four or fewer rushers.
The 49ers defense has utilized a four-man pass rush on a league-high 80.6% of dropbacks this season. They have generated pressure just 1.3% more often when blitzing (35.5%) compared to when not blitzing (34.2%), the third-smallest increase in the NFL.
- WHERE: Soldier Field (Chicago)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | FOX
It’s back-to-back NFC North rivalry games for Chicago here. After losing a heartbreaker to Green Bay last week, the Bears will face an 8-2 Vikings team on a three-game heater. Despite the result, Caleb Williams and the offense played well against Green Bay, moving the ball to the tune of 391 total yards. Meanwhile, the Bears defense, specifically the secondary, continues to be a catalyst for this team.
Playoff hopes in Minnesota are alive and well, but winning this game is imperative when the Cardinals, Packers, and Lions still lay in their path. The offense has been solid, but the Brian Flores’ defense is the real star. Allowing just 17 points per game and ranked first and seventh in defensive run and pass efficiency, respectively, the Bears offense has their work cut out for them. If the Vikes’ offense can muster up the points on their end, they can jump on a four-game winning streak heading into December.
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Justin Jefferson has recorded a league-high 599 receiving yards against single-high safety coverage this season, averaging 4.2 yards per route run (most in the NFL, minimum 100 routes). His 4.2 yards per route against single-high is more than double his average against split-safety coverage this season (1.9).
The Bears defense has deployed single-high safety coverage at the fifth-highest rate (61.1%), generating the fourth-highest defensive success rate when doing so (59.3%).
- WHERE: Northwest Stadium (Landover, Md.)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | FOX
The Cowboys shot themselves in the foot on national television Monday night. Two turnovers and some questionable coaching decisions turned the game into a 34-10 blowout loss. Being down your starting quarterback, half the offensive line, and key defensive pieces is certainly not ideal, either. They’re back on the road this week, which surprisingly is where all their wins have come, to face a dangerous Commanders team. The Dallas-Washington rivalry runs deep, and the Cowboys have won four of the last five, but nothing is promised with this team anymore.
The Commanders are on a two-game slide, but they have a chance to right the ship in their next three games (Cowboys, Titans, Saints). Their offense remains the catalyst, but it does seem noticeably slower since Jayden Daniels got hurt in Week 7, which has only highlighted issues on defense even more. Is there a chance that Dallas can kick the Commanders while they’re down here?
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The Commanders have aligned in shotgun formations on 77% of their offensive snaps this season, the third-highest rate in the NFL. They have run the ball on a league-high 43.9% of plays from shotgun, averaging 5 yards per play, on par with the ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøaverage (5.1). In contrast, they have averaged 7.1 yards per pass play out of shotgun formations, the fourth most in the NFL.
The Cowboys are the only defense since at least 2018 to have allowed opposing rushers to gain more yards than expected on over half (50.6%) of their carries from shotgun formations.
- WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | CBS
The Dolphins offense got things rolling to produce a season-high 34 points in Week 11 and will look to carry that into Week 12 against the Patriots. Getting the ball to Tyreek Hill clearly lends itself to positive results, which might seem obvious, but he currently has the team’s lowest receiving EPA (+9.0). Hill has 247 yards and zero touchdowns in Miami’s six losses and 276 yards and three touchdowns in its four wins. Continue to feed him the ball and the Dolphins might have a chance at sneaking into the playoffs with some easier games on the horizon.
The Patriots are likely out of the playoff conversation, but they have a chance to spoil a divisional opponent’s hopes here. Drake Maye is working through some of the growing pains of being a rookie quarterback, unfortunately he just doesn’t have a compelling cast around him.
¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøPro Insight for :
Drake Maye has been effective using his legs as he has gained 261 yards and a touchdown on 26 scramble attempts this season, including +87 rushing yards over expected, the most in the NFL. He has also forced nine missed tackles and a 36% forced missed tackles rate, both of which rank first among quarterbacks with at least five scrambles.
The Dolphins defense has allowed -12 rushing yards over expected on opposing scramble runs this season, the second-fewest in the NFL.
