Steelers among teams facing key matchups in Week 14

Steelers (7-5) at Bills (6-6)

Noon, DirecTV/705

Line: Steelers by 3

Pittsburgh cooled off the New York Giants to maintain a tie atop the AFC North. Steelers back Le’Veon Bell had his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game and is averaging a league-high 146.4 scrimmage yards per contest. Buffalo squandered a 24-9 lead in Oakland by giving up 29 unanswered second-half points. The Bills fell two games back of a wild-card spot in the process.

Broncos (8-4) at Titans (6-6)

Noon, DirecTV/708

Line: Titans by 1  1/2

Quarterback Trevor Siemian will be back under center after rookie Paxton Lynch engineered a win in Jacksonville. The Broncos won despite gaining a season-low 206 yards of total offense. Tennessee comes out of its bye in a three-way tie atop the AFC South. In Marcus Mariota’s past three home games, the Titans quarterback has thrown 11 touchdowns with one interception and his team has averaged 34.3 points.

Redskins (6-5-1) at Eagles (5-7)

Noon, KDFW/4

Line: Redskins by 2  1/2

Cardinals (5-6-1) at Dolphins (7-5)

Noon, DirecTV/712

Line: Cardinals by 2

Miami’s six-game win streak came to a screeching halt in Baltimore. Ryan Tannehill was intercepted three times after being picked just once during the streak. On defense, the Dolphins allowed 496 yards and 38 points. Here comes Arizona, which is ninth offensively, featuring RB David Johnson, who has gained 100-plus scrimmage yards in all 12 games this season.

Vikings (6-6) at Jaguars (2-10)

Noon, DirecTV/711

Line: Vikings by 3

Minnesota played the streaking Dallas Cowboys tough, but the Vikings were ultimately done in by their lack of offensive production. The Vikings, two games back in the NFC North, rank 31st in offense (296.8) and 26th in points (19.4). Even so, their league-high turnover differential of plus-13 will no doubt be an advantage as they travel to Jacksonville, which has a league-worst minus-18 differential.

Texans (6-6) at Colts (6-6)

Noon, KTVT/11

Line: Colts by 6  1/2

All year Indianapolis has been chasing Houston, and they’ve finally caught up. The Colts’ opportunity to seize the division from the Texans was set up by a 41-10 drubbing of the New York Jets. Brock Osweiler might be putting it together at the right time. Osweiler finished last week with multiple touchdowns and no interceptions for just the second time and posted a season-high 97.6 passer rating.

Chargers (5-7) at Panthers (4-8)

Noon, DirecTV/710

Line: Panthers by 1

Carolina coach Ron Rivera shocked the world by benching Cam Newton for a series after Newton failed to wear a tie on the team bus. What followed was an interception on the first play and a fiasco in which the Panthers’ offense produced seven points and their once-feared defense allowed 534 yards and 41 points. Likewise, San Diego had a collapse of its own and now have lost seven games by a single possession.

Bengals (4-7-1) at Browns (0-12)

Noon, DirecTV/706

Line: Bengals by 5  1/2

Cincinnati finally put together a game performance that fans were familiar with. Against Philly, the Bengals allowed 54 rush yards, zero first-half points and scored 32. Cleveland, in search of its first win, comes off a bye and will start Robert Griffin III, who has missed 11 games after suffering a shoulder injury in the season opener.

Bears (3-9) at Lions (8-4)

Noon, DirecTV/709

Line: Lions by 7

Detroit holds a two-game lead over the rest of the NFC North thanks to a 7-1 run in which quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown 14 touchdowns and only one interception. Before their tear, the Lions lost to Chicago 17-14 in Week 4, Detroit’s second-lowest scoring output. Bears’ running back Jordan Howard had 111 rush yards in the first meeting and is coming off a 117-yard, three-touchdown performance.

Jets (3-9) at 49ers (1-11)

3:05 p.m., DirecTV/714

Line: Niners by 2  1/2

New York and San Francisco meet in a matchup only significant to fantasy team owners. Quarterback woes are plenty. The Jets will start Baylor product Bryce Petty for the remainder of the season. Petty completed 11 of 25 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions last week in relief of Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 49ers will start Colin Kaepernick, who completed 1 of 5 passes for 4 yards in three quarters last week before being benched.

Saints (5-7) at Buccaneers (7-5)

3:25 p.m., DirecTV/715

Line: Bucs by 2  1/2

Tampa Bay and Miami are the only teams to have a winning record despite having a negative point differential. Fortunately, margin of victory doesn’t matter in this league. Despite various ups and downs, the Bucs are tied for the NFC South lead. New Orleans’ quarterback Drew Brees is coming off his worst day of the year in which he threw no touchdowns but three interceptions.

Falcons (7-5) at Rams (4-8)

3:25 p.m., DirecTV/717

Line: Falcons by 6

Last week couldn’t have gone much worse for Atlanta. The Falcons blew a late lead by virtue of a returned 2-point conversion, All-Pro WR Julio Jones left the game with a turf toe injury, and they lost sole-proprietorship of the NFC South. Los Angeles continues to be the worst offensive team in the league. After totaling 162 yards and 10 points in New England, the Rams are last per game in points (15) and yards (284).

Seahawks (8-3-1) at Packers (6-6)

3:25 p.m., KDFW/4

Line: Seahawks by 3

Whether it’s a blown call on a Hail Mary or an NFC Championship thriller, strange things tend to happen when these teams meet. Green Bay’s playoff hopes rest on the right arm of Aaron Rodgers, who will line up opposite a Seattle defense without safety Earl Thomas, placed on injured reserve with a broken leg. The Seahawks look to be in playoff form following a 40-7 win over Carolina.

This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Steelers among teams facing key matchups in Week 14."