Conor Allen

The 6-7 Vikings will travel to Chicago Monday to try to keep their playoff hopes alive against a 4-9 Bears team that is hoping for better things in their future with rookie Justin Fields at the helm.  Minnesota beat Pittsburgh 36-28 Sunday, one week removed from losing to the previously winless Lions. Kirk Cousins did not have a great game, completing 14 of 31 passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns with two interceptions, but the Vikings ran for 242 yards, while their defense sacked Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Rothlisberger five times.  Cousins has completed 319 of 477 passes this season for 3,569 yards (68.2%) with 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions. His 27 touchdown passes are tied for fifth in the league. Justin Jefferson (85 REC, 1,288 YDS, 8 TDS), Adam Thielen (64 REC, 686 YDS, 10 TDS) and tight end Tyler Conklin (49 REC, 489 YDS, 3 TDS) are key parts of a Viking offense that is averaging 267.4 yards per game through the air (7th) with a 66.07 completion percentag...

The 8-4 Rams will travel to the desert for a Monday night matchup against a 10-2 Cardinals team that has managed to hang tough despite injuries to J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray at different points this season. The Cardinals can clinch a playoff berth with a win or a tie and beat the Rams 37-20 when the two teams met earlier this season.   Los Angeles lost three in a row in November, then took their frustrations out on the Jacksonville last Sunday, beating the Jags 37-7. Matthew Stafford, who tossed four interceptions during a two-game stretch that saw the Rams drop games to the Titans and 49ers, threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns, while Sony Michel racked up 121 yards on the ground in the win. Stafford has completed 292 of 438 passes for 3,611 yards and 30 touchdowns this seasons. His 30 touchdowns put him at second in the league, and his 3,611 passing yards are third.  Stafford is surrounded by receiving talent. Cooper Kupp (100 REC, 1,366 YDS, 11 TDS) lea...

The Broncos head to Arrowhead Stadium Sunday looking to get their first win in Kansas City since 2015, but they'll have to beat a Chiefs team that has turned their season around with four straight wins. Denver has won three of four after dropping four straight in October. Both teams have struggled with consistency this season but have clawed their way above .500 and are very much in the playoff hunt.  The Broncos racked up 147 yards on the ground and intercepted Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert twice, both at the hands of rookie Patrick Surtain, in a 28-13 win on Sunday. Denver QB Teddy Bridgewater suffered a leg injury on a sack in the first quarter, but eventually returned, and finished 11-of-18 for 129 yards and a TD. He remains questionable for Sunday.  Bridgewater has completed 233-of-339 passes this season for 2,518 yards and 15 touchdowns with five interceptions. His 68.7 completion percentage is good for sixth in the league, but Denver has had problems protecting th...

It's 5-5 vs. 5-5. It's Cousins vs. Garoppolo. It's Shanahan vs. Zimmer. This Sunday we have ourselves an NFC masterpiece between two teams that have have struggled, but turned their seasons around with recent decisive wins. The winner will move to 6-5 and be in a a great position to ensure a wildcard playoff spot. Strap in.  The 49ers hit a low point on 11/7 when they lost to a Kyler Murraly-less Arizona Cardinals 31-17. They rebounded with a season-changing 31-17 win over the Rams on MNF the next week, then avoided a letdown with a 31-10 win over Jacksonville on the road last Sunday. The 49ers kept the Jags out of the end zone and held them to just 54 yards rushing, while racking up 171 on the ground for themselves. They did all that without their lead Runner Elijah Mitchell, who remains questionable with a broken finger. 79 of those yards came courtesy of Deebo Samuel, who apparently, when he isn't serving as the teams leading pass-catcher, is also a running back.  Sa...

The surging Patriots travel to Atlanta Thursday to take on a Falcons team that has put together some good wins but also struggled to achieve any kind of consistency this season. Atlanta is coming off a 43-3 beatdown at the hands of Dallas last week, while the Patriots issued a 45-7 drubbing of their own to the Browns on Sunday. Atlanta is just 1-3 at home, while the Patriots are undefeated (4-0) on the road.  Mac Jones is starting to look like the first rounder New England wanted. Jones was 19-of-23 for 198 yards and three touchdowns with no INTs in the Patriots 45-7 win over Cleveland. The rookie quarterback has thrown for 2,333 yards this season, 14th amongst QBs. Jones has completed 69 percent of his passes with 13 TDs and seven interceptions. New England's 241.7 yards per game though the air put them, like Jones, at 14th in the league. Jones and the rest of the offense are starting to translate those yards into points. Their 27.5 per game are sixth in the league. They should be...

The Chiefs will head to Vegas to take on the Raiders Sunday in a matchup between two teams that have had eventful seasons full of disappointments in production and personal conduct. Patrick Mahomes has thrown 10 interceptions and not looked like the dominating force of the last two years. The KC defense has struggled, ranking in the bottom half of the league in several categories, including passing and rushing yards allowed. Yet somehow they have won three of their last four and at 5-4 and still alive in the AFC West.  The Raiders fired head coach Jon Gruden after it was discovered he sent numerous homophobic and and misogonistic emails between 2011-2018. They've cut several players for off-field legal troubles, but somehow still sit at 5-3 and are also very much alive in the AFC West. Sunday's matchup will be a big game for both teams.  News flash! News Flash! Patrick Mahomes is no longer the league leader in interceptions. The world can stop panicking and predicting his demi...

The 6-2 Titans will travel to SoFi Stadium Sunday to take on the 7-1 Rams. Tennessee will be without star running back Derrick Henry, lost for the season following Sunday's win.  The Titans beat Indianapolis 34-31 Sunday for their fourth straight win, padding their lead in the AFC West to three games. Henry suffered a foot injury in the first quarter that at first seemed innocuous. He was looked at by team trainers on the sideline, but returned to play, finishing with 68 yards on 29 carries. But after the game it was revealed that doctors believe he suffered a Jones fracture, requiring season-ending surgery. Now every pundit in the land is proclaiming the Titans are done, Adrian Peterson is being signed to the practice squad, Mike Vrabel is calling Bill Belichick for tips, and Ryan Tanehill is preparing to throw 50 times a game. Funny how quickly things can change in the NFL.  Just how valuable is Henry to the Titans? To start, since 2019 they are 18-3 when he rushes for more ...