Best remaining games on the NFL schedule

Are we certain the Colts are done? They've won two straight (over admittedly bad competition) and have three consecutive home games (against the Jaguars, Titans and Dolphins). They play only one team with a winning record in the second half. This is that game. These teams probably should have tied in Week 4, and the Texans haven't lost since. Two games back in the wild-card race, it's unlikely Andrew Luck and Co. can make up enough ground to be a stunning playoff entrant. But they've overcome injuries to rank sixth in scoring and are vastly improved up front. 

It's looking like the AFC North will produce two playoff teams. Although the Steelers aren't a lock, here's betting one of these two squads does not make the field. A prebreakout Tyler Boyd's touchdown nixed a Ravens playoff bid last season, and the Bengals handily beat the Ravens in September. The Ravens have lost two straight but will be midway through a three-game homestand when the Bengals come to town. Baltimore's defense has been much better than Cincinnati's thus far. That could be the difference in what promises to be a closely contested rematch between teams with otherwise similar profiles.

The reigning Super Bowl champions' slow start takes much of the luster off this one, but it's not going to be flexed out of Sunday night — barring something crazy happening to the Eagles — and will double as a late-season study to see if Philly still has any hope of defending its title. The Eagles are 4-4 and still have this game, a trip to New Orleans and two Redskins tilts. But they are talented enough to win the NFC East and made a key deal for Golden Tate. Also, this is the return-to-the-crime-scene Carson Wentz game, and the Rams are must-watch (more so at home in their Eric Dickerson-era throwbacks).

The scarcity of interconference games makes this one must-see. Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger have met three times since Brees' Louisiana relocation, and the Saints' future Hall of Famer is 2-1 in the matchups. (Though, QB head-to-head records are overblown.) This marks the Saints' reprieve between Panthers battles and will be pivotal to the Steelers' AFC North title hopes. Also, it could be the most important game on the fantasy calendar given its championship-week placement and the involvement of many high-octane performers going against (as of now) suspect defenses. 

The Eagles-Redskins rivalry has lost some steam. These two haven't booked playoff berths in the same season since 1992, and even then the Cowboys overshadowed both. Washington and Philadelphia meet twice in the final five weeks, the first coming on a Week 13 Monday night. The second, however, could determine the NFC East champion. This prime flex candidate may be the biggest Eagles-Redskins game since a 1990 wild-card matchup. Washington has a 1.5-game lead, but the surprise contender may need some improvement from Alex Smith (25th Total QBR) to see January. But this game should matter.

Although the Packers made a cosmetic sellers' trade in dealing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Redskins, they will still be in the playoff mix. Aaron Rodgers staying healthy will ensure that. The Packers' midseason gauntlet (Rams, Patriots, a Seattle trip and a Vikings rematch in a five-game span) concludes on a Sunday night in Minnesota. With the rivals tying in Week 2, this game could decide the NFC North. This prime-time showdown against Rodgers may be the second-biggest game of Kirk Cousins' NFL career and could put the Vikings on a path toward purple jerseys in January.

While Packers-Vikings is interesting, seeing if a new contender can prove legitimate edges that game just slightly. The Bears and Vikings haven't shared the spotlight much lately. They haven't been to the playoffs in the same season since 1994 and haven't each posted 10-win seasons since Jim McMahon and Wade Wilson were the quarterbacks. Chicago's latest QB hopeful will be the main chess piece against Minnesota. Mitch Trubisky's traversing an inconsistent season, though he is seventh in Total QBR. He can elevate his and the Bears' profiles with a strong showing against the Vikings.

The last time these teams played Michael Vick was Pittsburgh's quarterback on a 2015 San Diego night. The Chargers sit third in DVOA and are lurking as a stealth AFC threat. This game will help shape their postseason path. The Steelers' second half is brutal; games in Baltimore, Jacksonville (tough on the Steelers, as you may recall) and New Orleans loom, while the Panthers, Bolts and Patriots come to Pittsburgh. Le'Veon Bell scored a walk-off TD to beat the Bolts last time and will presumably be back by this matchup. The Steelers will need him if they want to make one more run with the Killer Bs.

