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5 NFL teams that must win in Week 12

By Thomas Wheaton

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans throws before a game against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans throws before a game against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 11: Melvin Gordon #28 of the Los Angeles Chargers carries the ball against the Oakland Raiders during the second half of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 11, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 11: Melvin Gordon #28 of the Los Angeles Chargers carries the ball against the Oakland Raiders during the second half of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 11, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

4. Los Angeles Chargers

Another repeat from last week, but it’s for good reason. The Chargers must, and this might be an understatement, beat the Arizona Cardinals this week. They’re still within striking distance of the Kansas City Chiefs, but the window is closing fast. Last week, the Chargers failed to pick up a game on the Chiefs with their loss to the Broncos. It would have been a perfect opportunity to move within one game of the Chiefs, but they squandered it.

The Cardinals are not a good football team, plain and simple. They lost to the Oakland Raiders last week. The same Raiders that entered the contest as the only one-win team in the league. The Chargers are supremely talented and coached much better — this game should be a cakewalk.

However, as we know, nothing is ever easy in the NFL and anything can happen at any point. The Chargers need a bounce-back win, and it’s significantly easier to get back into the win column when you’re playing the team that currently holds the number one pick in the draft.

The division might be out of reach, considering how easy the remaining schedule is for the Chiefs. But the Chargers need to continue racking up victories to lock their spot as a wild card team. A win over the Cardinals would put them one step closer to that goal.