3 must-see games in Week 12
Happy Thanksgiving!
It's Black Friday, and that means this article is meant to be read in the company of those who mean the most to you: Several hundred sleep-deprived consumers in a fluorescent-lit mall complex.
Here are this week's must-see games:
Steelers at Seahawks
It's a rematch of Super Bowl XL, and this time, it's for none of the marbles!
That Super Bowl loss, spurred on by Mike Holmgren's aggressive mustache, fueled referee truthers in Seattle for the better part of a decade. Until the Seahawks won the Super Bowl two years ago, Super Bowl XL was the biggest Seattle sports moment of all time.
Now, these perennial contenders face each other in the regular season, which hasn't happened since 2011. The Steelers appear to be rounding into form while Russell Wilson and Co. can't seem to get rolling - they haven't been able to string together more than two consecutive wins to this point in the season.
This game should be a litmus test for a talented Steelers offense that has not put up a big number on a quality defense this season - for all the Seahawks' supposed struggles, they still rank second in total defense.
Vikings at Falcons
Well, the NFC wild card is getting interesting. The Vikings now have the opportunity to retake the NFC North lead due to an uninspired performance from the Packers on Thanksgiving.
The sputtering Falcons will likely be without their best weapon, Devonta Freeman. Though 6-4, Atlanta has not played a team that is currently above .500, meaning it doesn't have a quality win or loss on the season. A victory this week would do wonders for the Falcons' confidence and wild-card prospects, but a loss would put their playoff hopes in jeopardy, unthinkable after a 5-0 start.
Patriots at Broncos
The Patriots' last significant test of the regular season is this week. The Broncos are by far their toughest opponent, despite the turmoil they've undergone in the last few weeks.
Deprived of weapons and offensive linemen, can Tom Brady pull out another huge win? Will Brock Osweiler continue to look adequate? How many botched calls will enrage the football-watching public? These are all valid questions, but really, this game is mostly a reminder that Brady-Manning is no more.
Age and injury have deprived us of one more battle between this generation's best quarterbacks, but the Broncos' defense could make its mark with a dominant performance - something that's been lacking since Week 8.