Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) at Carolina Panthers (3-7), 1 p.m. ET, FOX
At Buffalo last week, Kansas City came out on the losing end of a game for the first time since last Christmas. The Chiefs don’t lose, so it stands to reason they almost never drop back-to-back games. Kansas City lost back-to-back games once last season but not at all during their 14-3 season in 2022. They dropped two in a row once in 2021 and finished 12-5 but ran up a 14-2 record in 2020 without losing consecutive games. Carolina has a winning streak for the first time since getting two in a row on either side of a bye week in 2022. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said he can see a difference in confidence in QB Bryce Young, who regained the starting job three weeks ago and is 2-1 since replacing Andy Dalton. Now out of their bye week to face the Chiefs, the Panthers are determined to grind the ball with Chuba Hubbard and rookie Jonathan Brooks. Hubbard rushed for a career-best 153 yards in Carolina’s Nov. 10 win in London and Brooks, a second-round pick coming back from a torn ACL, is set to debut. The Chiefs have used Kareem Hunt (3.7 yards per carry in 2024) as their primary ballcarrier since Week 2, when Isiah Pacheco fractured his leg. Until Pacheco is back to his contact-seeking self, Kansas City plans to spread the ball around. QB Patrick Mahomes has two three-TD performances in the past three games after totaling eight TD passes in the first seven games.
Detroit Lions (9-1) at Indianapolis Colts (5-6), 1 p.m. ET, FOX
A second tone-setting defender went on the shelf for the Lions, who placed LB Alex Anzalone on IR and have been working without DE Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit now plans to lean on second-year LB Jack Campbell and its record-setting offense at Indianapolis. The Lions own the NFC’s best record and the NFL’s No. 1 offense, averaging more than five touchdowns per game during their eight-game winning streak. The Colts can’t afford to be cautious, but giving the ball away to QB Jared Goff and Detroit all but guarantees defeat. Indianapolis reinstalled QB Anthony Richardson as the starter last week and he rewarded coach Shane Steichen’s trust with a 28-27 comeback win against the Jets. The Colts have 18 turnovers, and Richardson owns 11 with four fumbles. Bet your Honolulu blues that’s on Dan Campbell’s scouting report this week. The Lions put 52 points on the Jaguars last week and set a record for the most total points in any six-game stretch in NFL history. Finding enough talent to match with all of Goff’s weapons is virtually impossible. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 receptions last week and scored a TD for the eighth consecutive game and Goff went to former first-round pick Jameson Williams for a career day — 124 yards including a 64-yard TD — with TE Sam LaPorta inactive. The Colts are capable of generating takeaways, too, with 17 this season.
Minnesota Vikings (8-2) at Chicago Bears (4-6), 1 p.m. ET, FOX
Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was decisive and accurate in his first game with Thomas Brown as offensive coordinator, but a fourth consecutive loss and the third in a month decided on the final possession pushes Chicago into must-win territory. But the jaws of life won’t be around Sunday based on Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ record of chewing up and spitting out rookie quarterbacks. The matchup is a miserable one for Williams, who struggles mightily against the blitz and Minnesota is the most blitz-happy defense in the league at 39.1 percent of its snaps. Williams has been sacked 41 times, six more than the No. 2 most-sacked QB, and his completion percentage against five or more pressuring defenders is 58.9 percent. According to the Vikings, rookie QBs are 1-7 against Flores as defensive coordinator or head coach and average 15.5 points scored and 3.8 sacks allowed per game. Sam Darnold (foot) is all set to start for Minnesota and needs one more TD pass to set a career high with 20. The Bears chase Sunday’s game against the eight-win Vikings with a visit to Detroit on Thursday to play the 9-1 Lions. Minnesota heads home to face back-to-back division leaders in the Arizona Cardinals (Dec. 1) and then the much-anticipated return of Kirk Cousins with the Falcons (Dec. 8).
