The playoff push is on in the NFL. If you think you know how the playoff races will shake out, think again.
These four potential Week 13 upsets all will affect the playoff race in one way or another.
The odds are the Sports Book Review consensus point spreads as of noon on Friday.
San Francisco (+7 1/2) at Chicago
The Bears (5-6) have won three of their last four, including a landmark win at Green Bay on Thanksgiving, and could be in the thick of the NFC playoff picture with a win. But they still can’t be trusted. The 49ers (3-8) show signs of a team that can give their fans something to look forward to next year. They gave the NFC West-leading Cardinals all they could handle last week in San Francisco. Carson Palmer was held without a touchdown pass for the first time this year, but ran for the deciding touchdown with 2:35 left and the Cards won 19-13. The Bears might have a home field disadvantage. They’re 1-4 at home this season.
Houston (+3) at Buffalo
The last time the Texans played an AFC East team on the road, they trailed 41-0 at halftime and lost 44-26 at Miami. The Texans (6-5) are a different team now after four straight wins. Brian Hoyer has completed 66.6 percent of his passes, exactly two-thirds, in the three games he’s played during that streak. He might have time to read the paper and have a cup coffee against the Bills (5-6), who are 29th in the league with 16 sacks. Mario Williams could be back against his former team, but he has just three sacks in the 10 games he’s played. J.J. Watt, meanwhile, has 9.5 sacks in the last five games. He might have a harder time catching Tyrod Taylor, but Watt is capable of winning a game by himself, especially one so evenly matched in which the Texans are getting the standard three points as the visiting team.
Mario Williams is #OnPace in 2015 to match his sack output from his rookie season in 2006, 4.5 total, his worst by far. #Bills
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) December 2, 2015
Kansas City at Oakland (+3)
The Raiders (5-6) were the flavor of the month before losing three in a row. Then they regained some momentum with a come-from-behind, 24-21 win at Tennessee last week. Meanwhile, Kansas City comes to Oakland with all sorts of momentum. The Chiefs (6-5) have won five straight. They could be without Justin Houston and his 7.5 sacks, however. The Chiefs were going to have a difficult time getting to Derek Carr to begin with. He’s only been sacked 12 times. The Raiders play three of their final five games at home. They’re 2-3 at O.co Coliseum, but all three losses (Bengals, Broncos and Vikings) have come against division leaders.
Andy Reid: Justin Houston’s knee has made “big improvements” https://t.co/YQc0dwmpNU
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 2, 2015
Indianapolis (+7) at Pittsburgh
Matt Hasselbeck, the Colts’ 40-year-old backup quarterback, could hit the big five-oh on Sunday. The Colts (6-5) could improve to 5-0 with him as the starter. The Steelers’ 30th-ranked pass defense made Doug Baldwin (three touchdowns) and Jermaine Kearse (two touchdowns) look like Jerry Rice and John Taylor last week, and T.Y. Hilton’s 16.1 yards per reception is fifth among receivers with at least 40 catches. The Steelers (6-5) are 7-1 in December over the past two seasons, but they don’t do as well down the stretch when Ben Roethlisberger comes back from injuries. He missed three games with shoulder and rib injuries in 2012 and the Steelers lost three of their last four after he came back. He’s had knee and foot injuries this year and is recovering from a concussion he suffered Sunday.