Best NFL games of Week 13: Wentz, Eagles face off in Seattle
By Joe Schiller
4. Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens
The AFC is few and far between on this list and for good reason. The conference hasn’t given us much to be excited about this season aside from the Patriots and Steelers. However, when an AFC team matches up against an NFC team, it can be worth taking note. That’s the case this week when the Lions travel on the road to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. Both teams share identical records and are vying for a playoff spot in their respective conferences.
The Lions come well-rested off a tough loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving Day. The run defense has been virtually non-existent without Haloti Ngata in the middle and the secondary could not hold their own against Adam Thielen and the Vikings wide receivers. As soon as the offense caught fire in the second half, it was too late as the Vikings already had an insurmountable lead. Now they sit just one game out of the last wild-card spot behind the streaking Atlanta Falcons.
On the other side, the Ravens leapfrogged the Buffalo Bills for the second wild-card spot with a Monday night win over the Houston Texans. They’ve won three of their last four games but all against backup quarterbacks. The defense has been stout but the offense has left a lot to be desired. We’ll finally get to see how the Ravens hold up against a top-caliber quarterback.
Matthew Stafford’s bum ankle will be a key factor to watch. He injured it late against the Vikings and was able to finish the game but still looked in obvious pain. All signs point to him starting this week but whether he’ll be 100 percent is still in question.