Each week, TSN.ca takes a look at the top storylines in the NFL and gives you all you need to know heading into Sunday's action. All in!
Browns travel to Buffalo with playoff drought in mind
The Buffalo Bills have the longest active playoff drought in the NFL at 15 straight seasons. The Cleveland Browns have the third longest drought at 11 years.
A loss for either team this Sunday could secure another fruitless season, a while a win will keep their hopes alive for another week.
At 7-4, the Browns sit tied with the Ravens and Steelers for second – half a game behind the Bengals - in the competitive AFC North. If the season ended today, the Browns would miss the playoffs via a tiebreak.
At 6-5, the Bills sit one game behind the five 7-4 teams chasing two wild card spots. The Bills hope to use home field advantage at Ralph Wilson Stadium after snow forced them to play the Jets in Detroit last Monday.
Colt against the Colts
This could have been a really interesting matchup but instead we’re getting what will likely be a much better game. This was supposed to be the first regular season meeting between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the first two picks of the 2012 Draft, but
But all’s not lost, and the Redskins likely have a better chance of winning now. Colt McCoy will get the start over RGIII and we’ll get to see if he can keep up the strong play we’ve seen from him in limited action this year. McCoy has a lot more games of bad film than he has of good film, so there’s reason to be skeptical, but if he can match his Week 8 performance in Dallas, this could be a real shootout.
Saints, Steelers battle for playoffs in very different ways
Both teams are in the throes of a playoff chase, although the Saints shouldn’t be, and this game has a chance to be an offensive battle.
Drew Brees has struggled at times this year but has looked like his old self more often than not in recent weeks. And while Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t thrown six touchdowns in a game in a couple weeks, he’s still connecting at a solid pace with receivers Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. And a big part of New Orleans' struggles stem from their defence - ranked 23rd against both the run and pass - which means Le’Veon Bell could be in for a big performance as well.
Pittsburgh needs this win to keep pace in the surprisingly super-competitive AFC North, while the Saints need the win because eventually someone in the NFC South is going to string together one or two.
Brady, Rodgers meet at long last
When the Packers and Patriots last met in 2010, Aaron Rodgers sat out with a concussion and watched from the sideline as backup Matt Flynn fell short of an upset victory with a two-minute drill.
Now, Rodgers and Brady finally face off, seven years after Rodgers became a starter. The two could meet as the quarterbacks of the NFL’s two hottest teams.
The Patriots currently hold the first place spot in the AFC, one game ahead of the Denver Broncos. The Packers (8-3) are looking to keep their one-game lead over the Detroit Lions in NFC North. Detroit defeated the Chicago Bears on Thursday.
The Patriots know they’ll have to slow down Rodgers and the Packers offence early to leave Lambeau Field with a win. Green Bay has scored at least 31 points in every home game this season and a combined 74 points in their last two first halves at home.
This is likely the top of game the weekend to watch, and possibly a preview of Super Bowl XLIX.
Chiefs, Broncos look to bounce back from shaky Week 12 performances
The Broncos and Chiefs have a lot in common these days. Both are having strong seasons, both are fighting for the AFC West Division crown, and both are looking to wash the bad taste of their mouth from their Week 12 performance.
Kansas City of course has a much worse taste in their mouth after giving the Oakland Raiders their first win of the season last week, but Denver – and especially their defence – could use a strong rebound performance after giving up 36 points to the Miami Dolphins.
The Broncos won the team’s first tilt – 24-17 in Denver – but with perhaps the best home field advantage in the entire league, the Chiefs have all the motivation to tie the Broncos atop the AFC West.