If Thursday night was any indicator of what we can expect for the rest of the weekend, then we are in for a lot of fun football tomorrow. That Packers-Lions game was the definition of exciting and it's clear now every team in the league knows that their chances to claim a win are solid if they stick to their gameplan, play disciplined football and finish what they started.

It's the key to locking up a playoff berth; play your game, execute and do your job and everything will come out great in the end and with so many teams vying for a Wild Card spot, that mantra will be on display come Sunday which means we can expect some crazy and interesting games and here the ones we will be keeping a close on eye on come tomorrow. 

John's Take
When you look at the win and loss records of these two teams it seems obvious that Atlanta should win this matchup, but that first glance is quite deceiving. Tampa Bay has beaten the Falcons before in 2015 and well, Atlanta is currently in a free fall when it comes to their season, which makes this game supremely intriguing. After all, Tampa Bay is no doubt heading into this one with confidence while the Falcons are scrambling for some kind of unity, heck they even had a players only meeting regarding this season's performance earlier this week. They are a team that needs to find their mojo and quickly if they want another shot at the post-season and it should be interesting to see which Falcons team shows up tomorrow.

John's Take
What an interesting path these two teams have been on this year. At the start of the season, we all expected big things from Buffalo and another losing season from Houston and here we are, with those supposed roles reversed. The Bills are struggling to put wins together and Houston is surging, tied for first place in the AFC South. What makes this particular game so fascinating is the sheer fact that both teams know what is on the line this late in the season and both of them will no doubt be bringing their A game. The Texans have something to prove and will unleash their defensive fury on Buffalo's offense and the Bills know it's either start to win or spend January at home, meaning at some point Rex "Sexy Rexy" Ryan is going to have to light a fire under his boys...and this may be the game to strike the match. 

John's Take
This is another game that looks pretty lopsided on paper. The Eagles suck (that's putting it nicely) and while the Patriots have suffered their first loss of the year, they're still a damn good football team. So why even waste any time talking about this game? The answer is simple, both of these teams are angry. Chip Kelly is a man filled to the brim with pride, hated in Philly right now and will no doubt be pushing his guys to give us something more, and with Denver providing the first real blueprint on how to beat the Pats, he will be chomping at the bit to come after New England to prove his worth. Tom Brady on the other hand, is clearly stewing over that loss to the Broncos on Sunday Night and will no doubt be looking to unleash his fury on Philadelphia's defense. This game is either going to be a surprise back and forth battle as Philly exploits New England's weaknesses or a stellar blowout as Brady drops touchdown bombs all day long. Either way, it should be a lot of fun.

John's Take
I'll come out and say it right now, this could be one of the highest scoring games of the weekend. After all, both of these defensive squads are fickle. One minute they'll stop you dead in your tracks and the next, they'll let you score at will. That kind of inconsistency usually leads to a high scoring game and that's only enhanced by a pair of quarterbacks who can get the job done and this game has that too. Matt Hasselbeck has proven to be pretty damn efficient in replacement of Andrew Luck and both Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones have shown they can put up points when necessary so it really doesn't matter which QB gets the nod tomorrow for the Steelers. Either way, I'm expecting an exciting one when it comes to this game, can't wait to see what happens on the field.

There are only a few weeks left in the NFL regular season and you can feel the electricity in the air as the playoffs approach. It's clear now there are teams that fully understand they control their own destiny and are doing everything they can on the field to earn a playoff berth, while other teams are simply doing their best to hold on. Either way, that energy in the air is only going to grow stronger as we become witness to more incredible games with incredible stories and here are the ones we are keeping an eye on for Week 13.

Will the New England Patriots recover quickly from their loss against Denver?
This is an important question to ask because Tom Brady and the Pats looked genuinely stunned after their loss on Sunday and to make matters worse, another offensive weapon is off the table for at least one week since Grownkowski is currently nursing a bruised up knee. But with so many key players out, will the Pats rebound quickly? I think the answer is a resounding yes. This is a good football team, and two things will help them back on track this week, the fact that Tom Brady cannot stand to lose and they're playing the Philadelphia Eagles who just happen to be one awful, awful team. I expect a Patriots win this weekend to help rinse that sour taste of a loss out of their mouth.

Will the Carolina Panthers advance to 12-0?
The Dallas Cowboys, a team that had a chance to surprise the Panthers were simply no match for the Carolina defense or offense for that matter and they handily beat the Cowboys for their twelfth straight win. But the Patriots loss to Denver is a cold reminder that everyone eventually finds a way to beat you, and is this the week that it happens? Well on paper the odds don't look good since the Panthers are a far better team than the New Orleans Saints, but Drew Brees does enjoy surprising defenses with some incredible play. I can't say for sure if Carolina wins their twelfth straight this season, but don't be shocked if the underdog Saints who are looking for something positive to happen right now shock the Panthers.

Can the Atlanta Falcons get back on track this week?
It's been a strange season for Head Coach Dan Quinn and his Atlanta Falcons because they started off the season as one of the league's strongest teams with a 5-0 record. But since then things have been a complete disaster, with the team losing to franchises they should have dominated against and here we are, wondering what the rest of their season will look like since they are 6-5 and riding a four game losing streak and they face off against a team that has beat them before in Tampa Bay. There's enough concern that a players only meeting happened this week and hopefully that's enough to get the spark going and get this team moving in the right direction once again because if they don't start winning again soon, this is a team that will be watching the playoffs from home. I would love to say the answer to the question today is yes, but this a team that is lost right now and I'm honestly not sure if they can pull it together this late in the season or not...guess we find out come Sunday.

