There were more than a few surprises last week, mainly because nine of the 16 road teams came away with a victory. That included a pair of shockers at Detroit and at Minnesota as the Packers and Bears, respectively, came up with important wins away from home.
There are only 13 games this week. Two of the three selections here once again involve teams from the NFC North. All three teams on upset alert are road favorites this Sunday.
3. Detroit Lions (at Saints)
Dan Campbell's 8-3 team remains atop the NFC North. Dennis Allen's 5-6 club is tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the best record in the NFC South. However, both the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints come off losses this past week.
Detroit's defense has really taken its lumps the last three games. After rallying to beat the Chargers and Bears, those issues caught up with them on Thanksgiving Day vs. Green Bay. The Packers rolled up 377 total yards and the Lions failed to come up with a sack or a takeaway. Add in three lost fumbles by Jared Goff (1 returned for a touchdown) and Campbell's team lost its third game of the season.
The Saints were supposed to be one of the better defensive units in the league, but the inability to stop the run has really been an issue as of late. They allowed the Falcons to run for 228 yards last Sunday.
Both defenses are struggling. All told, this could be a tricky game for the NFC North frontrunners.
2. Atlanta Falcons (at Jets)
Last Sunday at home, Arthur Smith's team remained perfect in their division (3-0) with a 24-15 win over the visiting Saints. Led by rookie running back Bijan Robinson, Atlanta racked up 228 yards on the ground. Robinson scored via the run and the pass. Safety Jessie Bates III returned a Derek Carr interception 92 yards for a touchdown as the Falcons snapped a three-game losing streak.
The bad news? Quarterback Desmond Ridder threw two more interceptions. That could play right in the hands of the New York Jets, a team amongst the NFL leaders with 19 takeaways. That includes a dozen interceptions.
Sure, Robert Saleh's team is in freefall. It has followed a three-game winning streak with four consecutive losses. The Jets have been limited to 13 or fewer points in five consecutive games and their offensive unit has produced only 10 touchdowns in 11 contests.
It looks bad for the Green and White. That is unless you consider that the Ridder has had all sorts of issues with ball security. He's been sacked 25 times, thrown more interceptions (8) than touchdown passes (7) and lost six of his seven fumbles. The young signal-caller has 14 of Atlanta's 18 turnovers.
The Jets' defense can create problems for any team in the league. Keep in mind this is still the only club to defeat the Eagles this season.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (at Packers)
Last Sunday at Las Vegas, the Chiefs spotted the Raiders a 14-0 lead and then outscored them 31-3 the rest of the way. The significance of the 31-17 victory was the fact that Andy Reid's team totaled 17 points after intermission. It was thefirst time in four games that Kansas City had scored any points in the second half of a game. In their first 11 contests, the Chiefs totaled 53 points in the final two quarters,
Meanwhile, there were a pair of divisional matchups in the NFC North in Week 12. As it turned out, both the road teams came up big and that was bad news for both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. Suddenly, this division is a little more tightened up. The Packers, who physically pushed around Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, have looked like a different team in recent weeks. Matt LaFleur's club has followed up a four-game skid with three wins in four outings.
So, is the Chiefs' offense back on the beam? It may be too early to tell, but never count out Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Meanwhile, a prime time win over the reigning Super Bowl champions would put the Packers at the .500 mark with five games to play. Entering Week 13, only five NFC teams boast winning records. Could Green Bay be on course to sneak into the playoffs. An upset of the Chiefs would be a big step in the right direction.
