The Houston Texans are climbing out of a hole they dug early in the season as they climb towards the playoffs, but starting with Thursday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen, Houston starts a final stand for their postseason hopes that will determine their season. Starting against Allen, after his record-setting performance in Week 11, is a brutal first task. Like the Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs sit at 5-5 and outside the playoff picture. Their task is also difficult as the Chiefs take on the Indianapolis Colts coming off their bye week. The Chiefs are running on fumes and must win this game to stay afloat in the AFC. The Pittsburgh Steelers also need to stay afloat as the Baltimore Ravens hunt them down and they have a good chance to do so against the Chicago Bears, who are winning with messy football. Finally, there are two pivot games in the NFC playoff picture that take place out west. The Los Angeles Rams play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Francisco 49ers take on the Carolina Panthers. Whatever happens in these matchups will have a big impact on the NFC bracket.

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The NFL Players Squad Show goes over the biggest news from the week in the NFL former players who have played on the gridiron. The crew goes over big games from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Josh Allen, and ask if the Bears are for real? Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. #joshallen #jaxonsmithnjigba #chicagobears

The NFL playoff picture is starting to form, but with 7 weeks left in the season there is plenty of time for change. The Los Angeles Chargers just came off an embarrassing loss, but Luke Braun thinks they can rebound to take the AFC West from the Denver Broncos. Tyler thinks there could be a shake up in the AFC South as the Jacksonville Jaguars could surge while a tough schedule for the Indianapolis Colts could slow them down. The Detroit Lions are dealing with some Dan Campbell questions, but Luke thinks they are primed to overtake the Chicago Bears by the end of the season. While the Baltimore Ravens also continue their expected assault on the Pittsburgh Steelers division lead, the Steelers are dealing with Aaron Rodgers uncertainty. Finally, the Carolina Panthers are this year's surprise team and they can continue to make their push the to the NFC playoffs, but an even bigger surprise is the state of the Kansas City Chiefs, who are in danger of missing the playoffs entirely.

Dallas Cowboys unveil a retooled defense and roll past the Las Vegas Raiders with standout debuts from Quinnen Williams and George Pickens.

The Atlanta Falcons past, present and future are sit in the balance after Michael Penix knee injury knocked him out for the season. Now, the Falcons will enter the end of 2025 in total flux with no clue what they can rely on. The Pittsburgh Steelers will also be dealing with quarterback concerns as Aaron Rodgers is dealing with a fractured left wrist that has his status up in the air. Adding to the quarterback news, the New York Jets benched Justin Fields in a lost season. The AFC South has gotten even more interesting as the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans both got great wins to keep their playoff hopes alive. Sunday Night Football was a blow out as the Dallas Cowboys demolished the Las Vegas Raiders, but even with the new defensive additions, it is too little, too late for the Boys. The Cincinnati Bengals are also dealing with an injured starting quarterback, but now they will be without star receiver Ja'Marr Chase after he spit on Jalen Ramsey.

AFC West shakeup, Chiefs' dominance questioned, Eagles' defense shines, Lions struggle, Browns' QB drama, and Rams push for NFC West lead on Locked On NFL

The Seattle Seahawks took on the Los Angeles Rams in a battle for the lead of the NFC West and like some had suspected, Sam Darnold was unable to deliver for the Seahawks and threw four interceptions that ultimately doomed his team. This is why people struggle to buy in to Darnold as a threat. Josh Allen delivered in a big way for the Buffalo Bills over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while the Denver Broncos also got it done with a clutch home win over the Kansas City Chiefs. This makes it nearly impossible for the Chiefs to get home-field advantage at any time in the playoffs. The Baltimore Ravens want to make the playoffs and they continued their march towards it with a win over the Cleveland Browns, but it wasn't pretty. An ugly loss to the Houston Texans hurt the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, but they bounced back with a dominant win over the Los Angeles Chargers and kept pace in the wild card race. In the NFC, the Carolina Panthers did the same with a historic performance from Bryce Young to sweep the Atlanta Falcons this year. Finally, the Philadelphia Eagles demolished the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football and Dan Campbell's decision to take over offensive play-calling does look mighty suspect after Jared Goff looked to crumble.

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We look at the Bills and Buccaneers battling for a big Week 11 win, the Rams and Seahawks fighting for the NFC West lead and more.

The Kansas City Chiefs are currently on the outside looking in for the AFC Playoffs and now they must travel to Denver to take on the 8-2 Broncos. With the Chiefs fighting for their lives, they will get the W, but the talented Denver defense will make them work for it. A big-time NFC clash, the Detroit Lions head to take on the Philadelphia Eagles and with the Eagles current( and constant) drama, the Lions togetherness will lead them to an upset. The Seattle Seahawks will also find a way to cover as underdogs in their heavyweight match with the Los Angeles Rams. Two inconsistent home favorites, the Minnesota Vikings against the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins against the Washington Commanders, are teams we should count on to cover with victories this week as the NFL brings balance to the standings. Finally, the New England Patriots played with their food at times against the lowly New York Jets, but ultimately handled business and moved to 9-2.

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We have a battle out west in Week 11 as the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks finally face off in a game between two of the best teams in the NFL that could decide home-field advantage for the playoffs. Another divisional matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos has a chance to shake up the AFC. In the AFC North, everything is up for grabs with the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens trying to stay rolling against the Cleveland Browns. The Chicago Bears are 6-3, but the Minnesota Vikings could play spoiler. Finally, Thursday Night Football has the New England Patriots taking on the New York Jets and it is just about how much the Patriots are going to win by at this point.

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The Cincinnati Bengals shocked the NFL on Monday when they announced Joe Burrow would be back at practice and have his 21-day window opened to return from Injured Reserve, but the Bengals are 3-6 and if they lose either of their next two games, they would be fools to bring Burrow back. Likewise in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons completely blew their chances to have a good season and now the playoffs are less likely than having a top 10 pick which they do not own. The Minnesota Vikings have to be worried about J.J. McCarthy now as it becomes clear they are not a playoff team. Finally, in the NFC East, it is time to write off the Washington Commanders who are having a disaster season and the Dallas Cowboys, as their defense is truly bottom of the barrel.

New York Giants shake up the NFL by firing Brian Daboll, but is keeping Joe Schoen a costly mistake?

The Philadelphia Eagles got an UGLY win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football in a game where both offenses couldn't get much going, but Jalen Hurts was able to make big plays when his team needed them and Jordan Love wasn't. We got our second head coach firing of the 2025 season on Monday as the New York Giants moved on from Brian Daboll. Daboll was always on the hot seat and seeing Jaxson Dart get injured was probably the final straw for the Giants decision makers. Daboll may be on the way out, but we got a surprise return on Monday as well as Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow returned to practice and should be back in the lineup by Thanksgiving. Moving out west, we saw the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks dominate their opponents as the race for the division intensifies.

Houston Texans stun Jacksonville Jaguars with an unbelievable 26-point fourth-quarter comeback—was this the biggest meltdown of the NFL season?