2 days Ago By Kristopher Knox
The 2024 NFL playoff race is getting interesting now. While the Detroit Lions continue to roll and the Minnesota Vikings keep squeaking by, we had some interesting developments in Week 11. The Buffalo Bills finally removed the Kansas City Chiefs from the ranks of the unbeaten, while the Pittsburgh Steelers outlasted the Baltimore Ravens despite not scoring a touchdown.
More intriguing matchups will be on tap for Week 12, though not every game will draw heavy interest. For those looking to spice things up a bit, we've identified a few early lines to consider. *Lines via DraftKings Sportsbook After continually finding ways to pull out wins, the Chiefs finally lost one when Josh Allen and the Bills took over.
Ultimately, that may provide a learning experience that is bad news for Kansas City's future opponents. "I think it's going to spark us to have more urgency, especially at the start of football games, especially with the offense," quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters after the game. Expect Mahomes and the Chiefs to have a much faster start this week against the Carolina Panthers and their 32nd-ranked scoring defense.
The Panthers have won two in a row, are coming out of the bye and won't simply roll over for big, bad Kansas City. However, the Chiefs defense is a massive mismatch for second-year quarterback Bryce Young and Carolina's lackluster offense. The Chiefs will be eager to get back on track and put their first loss in the rear view.
Expect them to put up points early, dominate defensively late and cruise to their first truly lopsided victory of the 2024 season. The 4-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers come out of their Week 11 bye looking to end a four-game losing streak. They'll have a prime opportunity to do just that against a New York Giants team that just benched quarterback Daniel Jones.
While Tommy DeVito may provide an offensive spark to the Giants, the Bucs are desperate to get back into the playoff mix. They're also likely to be healthier than they've been in several weeks. Top receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) returned to practice on Monday.
Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers have managed to field a potent offense without him and nearly managed to upset both the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers over the last two weeks. Beating the Giants won't be an upset, but Tampa has a chance to build some momentum with a convincing victory. Considering one team is still pushing for the playoffs while the other is just playing out the season, this line should grow before the weekend.
Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams continue to show that they're not going away. They got back to .500 on Sunday with a win over the New England Patriots in which Stafford threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns.
The problem for Los Angeles this week is that the offense is so heavily reliant on Stafford and the passing game. The Philadelphia Eagles have quietly developed the league's best secondary over the past few weeks, and they'll carry extra preparation time into this matchup. Philly won a 26-18 contest against the Washington Commanders on Thursday.
The Eagles may not run away with this game because of L.A.'s young, talented defensive front.
However, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and the rest of the offense should find enough room to pull ahead.
Home dogs can be dangerous, especially in prime time. However, the Rams just lost at home to the Miami Dolphins last Monday. The Eagles are a much more complete team than the Dolphins, and they'll show that while winning by more than a field goal in Week 12.
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