The NFL Roundup 2017 - Week 12 - The Most Fascinating Games to Watch on Sunday

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Sometimes in the midst of the playoff push in the NFL, we tend to forget about the other teams that are striving to finish their season with a sense of pride or honor, and that’s unfortunate because…that kind of drive and desire makes for a quality and interesting game as well. After all, these are the teams that play without fear, and make life hell for the elite when they show up to play and really, that’s what we are going to be looking at today; a healthy mix of games that feature the top dogs as they continue to work toward a playoff berth, and other matchups featuring teams that are ready to leave everything on the field, since they still have something to prove, or they’re just looking to say they gave it their all.

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Buffalo Bills (5-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City, MO
1:00 p.m. EST – CBS

It seemed like only a few weeks ago, that both of these teams were the toast of the NFL. They were each scoring at will, enjoying the results that come with a robust defense and of course, a healthy win/loss record reflected their efforts. But if there was ever a finer example of the fact that this is a long NFL season, one where teams study you and study you hard, this would be it. Since both of these teams have been in free fall mode for weeks now, and it’s obvious that they are desperate to figure out how to adjust and get back to their winning ways with the playoffs inching closer and closer. So, if anything, expect this to be a fierce matchup, with both teams putting forth extra effort to gain the edge against their opponent and really the win here will come down to basics; whichever team makes the least amount of mistakes and doesn’t turn over the ball, earns a critical victory. 

New Orleans Saints (8-2) at Los Angeles Rams (7-3)
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, CA
4:25 p.m. EST – CBS

It’s always wonderful to see a pair of powerhouse teams match up on Sunday afternoon and I get the funny feeling this one is going to feature some extra intensity when the Saints and Rams take the field. Because the Rams are reeling from a tough, tough loss to the Vikings, wherein their prolific offense was only able to muster seven points, so you know they’re looking to get their rhythm and poise back on track by scoring and scoring often against the Saints, and speaking of New Orleans…well, this is a team that is looking forward to doing what they do best and that’s winning games in epic fashion. Which means there is a fair chance that this game could become quite the shootout as Drew Brees and Jared Goff try to score their way to a win. Either way, this will be a hard-fought battle to say the least as both of these teams fight to earn a bye week in the NFL Playoffs. 

Denver Broncos (3-7) at Oakland Raiders (4-6)
Oakland Coliseum – Oakland, CA
4:25 p.m. EST – CBS

Normally, there would be little to discuss when it comes to two teams whose respective seasons are nearly over. But what makes this game so fascinating, is the sheer fact that both squads have in essence hit the reset button when it comes to their most glaring issues. Oakland fired Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton Jr. with his unit near the bottom of the league statistically and Denver jettisoned Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy because of that whole pesky, not scoring problem. All of these moves were made in the hopes of jump starting their teams and well, if Oakland plays great on defense, then promoting John Pagano was a step in the right direction and if Denver can finally get the ball into the end zone, then promoting Paxton Lynch to the starting role to run Bill Musgrave’s offense, was equally as genius. Either way, it should be interesting to see what these changes will do for these floundering squads and I think whichever team clicks first under their new arrangements, is the one that walks away with the win. 

Green Bay Packers (5-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2)
Heinz Field – Pittsburgh, PA
Sunday Night Football - 8:30 p.m. EST – NBC

​You never want to say that a particular game comes down to one particular player, because this is after all a team sport, but from time to time, one man is the focus in his respective matchup and for this one…all eyes will be upon Green Bay QB Brett Hundley come Sunday night. He’s studied under Aaron Rodgers for two years now, he’s shown flashes of brilliance from time to time when taking the field, but for the most part he’s been quite the disappointment and whether he likes it or not, this game will serve in many ways as a make or break game for him. Because he has to show the Green Bay brass that he can indeed play at a high level and execute this offense and if he once again folds and regresses, on the national stage no less, there’s a chance that the Packers may start looking into bringing in a Free Agent QB to either push or supplant the young man as the Packers work to end their season on a high note.