NFL Gameday: Packers visit Vikings in key NFC North battle
The Big Game
Green Bay (6-3) at Minnesota (7-2)
3:25 p.m., KDFW/4
Line: Vikings by 1
With these longtime rivals battling for NFC North supremacy, things might get heated in the frosty upper Midwest. Aaron Rodgers has a sore shoulder, but he’s killed the Vikings (32 TDs, four INTs) over his career. Minnesota has won five in a row, but is 1-9-1 in past 11 vs Pack.
Best of the rest
Cincinnati (8-1) at Arizona (7-2)
7:30 p.m., KXAS/5
Line: Cardinals by 4 1/2
A Super Bowl preview? Why not, with these two teams sporting excellent quarterback play and strong defenses. Andy Dalton is coming off his worst game of the season in a loss to the Texans, while Arizona has won three straight and leads the NFL with 33.6 points per game.
Indianapolis (4-5) at Atlanta (6-3)
Noon, DirecTV/705
Line: Falcons by 5
The Colts have a 13-2 all-time record against the Falcons, but they’ll be without Andrew Luck (kidney, abdomen). Matt Hasselbeck, 40, will start in his place (he won two starts earlier this season). Atlanta needs a win, having started 5-0 but with losses in three of their past four games.
Denver (7-2) at Chicago (4-5)
Noon, DirecTV/706
Line: Broncos by 1
Chicago coach John Fox faces his former team, as does quarterback Jay Cutler. Speaking of whom, he’s been really good of late, with six TDs, one INT and 848 yards in his past three games. Brock Osweiler takes the Broncos’ reins as Peyton Manning tries to get healthy.
Worth a look
Tampa Bay (4-5) at Philadelphia (4-5)
Noon, DirecTV/712
Line: Eagles by 6
It’s Famous Jameis vs. the Sanchize as the Bucs’ rookie quarterback squares off against the Philly journeyman, who steps in for the injured Sam Bradford. These two mediocre outfits are fringe playoff contenders, with the Eagles very much alive in the ho-hum NFC East.
NY Jets (5-4) at Houston (4-5)
Noon, DirecTV/708
Line: New York by 3 1/2
Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has a surgically repaired left thumb and revenge on his mind after Houston traded him following last season. Good news for him: the Jets have given up the fewest sacks in the league (10). The bad news: J.J. Watt. The Texans will probably start T.J. Yates.
Oakland (4-5) at Detroit (2-7)
Noon, DirecTV/707
Line: Lions by 1
This actually might turn out to be an entertaining game. Both teams have bottom-10 pass defenses, the Lions are a one-dimensional passing team, and the Raiders have young gun Derek Carr throwing to Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. First team to 40 wins?
Viewer discretion advised
San Francisco (3-6) at Seattle (4-5)
3:25 p.m., DirecTV/715
Line: Seahawks by 13
The erstwhile most bitter rivalry in the NFL is crumbling. Seattle is struggling, but its five losses are by a combined 27 points, and the Seahawks boast the NFL’s No. 2 defense. Blaine Gabbert and the 49ers are bad on defense (27th) and worse on offense (32nd).
St. Louis (4-5) at Baltimore (2-7)
Noon, DirecTV/709
Line: Ravens by 2 1/2
The Rams turn to Abilene Wylie and University of Houston ex Case Keenum at quarterback after Nick Foles couldn’t produce. The Ravens have 24 sacks, ninth in the league, but the No. 26 pass defense. St. Louis rookie RB Todd Gurley (709 yards, fourth in the NFL) should carry the load.
Washington (4-5) at Carolina (9-0)
Noon, DirecTV/710
Line: Panthers by 7
Washington totes an NFL-high eight-game road skid into Carolina, where the Panthers have won five in a row. The Redskins’ Kirk Cousins posted a perfect passer rating (158.3) against the Saints last week, but he too has struggled on the road (four TDs, seven INTs, 66.3 rating).
Kansas City (4-5) at San Diego (2-7)
3:25 p.m., DirecTV/714
Line: Chiefs by 3
Teams trending in opposite directions: Chiefs have won three in a row, Chargers have dropped five straight. Kansas City running back Charcandrick West has filled in nicely for Jamaal Charles, with 309 yards and three TDs in the past four games. San Diego leads all-time series 55-54-1.
Bye weeks for Cleveland, New Orleans, NY Giants, Pittsburgh
This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "NFL Gameday: Packers visit Vikings in key NFC North battle."