The back half of the NFL season is loaded, and the best matchups keep stacking up as the calendar turns toward the stretch run. Some of these games have division implications.
Some could shape the playoff bracket. A few might end up feeling like previews of January football.
The one that jumps out immediately comes on Thanksgiving night: Buffalo against Kansas City. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
The Bills and Chiefs. That’s the kind of pairing that needs no extra sales pitch.
Buffalo has won the last five regular-season meetings between the teams, while Kansas City has taken all four postseason matchups between Allen and Mahomes. If the pattern continues, the Bills could grab a major edge for the top seed.
If the Chiefs flip it, the AFC could run through Arrowhead again.
Thanksgiving also gives us another heavyweight earlier in the day, with Detroit hosting Chicago at Ford Field. Both teams are two-loss clubs and both are chasing more than just the NFC North.
They’re also trying to pressure San Francisco for the conference’s top seed. It’s the first meeting of the year, with the rematch set for Week 17 at Soldier Field, and with Ben Johnson returning to his old stomping grounds, the expectation is for plenty of points.
Another game that could have huge seeding implications lands on Christmas Day, when Buffalo visits Denver. That one brings back memories of last season’s divisional-round thriller, when the Broncos won in overtime after four Josh Allen turnovers.
This time, the stakes could be even bigger: the AFC’s top seed might be on the line, or Denver could be trying to stay ahead of Kansas City in the AFC West. Buffalo’s top-ranked offense will have to deal with Nik Bonitto, Patrick Surtain II and a Denver defense that can make life miserable at Mile High.
A few days later, the Chiefs and 49ers meet at Arrowhead Stadium in cold conditions on Dec. 27, and the stakes should be just as serious. San Francisco hasn’t beaten Kansas City in the regular season or postseason since Kyle Shanahan took over, going 0-5 in that span. This one could carry major playoff implications for both teams, with seeding and division races likely in play.
Before that, Kansas City gets another marquee test against Cincinnati. That rivalry was once one of the league’s best, with the teams meeting in the 2021 and ’22 AFC championship games and splitting those trips to the title game.
The Bengals still haven’t made the postseason since, but they look like they’re on the way back, while the Chiefs are trying to hold off Denver in the AFC West. Any game with Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes is must-watch.
There’s also a Sunday night matchup in Green Bay that should have plenty of bite. Buffalo’s offense is ranked first in the league, and the Packers could soon be getting All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons back, which would pair him with Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness up front. Both teams could be chasing division titles and a first-round bye, depending on how the standings shake out.
The Packers also show up again in a key divisional game against Detroit on the final day of the season. The first meeting, in Week 7, went down to the wire before Jake Bates won it for Detroit with a 22-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Lions a 20-17 win.
Detroit entered Week 10 at 6-2, with Green Bay a half-game behind in a crowded NFC North. If the Packers want to split the season series, they may need to win at home.
San Francisco and Seattle also get another chapter in a game that already has some history behind it. Their first meeting came down to a controversial fourth-down stop by the 49ers in Seattle.
Now the Niners look set to win the NFC West, while the Seahawks are trying to stay in the wild-card hunt after winning it all in February. Seattle sits at 5-4, and the quarterback situation matters here too: Sam Darnold may be back from a rib injury, or Drew Lock could start against San Francisco.
The Rams keep popping up in this list because their path is so unforgiving. They’re 5-4 and trying to keep their season alive with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams on the field.
One of their biggest tests comes against San Francisco, a team that beat them 27-7 in Week 1 on another continent. This time the game is in Santa Clara, and Los Angeles enters as a clear underdog.
If the Rams are going to find a route to the postseason, they’ll need to handle games like this one, along with matchups against Seattle twice, the Niners, the Packers and the Chiefs.
Another Rams game makes the cut too, and for good reason. Their Thursday night showdown with Kansas City had a different feel before the season, when it looked like one of the marquee games on the entire schedule.
Now the Rams are 5-4 and trying to stay upright with their receiver group battered, while the Chiefs are 6-2 and pushing for the AFC West and possibly home-field advantage. It’s Sean McVay against Steve Spagnuolo, Matthew Stafford against Patrick Mahomes, under the lights.
The Week 18 finale between the Rams and 49ers could be even more dramatic if Los Angeles is still hanging around by then. San Francisco is sitting on just one loss and likely has the NFC West wrapped up by that point, but the final playoff spot in the NFC could still be up for grabs. With every team in the NFC North carrying a winning record, this one could decide whether the Rams stay alive or whether the 49ers are playing spoiler in a game that might end up with Sunday Night Football energy.
One of the most intriguing non-prime-time games on the slate comes when Jacksonville meets Chicago. It has the feel of a Super Bowl preview, even if few would have predicted that before the season.
Both teams were seen as regression candidates, but instead they’ve climbed into contention. Trevor Lawrence has been rolling at an MVP level, with 1,932 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Buffalo shows up again in another game that could turn into a shootout: the Bills against the Bears on a Saturday afternoon in Orchard Park. The matchup features the first- and third-ranked offenses in football, and Josh Allen and Caleb Williams should have no shortage of chances to trade blows. The big question is which defense can make a stop, and whether a trade-deadline addition from the Titans, Jeffery Simmons or Amani Hooker, can swing the game with a big play.
And then there’s the Week 12 headliner: the Rams and Chiefs in prime time. It’s the kind of matchup that looked even bigger before the season, but it still carries plenty of weight now.
The Rams are trying to survive. The Chiefs are trying to surge.
And with Stafford and Mahomes on the same field, that one belongs near the top of any list.
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