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Scouting the competition: Players to watch in each Week 12 game

The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Denver to for a battle for supremacy in the AFC West on Sunday night.

Here's a full breakdown on all of Week 12's matchups:


Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday

Minnesota Vikings

A Lions win would assure Detroit the tiebreaker in the division, meaning the Vikings would have to be two games better than their division rivals over the last five weeks of the season to claim the NFC North title. A Vikings victory, on the other hand, would put Minnesota up by a game and keep the chance of them winning a tiebreaker in play, since a loss would be Detroit's third in the division. Read more

Detroit Lions

If the Lions keep quarterback Matthew Stafford upright like they did in their Week 9 win over the Vikings, it will bolster their chances of sweeping Minnesota and taking control of the NFC North. Read more


Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday

Washington Redskins

If the Redskins want to entertain any thoughts of repeating their NFC East title, they must beat the Cowboys on Thursday. Otherwise, they'll just be playing for a wild-card spot. Read more

Dallas Cowboys

Much has changed for the better for both teams since the Cowboys and Redskins met in September. Dallas has not lost a game, compiling an NFL-best 9-1 record. Washington has lost just once, going 6-1-1 since their Week 2 meeting with the Cowboys (a 27-23 Dallas win). Read more


Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts, 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers' offense poured a combined 96 points on the Colts during back-to-back wins at Heinz Field in 2014 and 2015. The Colts get the Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium this time, which might help matters. Read more

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts haven't needed a reminder about what happened the last couple of times they faced Pittsburgh. Two games. Two losses by a total of 52 points. Read more


Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Tennessee Titans

The Titans are at a point where they can't drop a game to a weak opponent and come out of it with any remaining playoff hopes. Read more

Chicago Bears

The Titans have everything to play for on Sunday. The Bears are so injured that they have to start Matt Barkley at quarterback. This could turn ugly. Read more


Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars won't have EJ Manuel around to help them out this time. Manuel gave the Jaguars 14 points in last season's meeting in London -- he lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and threw a pick-six -- in a game Jacksonville won 31-34 with a late touchdown after blowing a 27-3 lead. Read more

Buffalo Bills

Rex Ryan doesn't want the 5-5 Bills, who need to win most if not all of their remaining games in order to make the postseason, to overlook the 2-8 Jaguars. Read more


Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Cincinnati Bengals

Ravens receiver Steve Smith Sr. has given the Bengals a headache in several of their meetings. He has four career 100-yard days against the Bengals in five regular-season games played as a member of the Panthers and Ravens. In their only meeting last year, Smith had 186 yards (the third-highest total of his career) and two touchdowns. Read more

Baltimore Ravens

The Bengals don't resemble the teams that won two of the past three AFC North titles and went to the playoffs the last five seasons. Still, many believe this game will be close. Read more


Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Arizona Cardinals

The Falcons are the 2016 version of the 2015 Cardinals. Both teams had explosive passing games led by big-armed quarterbacks with solid run games and good, but not great, defenses. Read more

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons remain in first place in the NFC South at 6-4 heading into Sunday's matchup with the Cardinals, a team desperate for a win. Read more


New York Giants at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

New York Giants

The Browns are winless, but they're not completely talentless. They have some players who could give the Giants trouble on Sunday. Read more

Cleveland Browns

The 0-11 Browns are scratching at every corner to try to find a win. The reward? A Giants team with a five-game winning streak visits Cleveland. Eli Manning & Co. will not make things any easier. Read more


Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams' defense, which gave up the fewest yards per game from Weeks 7-11, will be tested. And so will Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick who operated under a conservative offensive approach in his debut last week and will now be tasked with throwing the ball downfield. Read more

New Orleans Saints

The Saints and Rams are both staring another 7-9 season right in the face. They are both 4-6 and both coming off painful losses as they head toward a showdown Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome that feels like a playoff elimination game. Read more


San Francisco 49ers at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

San Francisco 49ers

The Niners are riding a nine-game losing streak, tied for the longest in franchise history, and have officially been eliminated from any chance of a winning season. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have snapped out of their slow start to win five straight games and are on the cusp of entering the AFC playoff chase. Read more

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are one of the hottest teams in the NFL as winners of five straight. But Sunday's game against the struggling 49ers (1-9) could be a trap game for Miami. Read more


San Diego Chargers at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

San Diego Chargers

The play of Brock Osweiler should bring no surprises for the Chargers when they face the AFC South division leaders on the road. Last year while the Texans QB was still with the Broncos, the Chargers saw an efficient Osweiler play solid in leading his team to a 17-3 victory at Qualcomm Stadium. Read more

Houston Texans

Though Houston limited the Raiders to 30 yards rushing on Monday night, the Oakland running backs had a huge impact on the game, combining for 11 catches for 199 yards. San Diego's Melvin Gordon is also a threat through the air, with 33 catches for 346 yards and two touchdowns this season. Read more


Seattle Seahawks at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks go to Tampa this weekend looking to extend their three-game winning streak. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are coming off of back-to-back victories and are suddenly just one game behind the Falcons in the NFC South. Read more

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are back at .500 and coming off a huge upset over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. But as head coach Dirk Koetter said, they've got a "whole new set of problems" this week with the Seahawks (7-2-1), who currently lead the NFC West. Read more


Carolina Panthers at Oakland Raiders, 4:25 ET p.m.

Carolina Panthers

When it comes to hot streaks, few in the NFL are hotter right now than Oakland QB Derek Carr and the Raiders (8-2). The Panthers (4-6) must find a way to cool him off if they are to keep their playoff hopes alive. Read more

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are 8-2, leading the AFC West by a game, are in line for their first winning season since 2002 and are led by a potential NFL MVP candidate in QB Derek Carr. The Panthers are the defending NFC champs and led by the reigning league MVP in Cam Newton but are scuffling along at just 4-6. Read more


New England Patriots at New York Jets, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday

New England Patriots

When the question asked at the start of the season which division rival might be closest to challenging the Patriots (now 8-2) for the division title, the answer was the Jets. But as it turns out, they're in last place at 3-7 entering the week. Read more

New York Jets

Not much has changed since the "Butt Fumble" in 2012. Back then, the Jets entered the game at 4-6, mired in a quarterback controversy: Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow. The current Jets are 3-7, embroiled in another QB controversy: Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty. The Patriots? They were 7-3 then and they're 8-2 now, with Tom Brady still flinging touchdown passes all over the place. Read more


Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, 8:30 p.m. ET Sunday

Kansas City Chiefs

The Broncos are fifth-best in yards allowed and ninth-best in scoring defense, so finding ways to move the ball and score points figure to be a challenge for the Chiefs. Read more

Denver Broncos

At 7-3 and having been off in Week 11, the Broncos face a six-game stretch with the opportunity to earn all of the things they had hoped to earn, including a possible sixth consecutive AFC West title and even home-field advantage in the playoffs -- if they can win out. Read more


Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:30 p.m. ET Monday

Green Bay Packers

The Eagles aren't on quite as bad of a skid as the Packers are, but both teams are struggling as they head into Monday Night Football. Read more

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia defense has been downright dominant at Lincoln Financial Field, allowing just 9.5 points per game (compared to 24.6 points on the road). The Packers haven't been quite as high-flying as in years past, but have some distinguished names on that side of the ball. Read more