Does Brock Osweiler go 3-0 as a starter this weekend?
Minus one ugly pass, Brock Osweiler has looked phenomenal under center for the Broncos. His passes make it where they need to go an he's only given the ball away once in two starts and not to mention...the kid helped beat the defending Super Bowl Champions. But another big test awaits #17 this weekend when Denver travels to San Diego for an AFC West Matchup and that matters because in divisional games all bets are off. There's a special magic to rivalry games that you don't find in even the playoffs and because of that you know San Diego will be bringing the heat all day long. It should be interesting to see how Osweiler responds on the road in hostile territory, but I think we walks away with another win.

Will Johnny Manziel see any playing time this week?
It's time for Johnny Football to face the fact that his career in Cleveland and potentially the NFL is nearing its end because of his silly, silly mistakes and if he needed any further evidence of this, he merely needs to read the depth chart for Sunday's game one more time. With Josh McCown out for the season and the year already lost in Cleveland you think now would be the time to say to hell with it and start #2. But instead the team is planning on starting Austin Davis over him and that says all it needs to say...they're done with him and the only way he sees any time on the field ever again is if Davis finds himself injured, or if another team picks him up in the offseason.

John's Picks
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers - Denver
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints - New Orleans
Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots - New England
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins - Washington
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders - Oakland

Scotty's Picks
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions - Detroit
Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills - Buffalo
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns - Cincinnati
San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears - Chicago
Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams - St. Louis

Week 12 in the NFL has come and gone and needless to say, I'm in awe of some of the games I saw this past weekend. We were witness to heroes come out of nowhere to win some big games, an unexpected (to me) undefeated fell and one team and a legend made amends. So let's not waste any time today and get right into recapping the top stories from the field, and what we learned this past week.

1. Let's get it right out of the way, the best game from this weekend was without a doubt the Broncos and Patriots game. I say that not because I'm a Bronco fan, that actually makes the game sweeter, but because of the fact that this game was unbelievable. The Patriots had an amazing lead going into the final quarter and then the Broncos came to life and stunned everyone really with that fantastic win in overtime. It's a game that on paper Denver should have lost on principle alone the way the Pats have been playing this year, but I've said it before and I'll say it again...eventually someone figures you out in this league and in the wake of this win, the Patriots are left with the loss, the Panthers are the last undefeated standing and the Broncos now have a quarterback quagmire on their hands. 

2. I have to say that Thursday night's Green Bay Packers game was truly something special with Brett Favre finally returning home to Lambeau and seeing his number retired. It's something that quite frankly should have happened a long time ago but the bad blood was understandable with Favre wanting to play longer and going to the Jets and Vikings to finish off his career. This moment was a reminder that time does heal all wounds because the fans went nuts when Brett took the field and what made this evening all the more special was the fact that Brett's former teammates came out to pay tribute and Packer Legend Bart Starr even came out for the occasion. I'm so glad the Packers, fans and Brett put their differences aside to finally make sure that no one else ever wears #4 for the team.  

3. After last year, if someone told me the Washington Redskins would be a playoff contender and own the NFC East with Kirk Cousins as their quarterback, I would have brushed that discussion off without a second thought. After all, Washington was a mess of a team last year and this year didn't start off much better, but here we are, heading into Week 13 and guess what? Washington is tied for first place in the division with Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback and well, they've earned it. They've ground out this first place tie with the team they beat down this weekend, the Giants and I'm thoroughly impressed. While the defense is stifling and Cousins is finally playing like a top tier quarterback, we need to give credit where credit is due...none of this would even be possible if it wasn't for Head Coach Jay Gruden. He's turned this team around and fans should be proud.

4. Speaking of teams that are suddenly on the rise after being left for dead, we also need to talk about the Houston Texans. I mean really, after the first few weeks of the season, did anyone really think this team was going anywhere or if Head Coach Bill O'Brien would keep his job? I know I didn't. The team appeared to be out of control, you had issues left and right at the quarterback position and the defense was well, a shell of its former self. So what has all of this translated to? A late season buckle down and another team that should be out of playoff contention, tied with the Indianapolis Colts for first place in the AFC South. The defense is suddenly resurgent, tearing opposing offenses down and Brian Hoyer has stepped into and owned the role of starting quarterback and is able to put up the points needed to close out a game. This is a team to keep an eye on as we head down the stretch because it's clear they are hell bent on winning the South and getting their shot at the playoffs.

5. It's high time we talk about another problem plaguing the NFL that quite frankly, few have discussed as far as I can tell; the need for flex scheduling for Monday Night Football and potentially Thursday Night Football. The latter of those two may be a little more difficult logistically, but something needs to change. I mean, the marquee matchup for Monday Night this week were the two worst teams in the AFC North in the Ravens and the Browns. Sure the game was a high scoring affair, but how often do we see that in prime time with teams of this "caliber"? Either way, the league needs to figure out a solution, prime time games should be reserved for more competitive and fun games and the ability to switch out poor games should be extended for sure. Granted this issue isn't as pressing as say, the rough officiating, but it's something to consider.