A couple of traditional rivalries and games with a lot on the line highlight today's NFL slate:
Following is a capsule look at a couple of the more intriguing meetings:
PACKERS (11-4) at VIKINGS (13-2), 1 p.m.
Green Bay: This is the third matchup in NFL history that features two teams that have combined for at least 24 wins, neither of which has the outright lead in its division. It's also the first such pairing since 1984 (12-3 Broncos at 12-3 Seahawks). Green Bay fell behind Minnesota 28-0 and then rallied before eventually losing, 31-29, on Sept. 29 in Green Bay.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur tied Bill Cowher and Andy Reid for the third-most wins by a head coach in his first 100 games over the last 40 seasons with Monday night's 34-0 victory over the Saints. LaFleur (who has coached 98 career games), Cowher and Reid (all with 67) trail Mike Holmgren (68) and George Seifert (78) in that category. Green Bay's shutout of New Orleans was the first in the NFL this season. The Packers have scored 30 or more points in an NFL-best five consecutive games.
Minnesota: The Vikings' 27-24 win last Sunday at Seattle extended their winning streak to an NFL-best eight games in a row. Minnesota improved to 8-1 in one-possession games, including 4-1 in games decided by three points or fewer. The Vikings are 25-9 in one-score games since 2022 under head coach Kevin O'Connell.
Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold has 13 wins, 32 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions and a 105.4 passer rating this season, including 15 touchdown passes and one INT in his last six starts. He went 10-20, threw 26 touchdown passes, 27 interceptions and had a passer rating of 76.4 in 30 starts from 2020-23.
COWBOYS (7-8) at EAGLES (12-3), 4:25 p.m.
Dallas: The Cowboys' 26-24 win over the Buccaneers last Sunday night was their fourth in the last five games after starting the season 3-7. Dallas is averaging 27.4 points per game in that span, up from 18.7 over the first 10 games. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb caught seven passes for 105 yards in the win over Tampa Bay and has surpassed 100 receptions (101) and 1,000 receiving yards (1,194) for the third straight season. Only Michael Thomas and Brandon Marshall also had three such campaigns over the first five seasons of their careers.
Philadelphia: The Eagles beat the Cowboys, 34-6, on Nov. 10 in Dallas. Running back Saquon Barkley's 150 rushing yards in the Eagles' 36-33 loss to Washington last Sunday left him on a 2,083-yard pace through 17 games, which would fall short of Eric Dickerson's single-season record of 2,105 rushing yards in 1984. Barkley needs to average 134 rushing yards over the final two games to break the record. Barkley's effort against the Commanders included a 68-yard touchdown run, his eighth career touchdown run of at least 60 yards. That ties Barkley with Barry Sanders and Chris Johnson for the fourth-most in NFL history behind Derrick Henry (nine), Jim Brown (nine) and Adrian Peterson (15).
Philadelphia clinches the NFC East Division championship with a win (or with a Commanders loss against the Falcons). The Eagles allowed a season-high 36 points against the Commanders, a loss that snapped Philly's 10-game winning streak.
FALCONS (8-7) at COMMANDERS (10-5), 8:20 p.m.
Atlanta: The Falcons have won two straight. Their only path to the postseason is to win the NFC South Division. Michael Penix Jr. can become the first rookie quarterback to make multiple starts and lead his team to the playoffs after having his first start come in Week 10 or later on a team at .500 or below. Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson is third in the NFL with 1,616 yards from scrimmage behind Barkley (2,114) and Derrick Henry (1,788).
Washington: The Commanders clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Falcons. Their 36-33 win over the Eagles last weekend was Washington's first against a team with a winning record (1-4). Rookie Jayden Daniels is one of four NFL quarterbacks with a passer rating of 100 or better (101.3) and at least 400 rushing yards (737). The other three are Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts.