Dallas Cowboys (3-7) at Washington Commanders (7-4), 1 p.m. ET, FOX
Dan Quinn claims not to be counting wins yet with Washington as the No. 7 seed in the NFC entering the week, but he’ll openly admit being stoked to see the Cowboys coming to town. Quinn called out his former employer at his opening press conference and reminded his new charges what it would mean to send Dallas home with an eighth loss while Washington clicks its own win tally to eight. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels features the type of dual-threat ability the Cowboys traditionally haven’t handled, even during Quinn’s time with the team. But Quinn’s focus this week has been on his defense playing a full 60 minutes. Washington was victim to late rallies in losses to the Steelers and Eagles. The group could be in for a boost with CB Marshon Lattimore close to making his debut with the team. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., a Cowboys assistant alongside Quinn from 2021-23, knows the Dallas personnel extremely well, and his group will be on the attack with Cooper Rush at quarterback. The Cowboys have lost five in a row and last won on Oct. 6. With Rush in for the injured Dak Prescott, Dallas produced 146 yards of total offense in a 34-6 loss to the Eagles and managed 10 points against the Houston Texans in a 24-point defeat on Monday.
New England Patriots (3-8) at Miami Dolphins (4-6), 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Miami beat New England 15-10 for one of the team’s four wins this season and have won four in a row at home against their AFC East nemesis. The Dolphins’ three-man front is standing tall against the run, which could drive the Patriots to keep the ball in the hands of rookie QB Drake Maye. The Dolphins couldn’t contain Raiders TE Brock Bowers last week — 13 catches, 126 yards — and Maye targeted TEs Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper 13 total times in a loss to the Rams last week. The Dolphins are generating consistent offense with Tua Tagovailoa back in the lineup for the past month. He posted his first three-TD game of the season last week and has completed almost 75 percent of his passes the past two weeks. Tagovailoa threw for 324 yards and three TDs against the Patriots in Miami last season. De’Von Achane has turned in a breakout season with 530 rushing yards, 349 receiving yards and six total touchdowns. New England’s run defense has been a trouble spot in 2024, and Rams RB Kyren Williams averaged 5.7 yards per carry last week.
Tennessee Titans (2-8) at Houston Texans (7-4), 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Joe Mixon helped the Texans trounce the Cowboys on Monday with three touchdowns and is standing out as the most reliable player on the roster even with Houston’s offensive line earning average performance grades. He’s set for his first meeting with the Titans as a member of the Texans. Tennessee held the Vikings to 82 rushing yards on 33 attempts (2.5 yards per carry) in a 23-13 loss last week and the Titans feature game-wrecking DT Jeffery Simmons at the hart of the defense. QB C.J. Stroud has been sacked 35 times in 11 games and pressure in the pocket has been problematic in re-establishing timing with his receivers. Stroud only faced the Titans once last season and completed 75 percent of his passes in a 26-3 win. Houston’s defense harassed the Cowboys into consistent mistakes with five sacks and a dominant showing by CB Derek Stingley Jr., who nabbed his eighth career interception. Tennessee is playing a sixth consecutive game without CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad) and hit the end of the week with doubts about the status of WR Calvin Ridley (illness). He had four catches for 58 yards last week, giving him 36 catches for 541 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) at New York Giants (2-8), 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Buccaneers step out of their bye week with WR Mike Evans planning to return from a hamstring injury to boost the passing game. The Giants are back from a rest week and in the midst of a storm of self-created chaos. They benched former first-round QB Daniel Jones on Monday, demoted him to No. 3 on the depth chart and then released him Friday. The stage is clear for QB Tommy DeVito, an undrafted free agent in 2023 who went 3-3 as a starter when Jones (ACL) was hurt last season. DeVito leaps into the driver’s seat of a passing game ranked No. 28 in the NFL and dead last in scoring (15.6 points per game). Not all the fault is Jones’ to bear. A ragtag offensive line and sporadic running game are accomplices. Rookie WR Malik Nabers offered DeVito some free advice: Get him the ball. Nabers is the go-to guy for DeVito against the Bucs’ defense, which is 30th against the pass. In their most recent game, against the 49ers, the Buccaneers held Christian McCaffrey in check but run defense hasn’t been a strength. The shortcomings beckon big numbers from QB Baker Mayfield, but injuries have bogged things down for Tampa Bay after a strong start. Perhaps the most significant injury to monitor entering Sunday is whether LT Tristan Wirfs, whose assignment is blocking Giants OLB Brian Burns, can return from a knee injury. The Giants have the NFL’s best sacks-per-play rate at 13.09 percent.
