Best NFL games of Week 14: Carson Wentz, Jared Goff clash in NFC battle

4. Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers

You know it’s an important game when you’re getting the Nantz-Romo treatment. The Vikings and Panthers highlight one of the best early afternoon games on Sunday. Both are in the NFC playoff picture this year as the Vikings are fighting for a first-round bye while the Panthers try to stay alive in the wild-card.

Last week was a tough loss for the Panthers and this week doesn’t get any easier. That’s been the narrative of the NFC this season. An 8-4 record usually guarantees you a playoff spot but that might not be the case in the NFC. The Panthers have to win or they could be in danger of getting outed. It helps to have the home-field advantage on Sunday but the Vikings have been a tough opponent wherever they’ve played this season. It’s going to take Cam Newton’s best performance to come away with a win.

I hope by now we finally start to respect the Vikings. They’re 10-2 and arguably the best team in the NFC right now. Some may say that’s a stretch because of the Eagles but the Vikings have proven wins against teams. The Eagles have had a fairly easy schedule and were handled last Sunday night in Seattle. If I had to choose, the Vikings look more battle-tested at this point in the season. Even when the offense isn’t scoring points the defense can suffocate opponents. As long as Case Keenum continues slinging the ball like he has, the Vikings are a legitimate Super Bowl contenders.