It’s important at this time of year for teams not to have any letdown games. With parity throughout the league, almost every game matters for almost every team. Last week, these five teams all won important games (Steelers, Texans, Dolphins, Vikings, and Lions) that they could not afford to lose. Here are their matchups this week that are must-win again.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns:
The Steelers are 8-2 and firmly entrenched in first place in the AFC North, and coming off a huge victory against the Baltimore Ravens. They can not afford a letdown on the road, facing the lowly 2-8 Browns.
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans:
The Texans had been sputtering but easily dispatched their in-state rival, Dallas Cowboys. They are now back home, facing their former Houston cousins, the Houston Oilers. They are now 7-4 and two full games ahead of the Indianapolis Colts. Good teams take care of business and easily win these games.
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins:
The Dolphins have now won two in a row with Tua Tagovailoa back at QB. They have gotten themselves back in the playoff chase, sort of…they are sitting at 4-6, only one game behind the Broncos in the loss column. They must win this game against the Patriots to inch closer to relevance.
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears:
After their two game blip, the Vikings have now won three games in a row and firmly in the playoffs, with an outside chance of regaining the top seed in the NFC. They have a divisional road game against a plucky Chicago team. They have now lost four in a row though, and they may have lost hope on the season. It will be interesting to see how Caleb Williams handles the rest of the season. This is a game that the Vikings must win.
Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts:
A point could be made that each of these teams won this past week, and both can’t afford a letdown. But let’s face it, nobody believes the Colts will win this game, which makes it even more important for the Lions to prevail. With the Vikings right on their heels, they must keep winning. The Colts did win an exciting game against the Jets, with Anthony Richardson playing like the QB they hoped he’d be after being benched for two weeks. And at 5-6, the game is huge for them, too, but championship-caliber teams like the Lions go on the road late in the season and leave with a win.