Three To Watch: Week 12

by Andrew Pasquini – Sports 1140 KHTK

With six weeks remaining in the NFL season, the playoff picture is slowly becoming clear and games carry more weight. The three games featured this week are all games with some sort of playoff implications that could decide whether teams are in or out and positioning within a division. Here are the three games to watch for Week 12:

The Seattle Seahawks (5-5) at the Carolina Panthers (6-4), Sunday at 10am

With the Seahawks being one of the six teams within one game of the second NFC Wild Card spot and the Panthers holding on to the first Wild Card spot, this game has massive playoff implications. If Seattle wins, they will control their own destiny in the NFC, jumping over Carolina in the playoff picture and owning the tie-breaker between the two. Having lost two of their previous three, the Seahawks got back on track after defeating the Packers last Thursday, jumping Green Bay in the standings. The Panthers on the other side, have struggled in recent weeks, losing to the Steelers and Lions the past two weeks. Prediction: Seahawks over the Panthers

The New York Giants (3-7) at the Philadelphia Eagles (4-6), Sunday at 10am

The Giants are playing their best football this season, winning two-in-a-row over ther 49ers and Buccaneers. The Eagles on the other side, have lost two-in-a-row against the Cowboys and an embarrassing 48-7 loss to the Saints last week. The last time these two teams met, the Eagles dominated the Giants in Week 6, winning 34-13 but with the teams trending in different directions this week, it could be a closer game than last time. With the NFC East potentially being thrown wide open after the Alex Smith injury, the winner of this game could instantly be put right back in the thick of the playoff race. Prediction: Eagles over the Giants

The Green Bay Packers (4-5-1) at the Minnesota Vikings (5-4-1), Sunday at 5:20

For the second week in a row, both of these teams play huge games regarding playoff positioning. The Packers lost to the Seahawks last week, dropping Green Bay to the ninth seed in the NFC while moving Seattle to the seven seed. Minnesota lost to Chicago which moved the Vikings to a game and a half back of the Bears in the NFC North and only giving themselves a half of a game cushion for the second Wild Card spot. When these two teams met in Week 2, the game finished with a 29-29 tie and while a tie is highly unexpected, these two teams are equally matched and should have a close game Sunday night. Prediction: Vikings over the Packers

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