A fun game featuring (hopefully) two young quarterbacks who've never played against each other. Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson stand to face off on the regular season's penultimate Sunday. Wentz has proved himself on big stages, and Watson sure did at Clemson. The onus, though, will be on the Houston passer. The Texans are looking to become the first team since the 1998 Bills to go from 0-3 to the playoffs, and their second-half schedule is friendly. The AFC North's top three may beat each other up down the stretch, so the AFC's No. 3 seed may be in play for the Texans. This looks like their toughest assignment. 

A fun scheduling quirk will force the Saints and Panthers to play twice in three weeks, and with both teams on playoff tracks, a January clash isn't improbable. The first game will be on a Monday night in Charlotte, giving the Panthers a better chance of knocking off a loaded rival. Carolina (fourth) is actually four spots up on New Orleans in DVOA, and Cam Newton is quietly amid one of his best stretches as an NFLer (six straight two-plus-TD-pass games). The Panthers lost three times to the Saints last season and will need to win this one to have any NFC South title aspirations.

With the Patriots in another midseason groove, the Chiefs have unique pressure in trying to join the Broncos as a non-Pats AFC No. 1 seed this decade. Having lost in New England, Andy Reid's team will have to hold off Tom Brady and Co. It may take 13 wins for Kansas City to secure AFC home-field advantage, and the Chiefs will also need to stave off the Chargers to do so. This Thursday game will be important for Patrick Mahomes' MVP quest but is also pivotal to the Chargers, who haven't exactly been bastions of clutch as of late. The Bolts haven't beaten the Chiefs in five years.

A call so controversial that it induced a rule change cost the Steelers home-field advantage last season, and exactly a year later (NFL week-wise), the revenge game comes. The Patriots are a better bet to win the 2018 home-field pursuit. The AFC East yet again has not produced a viable threat, and Pittsburgh's schedule is back-loaded. For the Steelers to have a chance at home field, they have to beat the Pats for the first time in seven years. Pittsburgh's maligned defense has improved during its win streak, with neither the Falcons nor Bengals cracking 325 total yards against it. It will need to be razor-sharp in this game.

The first game of a stacked Sunday doubleheader could end up deciding if the NFC will go through Los Angeles or New Orleans. Drew Brees is 5-0 in the Superdome in the playoffs. Despite the Rams being 8-0, this game may be more important to them. A Rams win would probably make the Saints leave their indoor confines if a rematch occurred. His 800 rushing yards pacing the NFL by nearly 200, Todd Gurley is on a warpath. Jared Goff's taken another leap under Sean McVay. But this could end up being the Rams' most difficult test. The over/under is at 59.5, it's hard to picture this not being a close shootout. 

The search engine used to acquire this photo has only four pictures of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers together. That's an indictment of the NFL schedule format, which rotates inter-conference matchups on a four-year cycle. Brady and Rodgers, inexcusably, have faced off just once. Rodgers missed this 2010 matchup. Excluding a possible Super Bowl meeting, this will be the last time viewers can see these legends duel. During an MVP slate, Rodgers bested eventual Super Bowl champion Brady in 2014. Brady's team, as usual, looks better entering this showdown. It's must-watch regardless. 

The last time the Chiefs and Rams played, St. Louis deployed a Jeff Fisher-Austin Davis coach-QB tandem and Dwayne Bowe was the Chiefs' WR1. Andy Reid has a quarterback in rare form guiding maybe his best offense in 20 years coaching. With a better ground attack and Jared Goff not far off Patrick Mahomes' level, the Rams are just as good. Los Angeles' defense (12th DVOA) being better than Kansas City's (26th) may be the difference. This game is so loaded that Marcus Peters' revenge is a mere subplot. If the Rams get to 11-0, they'll be on historic ground and have unique stretch-run decisions to make.