Brett Favre and the Vikings are running away with the NFC North.

Can the Vikings get to 11-1?

Like the band U2, we still haven’t found what we’re looking for. The proved to be no match for the , who have now been crowned as the best team in the league atop our , while the kept pace and reached 11-0.

We highly doubt the Saints trip up against the this week, removing them from our “Five Things” column for the first time in weeks, but we’re still keeping our eye out for a possible Indy loss.

Read on for Week 13’s Five Things to Watch For:

5. Which AFC South Team Will Finally Step Up?

@

Much like the Jets/Bills match-up, these two teams are facing a do-or-die game, in which the loser is almost certainly out of the playoff picture. The Texans were standing at 5-4 and looked to be well on their way to a wild card spot, but have now dropped two straight, while the Jaguars ran into a desperate 49ers team last week and simply didn’t show up.

We’ll give the Texans a mulligan for losing to the still undefeated Colts, and considering how weak the Jaguars overall defense is, we like their chances to get back to .500.

Texans 34, Jaguars 24

4. Can the Giants Regroup and Stay in the Race for the NFC East?

@

This is a huge game with a lot of playoff repercussions hanging onto it. Already owning the series lead this season, a win from the 6-5 Giants would propel them to being just one game back from the division lead, and if they can finish with the same record as the Cowboys, they could take the division.

With the Eagles right behind the Cowboys, they can ill afford to lose this game. Despite not being a recommended start this week, this writer is banking on a very tight race in the unpredictable NFC East.

Giants 24, Cowboys 20

3. Can the Packers Finally Put Themselves Among the Elite?

@ Green Bay Packers

People aren’t giving the the credit they deserve. They’ve been playing great football for most of every game they’ve played this season, but have succumbed to kicker troubles and a few bad plays to end games.

If things had gone differently, this 6-5 squad could easily have victories over the , , and , in addition to owning victories over the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The story is much the same for the , but with little help from and the ground attack against a stout Baltimore run defense, will have to play at the top of his game to keep his team in the playoff hunt.

Ravens 27, Packers 23

2. Can the Vikings Prove Their Worth on the Road?

@

Even though the Titans/Colts match is going to be a huge game, we’re crowning this as the game of the week. The Vikings are fresh off of a 3-0 home stand, and are now going into muddy waters to test their talents on the road. If misses his second straight game this game likely loses it’s flavor, but we still expect a shoot-out, as neither pass defense is exceptionally great at stopping elite passing offenses.

The Vikings are better at getting to the quarterback and will make whoever is under center have a busy day by clogging the running lanes, but it still has the makings for a dramatic ending. In a game that could potentially field two 38+ year old star quarterbacks (Favre/Warner), we like the red-hot to prevail yet again.

Vikings 31, Cardinals 28

1.Which Team’s Streak Ends in Week 13?

@

This is the battle we’ve all been waiting for. The Titans have seemingly saved their season with five consecutive wins, and an unlikely win over the Colts could catapult them into wild card positioning. These Titans are a completely different team on both sides of the ball than they were five weeks ago, and as good as the Colts may be, they just might be the task that can’t complete.

The Colts haven’t been great at running the ball for most of the season, and with a stout Titans run defense in their way, will be forced into action against a very solid Titans pass defense. Look for to continue his tear in the upset of the week.

Titans 30, Colts 27

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Related posts on The Red Zone Report