Five quick takes on NFL Week 12:
1. Three of the four teams playing in prime time on Sunday and Monday nights are fighting to stay alive in the playoff hunt. In the Sunday night game, Green Bay at 4-5-1 is at 5-4-1 Minnesota. The first game ended in a 29-29 tie in Green Bay, but Minnesota will have the home field edge this time. On Monday night, in a division game, the 5-5 Tennessee Titans play at 7-3 Houston, which hopes to remain in control of division. The Titans won the first game 20-17 so they will have the tiebreaker if they sweep the series and would be only a game behind the Texans. This game also took on an emotional feel for the Texans after their founder, Bob McNair, died Friday. The team would like to win the game for McNair.
2. In a game between two teams fighting for wild card spots, the 6-4 Carolina Panthers host the 5-5 Seattle Seahawks in a duel featuring Russell Wilson against Cam Newton. Both are coming off good games. Wilson threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns with a 110.3 passer rating in a 27-24 victory over Green Bay while Newton passed for 357 yards and three touchdowns and one pick in a 29-19 loss at Detroit. In the last meeting two years ago, the Seahawks routed the Panthers 40-7 in Seattle.
3. The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles may make their last stand when they host the New York Giants. The Eagles are 4-6 coming off a 48-7 loss to New Orleans. One more loss and the wild card hopes probably will be dashed. They beat the Giants 34-13 in the first meeting and need a sweep.
4. The Pittsburgh Steelers rallied from a 16-0 deficit to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars last week and boost their record to 8-2-1 as they continue to fight for a first-round bye. They play the 4-6 Denver Broncos for the first time since 2015, when they won 34-27, and the first time in Denver since 2012 when they lost 31-19. The Broncos are coming off a surprising 23-22 victory over the Chargers and still have faint wild card hopes if they get on a run.
5. Two 5-5 teams battling for a wild card spot – Indianapolis and Miami – meet in Indianapolis. Andrew luck of the Colts is on a hot streak with three or more touchdown passes in seven consecutive games, third-longest streak in NFL history. Ryan Tannehill returns to the lineup after missing five games with a injury and needs a strong finish in the last six games to convince the Dolphins he is still their quarterback of the future.