3 must-see NFL games in Week 12

As the NFL season heads into the final stretch and a high number of teams find themselves with a chance at making the playoffs, there are number of interesting games worth following.

Here are three games you can't miss this week:

Detroit Lions at New England Patriots

1 p.m. ET, FOX 

It's a matchup between two division leaders likely heading to the playoffs.

After a slow-ish start - at least by their standards - the New England Patriots find themselves comfortably atop the AFC East with an 8-2 record, and are riding a six-game winning streak.

During this streak, quarterback Tom Brady has hilariously (and metaphorically) spat in the faces of critics who wrote him off following a mediocre 2-2 start, shredding opposing defenses to a tune of 1,858 yards, 20 touchdowns and a mere three interceptions.

The Lions haven't been winning games as convincingly as the Patriots, but they still sport an impressive 7-3 record, and have an exclusive, and terrifying offensive weapon known as Megatron.

Look for the Detroit Lions to live or die with their dominant defense, while quarterback Matthew Stafford falls back on his career-long strategy of "hucking to Megatron and praying." Tom Brady will have to go pass-happy and continue his MVP-caliber run if the Patriots hope to improve their record to 9-2.

Sure, rookie running back Jonas Gray topped the 200-yard mark last week against the Indianapolis Colts, but he's unlikely to duplicate that performance against the NFL's top run defense, and may see some relief from newly-signed LeGarrette Blount.

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

4:05 p.m. ET, FOX

Despite losing starting quarterback Carson Palmer to a devastating knee injury earlier in November, the Arizona Cardinals find themselves comfortably ahead of the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West standings.

Still, the Seahawks are the betting favorite Sunday, and Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has a good idea why.

"They're the world champions. We're just 9-1. We haven't done shit until we do something, but this is a big game," Arians told ESPN's Josh Weinfuss. 

It wouldn't be surprising if the Cardinals toppled the Seahawks. They'll have their hands full with running back Marshawn Lynch, but they do have the third best rushing defense in the league. And although their passing defense is near the bottom of the NFL, Seahawks pivot Russell Wilson hasn't necessarily been lighting the world on fire.

Also, the last time the two teams met during Week 16 last season, the Cardinals emerged victorious 17-10 to snap the Seahawks 14-game home winning streak.

Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos

4:25 p.m. ET, CBS

Peyton Manning will be out for blood.

The Denver Broncos quarterback and future Hall of Famer had one of his worst games of the season last week, completing 34-of-54 passes for 389 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions in a loss to the mediocre St. Louis Rams.

It's also possible that the Broncos will be without three important offensive pieces, as Emmanuel Sanders, Julius Thomas and Montee Ball may not suit up after suffering injuries against the Rams.

The Miami Dolphins - with a 6-4 record - find themselves right in the thick of the playoff picture in the AFC, and the possible loss of three of Manning's offensive weapons would greatly help a pass defense that ranks second in league.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is in the midst of his finest season as a pro, completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,354 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He's also added 261 rushing yards on 37 carries.

Still, the Dolphins should be weary of an angry Manning, even if he doesn't have as many weapons at his disposal.

''We just have to try to throw him off of his game early, try to get pressure on him and try to hit him as much as we can and force him to make bad throws,'' defensive end Olivier Vernon told the Associated Press. ''We've just got to get off the ball, time the snap and make sure we get pressure on him all game long. He has a very good line that's protecting him and he's a future Hall of Famer and we've got to throw all types of things at him that he wouldn't expect and mix it up.''