Reasons not to miss Week 12 games

Week 12 of the 2021 NFL season kicked off Thursday with the traditional Thanksgiving Day tripleheader.

In the first game, the Chicago Bears escaped with a dramatic 16-14 victory over the Detroit Lions thanks to a last-second field goal by Cairo Santos; in the afternoon game the Las Vegas Raiders shocked the Dallas Cowboys in overtime with a tight 36-33 win; and finally in the evening the Buffalo Bills overwhelmed the inoperative New Orleans Saints 31-6, ending a rounded day for the visitors.

The action continues this Sunday with duels that promise to be just as exciting and there are even games that could be crucial in the race for the playoffs.

Here are the reasons why you should not miss any of the remaining games in Week 12:

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
This is a crucial matchup for the Steelers if they don’t want to fall behind in the AFC North, facing a Bengals that are nipping at the heels of leader Baltimore.

The loss of Joe Haden in Pittsburgh’s defense opens the door for Joe Burrow to exploit that side of the field with his passes, however, it could be too much of a risk against a team that has made quarterback pressure its trademark.

The Bengals are favorites, but we should never rule out an upset and even less so when it comes to a divisional matchup.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts
Tampa Bay got back to winning ways at the expense of the Giants last weekend after the break they had, but now they will have a tough visit to one of the teams that took a long time to start the season and are now one of the most successful in the American Conference.

The reigning NFL champions go into a complicated venue to face a team that comes from sweeping the Bills in what was even a surprise victory for the Colts with a 41-15 win in Buffalo, one of the franchises considered as contenders.

The big bet for Bruce Arians’ defense is to contain the best running back of the current season, Jonathan Taylor, and force Carson Wentz to win the game with his arm.

Besides this, there is always the incentive of seeing Tom Brady in Peyton Manning’s former home, even if it is in a different uniform.

Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins
The Panthers lost the momentum they had gained with the return of Cam Newton after their unexpected loss last week to Washington.

It would be naive to think that Carolina will have a field day to regain confidence against a fired-up Dolphins who are at their best of the season, especially with a defense that has found a way to slow down opposing quarterbacks.

If Newton fails to mesh quickly, Tua Tagovailoa will find favorable positions to shine and prove that the long-term answer at the position for Miami.

Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots
Tennessee was riding a great momentum with wins over teams like the Chiefs, Colts and Rams until they surprisingly fell at home to the Texans behind several early Christmas gifts from Ryan Tannehill.

Now, to get back on track and stay at the top of the American Conference, they must travel to Foxboro to beat a Patriots team that has five straight wins to become the NFL’s hottest team behind surprising rookie quarterback Mac Jones.

The Titans have been hit by injuries and, as a reflection of this, they will be without Derrick Henry, Julio Jones and A.J. Brown, which leads us to believe that Bill Belichick and company must come away with the victory to keep the Patriots on their heels in the American East.

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Three weeks ago this would have been a boring game between two teams with no real aspirations in the season, but now the Eagles could put themselves within one game of the Cowboys for the top of the NFC East, that’s how important this matchup is.

The Giants have the tools to ruin any party they are invited to and that makes this game all the more attractive.

Can the Eagles live up to their role as favorites and pull out the win or will New York deliver a blow to their aspirations?

Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars
Atlanta seemed to take off in the 2021 NFL season, but their most recent appearances extinguished all the illusion of their fans as they have suffered defeats that even now invite to think that Jacksonville can aspire to their third win in the year.

The Falcons have been the most deplorable offense in the league in the last two weeks as they accumulated an incredible three points cumulatively in their 43-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and then, just when it couldn’t get any worse, lost 25-0 at home to the Patriots.