Three To Watch: Week 13

by Andrew Pasquini – Sports 1140 KHTK

December has come and the NFL season is slowly winding down. With just five weeks remaining, all 32 teams still mathematically have a chance to force their way into the playoff picture but some teams have a better chance than others, and this weeks games feature multiple contests with teams trying to stay in the hunt.

Here are the three games to watch in Week 13:

The Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1) at the New England Patriots (8-3), 1:25pm, FOX

The Patriots currently sit just one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the number one seed in the AFC but are tied with the Houston Texans for the second seed which includes a first round bye. With the Texans winning eight in a row  the Patriots are under pressure to win and keep pace with Houston considering they hold the tiebreaker with their 27-20 Week 1 win against the Texans.

The Viking currently hold the first Wild Card spot in the NFC but have four teams within a game and a half of Minnesota. The Vikings have struggled against teams above them, holding an 0-2 record this season against teams who are currently .500 or better. In fact, all of Minnesota’s wins this season are against teams with a record of .500 or worse but are coming off of a win against the Green Bay Packers last week that strengthened their playoff positioning. Prediction: New England over Minnesota

The Los Angeles Chargers (8-3) at the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1), 5:20pm, NBC

While the NFL season has been dominated by teams like the Chiefs, Rams, and Saints, the Chargers have quietly had one of the better teams in the league. After finishing 9-7 last season, the Chargers are currently 8-3 and are just a game behind Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. Of those eight wins, five have been by two scores or more thanks to a career season from 37-year old Phillip Rivers. Rivers on the season has 26 touchdowns compared to six interceptions and posting career-highs in quarterback rating, TD%, and a career-low INT%.

The Steelers are currently one spot ahead of the Chargers in the AFC playoff picture because they are leading the AFC North but have had a roller coaster season. Pittsburgh started their season poorly but since their 1-2-1 start, have a 6-1 record but have struggle the past few weeks. In Week 11, it took a game-winning drive to put away the 3-9 Jacksonville Jaguars and lost last week against the 5-6 Denver Broncos. Even though their record is good, Pittsburgh has struggled at points this season, especially in the last few weeks. Prediction: Los Angeles over Pittsburgh

Washington (6-5) at the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6), Monday night, 5:15pm, ESPN

Washington is coming off of a Thanksgiving loss against the Dallas Cowboys which saw Colt McCoy struggle after taking the starting job from an injured Alex Smith. Now Washington plays their second consecutive game on the road and attempt to avoid losing for the third straight week. After being in the lead of the NFC East for majority of the season, Washington now sees themselves a game behind the Dallas Cowboys for the top spot in the division and are currently holding onto the second Wild Card spot but like Minnesota, Washington has a few teams fighting for that spot including the Eagles.

The defending Super Bowl champions have struggled most of the season but due to the NFC East having an overall down year, still see themselves in a position to sneak into the playoffs. Coming off a 25-22 victory over the Giants last week after the Eagles outscored the Giants 14-3 in the second half, Philadelphia is playing in another must-win game against Washington. The Eagles have yet to win consecutive games this season and look to do so on Monday to get back into a friendly playoff position. Prediction: Philadelphia over Washington

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