Five weeks of the regular season remain and the big games are now going to come thick and fast. Week 14 is littered with mouth-watering contests that have massive implications in the play-off race. That's where my focus will be this weekend.
FAMILIAR FOES CLASH
Some of the shine may have come off the battle for first place in the AFC North, but this is still the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. They've played 40 one-score games since 1996, the most in the NFL, and this is going to be another very physical affair. The Steelers have got to find themselves, because they've lost five of their last seven, and in no way does their form look like a springboard for a playoff run. There's something not quite right with Lamar Jackson. He just doesn't look as explosive as in previous years, but the Ravens have won five of their last six to rescue a terrible start to the year. So, everything is in front of these teams, even if they're not in top form, and I think it's going to be the Ravens who take this one at home.
BATTLE FOR FIRST IN SOUTH
The Indianapolis Colts have lost three of their last four and the AFC South has tightened up considerably and it is the division now being led by the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars who won just four contests a year ago. What Liam Coen has done in Jacksonville has been tremendous making his team competitive week in and week out regardless of which area of the football shows up. Sometimes the defense plays well, sometimes they run the ball well, sometimes it's Trevor Lawrence. The Jags always seem to be in their games, but I don't think they're going to win this one at home. I think this is a big Jonathan Taylor outing as the Colts look to find themselves on offense. Taylor has to be the key man because Daniel Jones has cooled off at QB after a red-hot start.
A CLASSIC SCENE IN GREEN BAY
There's going to be a real playoff feel to the NFC North proceedings at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon. The Green Bay Packers are just half a game behind the number one seed in the NFC, the surprising Chicago Bears, as they prepare to meet for the first of two times in the month of December. This is going to be classic Green Bay football weather. The high is reported to be minus eight degrees Celsius, but the reality is that this game is likely to be played in something like minus 10 or minus 12 degrees, given the late afternoon kickoff. Jordan Love is coming off an excellent game against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Micah Parsons is rolling at full speed, and I think that's enough for the Packers to take down a Bears team that has been brilliant this year, winning nine of their last 10 under first year head coach Ben Johnson. The Bears are not going away. They're going to be a playoff team. But this is going to have a massive postseason feel to it, and I think the home field advantage matters on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.