Denver Broncos (6-5) and Las Vegas Raiders (2-8), 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
Raiders rookie TE Brock Bowers had his presence felt in the lopsided loss to the Broncos last month and continues to be a weapon with more than half of his yards collected after the catch. Bowers set an NFL rookie record with 13 grabs last week and had 8-97-1 at Denver on Oct. 6. Whether QB Gardner Minshew has enough time to find Bowers is another matter. Denver is No. 1 in the NFL with 39 sacks and first in yards per play at 4.65. The Broncos’ offense has been in good hands with rookie QB Bo Nix ranked fourth in the NFL in passer rating since Week 5. He tossed four TD passes to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 11 and had two TDs and no interceptions in the Broncos’ previous meeting with the Raiders.
Arizona Cardinals (6-4) at Seattle Seahawks (5-5), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX
Claiming the “darkness brings us together,” the Seahawks dismissed the idea of not having power — or warm water for showers — at the team facility as an excuse for not being ready for the division-leading Cardinals’ visit. QB Geno Smith said a playoff atmosphere is expected after Seattle pushed back into the NFC West race by winning at San Francisco last week. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb lauded his offensive line for what might’ve been its top group effort of the season. A run-first tactic with Kenneth Walker III sets up Smith to find his new favorite target Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who is in the midst of a historic two-game stretch with 17 receptions for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a 28-yard TD in Seattle’s home game against the Cardinals in 2023. Arizona is on a heater of its own. During a standing four-game winning streak, they’ve won the past two games by a combined score of 60-15. Arizona also has a road win at San Francisco (24-23 on Oct. 6) in the bag as the division race heats up. QB Kyler Murray (100.8 passer rating) has delivered a few MVP-type moments with 12 touchdowns, three picks and four rushing touchdowns. Seattle swept the Cardinals with 20-10 and 21-20 victories last season and has won five in a row over Arizona.
San Francisco 49ers (5-5) at Green Bay Packers (7-3), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX
Crucial questions linger entering the seventh meeting between these teams since 2019, including the 49ers divisional playoff win over the Packers in January. Green Bay has won seven of the past eight home games against San Francisco, and the Packers’ turnover-happy defense (19 total takeaways) would be pleased to see Brandon Allen start at quarterback with Brock Purdy (shoulder) fighting soreness from a hit in the loss to the Seahawks last week. The Packers snuck out of Chicago with a win on a blocked FG try and are part of the only division in the NFL with three seven-win teams. Purdy isn’t the only concern for the 49ers. LT Trent Williams (ankle) hobbled through last week’s game, but DE Nick Bosa (oblique) left early and hasn’t practiced all week. Points have been easier to come by against the 49ers for the Packers than most teams. Before he was head coach of the Packers, Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan were co-workers and offensive assistant coaches with three different teams (Houston, Washington, Atlanta) and have a complete-your-sentences — and playcalls — type of relationship. Green Bay has 30-plus points in three of the past four regular-season games. QB Jordan Love admitted he’s been waiting for Sunday after throwing a key interception in the playoff loss.
Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) at Los Angeles Rams (5-5), 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is fourth in the NFL with 23 total touchdowns and leads quarterbacks with 11 rushing scores. There’s a lot for the Rams to worry about beyond Hurts. Saquon Barkley, the league leader in yards from scrimmage, has already gone over 1,000 yards rushing and WR A.J. Brown is tops in the league among receivers with 30-plus catches with an 18.7-yard average. The Rams feature their own trio of big-play options for QB Matthew Stafford. RB Kyren Williams has 10 of the Rams’ 24 TDs this season, and WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have been uncheckable in the past two games. Nacua caught seven passes for 123 yards and Kupp had 106 yards and two TD grabs at New England last week. In the past two games, they’ve combined for 29 receptions for 407 yards. The Eagles are seemingly loaded at every position, and cornerback is no different. Darius Slay, a 12th-year pro, has earned a reputation as a No. 1 corner and rookie first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell is the only cornerback in the NFL with more than 375 coverage snaps not to allow a touchdown.
–Field Level Media