If all goes well, Week 14 of the 2017 NFL season should deliver some of the most watchable, high-stakes matchups of the campaign.
Not only are there multiple divisional games on tap for Week 14, all of which will be broadcast nationally in prime time, but there are also plenty of meetings between teams bound for the playoffs.
The results of these matchups will have lasting implications for the NFL postseason picture.
Outside of the national games, you can view the television coverage map for the other matchups on the slate in Week 14 via 506 Sports:
The full TV schedule, as well as odds for all games, is listed below. Projected winners are indicated in bold.
If you won't be near a TV, you can live-stream every game on NFL Sunday Ticket. Alternatively, you can catch the CBS games on CBS All Access and the Fox games on Fox Sports Go, either on desktop or via the outlets' respective apps.
NFL Week 14 Schedule, Picks
Thursday
New Orleans (-4) at Atlanta: 8:25 p.m. NFLN
Sunday
Chicago at Cincinnati (-6.5): 1 p.m. Fox
Detroit at Tampa Bay (n/a): 1 p.m. Fox
Green Bay (-6) at Cleveland: 1 p.m. Fox
Indianapolis at Buffalo (n/a): 1 p.m. CBS
Minnesota at Carolina (-1): 1 p.m. CBS
Oakland at Kansas City (-4): 1 p.m. CBS
San Francisco at Houston (-3): 1 p.m. Fox
Dallas (-6.5) at New York Giants: 1 p.m. Fox
New York Jets at Denver (even): 4:05 p.m. CBS
Tennessee (-2.5) at Arizona: 4:05 p.m. CBS
Washington at Los Angeles Chargers (-6): 4:05 p.m. CBS
Philadelphia (-2.5) at Los Angeles Rams: 4:25 p.m. Fox
Seattle at Jacksonville (-3): 4:25 p.m. Fox
Baltimore at Pittsburgh (-7): 8:30 p.m. NBC
Monday
New England (-10.5) at Miami: 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Must-Watch Week 14 Matchups
Vikings at Panthers
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot to play for in Week 14.
With the Philadelphia Eagles' surprise loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, the 10-2 Vikings jumped to first place in the NFC.
Given that seeding also has the Carolina Panthers in the mix as the NFC's No. 6 seed, defeating another playoff-bound team would do wonders for Minnesota's strength-of-opponent consideration, if it comes down to that, in determining final playoff seeding.
The Vikings have a lot of company at the top. Philadelphia's record is 10-2 as well, and there are two 9-3 teams in the NFC: the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints.
But focusing for the moment on Week 14, Case Keenum and the Vikings need to be prepared for a full-blitz attack by Carolina's defense.
The Panthers have recorded 34 sacks in 2017, tied for the fifth-most in the league. Julius Peppers, who returned to the team that drafted him this offseason, has 8.5 of those.
Keenum has had the luxury of being pretty comfortable in the pocket this season; he's been sacked just nine times.
If Carolina can flip that script, it's game on for the Panthers.
It could go the other way as well. The key for Minnesota's defense will be to keep Cam Newton under siege and force him into making some poor decisions.
Eagles at Rams
Speaking of the Eagles and Rams, those two NFC heavyweights are also set to meet in Week 14. Their matchup will have lasting implications for not only their playoff quests but also for the entire conference.
Philadelphia has the opportunity to clinch the NFC East Sunday, but the Eagles don't even necessarily need to beat the Rams in order to do that.
If the NFC East-rival New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys before the Eagles and Rams kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET, the Eagles win the NFC East.
Meanwhile, the Rams have locked up their first winning season in 14 years, but Los Angeles has its sights set on bigger goals.
Heading into Week 14, the Rams have one of the top four seeds in the NFC locked down as a division leader, but Seattle is nipping at their heels.
The Rams' Week 14 opponent could have helped them extend their lead over the Seahawks in the NFC West with a win in Week 13. They lost, and 8-4 Seattle is consequently still in the race.
Ravens at Steelers
At 10-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers are keeping pace with the AFC-leading New England Patriots.
The Patriots have won eight games in a row. The Steelers have won seven, though that almost changed in Week 13.
Pittsburgh squeaked by the Cincinnati Bengals with a narrow three-point win on Monday Night Football, and fellow AFC North rival Baltimore will see whether it can also back Pittsburgh against a wall Sunday.
The Ravens have won three games in a row, including a brutal 23-0 shutout of the Green Bay Packers in Week 11.
And while Baltimore has one of the worst offenses in the NFL (30th), it keeps finding ways to win, sitting at a 7-5 record heading into Week 14.
That's actually good enough for the AFC's sixth playoff seed.
Needless to say, a divisional win against Pittsburgh would be valuable insurance in Baltimore's playoff quest.
Odds according to OddsShark and current as of Dec. 7.
Read 0 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation