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Monday 10 December 2018 01:49, UK
We preview Sunday's night NFL triple-header, featuring Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears.
We are live on Sky Sports Action from 5pm for an hour's build-up to the first game of the night. Here's a look ahead to what you can expect...
The Ravens (7-5) have got their up-and-down season back on track in the last few weeks, having strung together three consecutive victories against the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. Prior to their winning streak, Baltimore sat at 4-5 with a playoff push in the balance but their miserly defense has remained stoic, allowing just 131-yards against the Falcons to put their side in position to jostle for a post-season jaunt.
The Chiefs (10-2) have recovered from their high-scoring 54-51 defeat by the Rams by overcoming the Raiders 40-33. Kansas are on an eight-match home winning streak and are currently the No 1 seed in the AFC. Despite their somewhat leaky defense allowing 171 rushing yards against a poor Oakland side, the offense continue to live by the mantra that they can, and will, outscore their opponents.
Patrick Mahomes leads the NFL with 41 passing touchdowns this season, 14 shy of Peyton Manning's single-season record of 55 in 2013. Mahomes' 41 pass TDs through 12 games this season is more than the Ravens have in their last two seasons (39 pass TDs over 32 games).
Although Baltimore's first choice quarterback Joe Flacco returned to practice on Friday, it is likely Lamar Jackson will continue at the helm for the Ravens. The rookie 21-year-old has won three straight games and shown he can perform at the top level.
Undoubtedly Patrick Mahomes continues to be the player everyone's eyes automatically turn to for the Chiefs, with the QB breaking records left, right and centre. He has plenty of targets who have impressed this season too - Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are enjoying brilliant campaigns, the latter leading NFL tight ends with 1,082 receiving yards so far.
Expect an extra-heated battle between the fierce rivals when they meet on the field on Sunday. Super Bowl champion Philadelphia (6-6) have struggled for consistency this season, with their current two-game winning streak - having picked up victories over the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins - their longest this term. Despite their lack of reliability, the Eagles will be able to draw level with the Cowboys in the NFC East if they can eke out a win on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Dallas (7-5) have enjoyed a second half of the season resurgence having slipped to 3-5, they have won four games on the bounce, including a brilliant 13-10 win victory over the seemingly Super Bowl-bound New Orleans Saints last week. The winning run began with coming out on top 27-20 in Philadelphia and a repeat of that victory would consolidate their position at the top of the division.
The Eagles started the season 4-6 before back-to-back wins coming into this game. Since 2000, only seven of 259 teams to start a season 4-6-or-worse have gone on to make the playoffs, and only five of those have won their division.
The Eagles have never reached the playoffs after starting a season below .500 through 10 games.
Zach Ertz poses a huge threat, having picked up 93 catches through 12 matches thus far, leaving him on course to end the season with an NFL record number of receptions. Wide receiver Golden Tate is also beginning to look at home with his new team the Eagles as he completed seven catches for 85 yards and a touchdown against the Redskins last week, as his understanding with quarterback Carson Wentz blossoms.
Of course, it's impossible to look past the threat Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott poses, but quarterback Dak Prescott is enjoying a purple patch too - he has not thrown an interception during his sides four-match winning run, although he did have a lost fumble against the Saints last week. Wide receiver Amari Cooper's arrival from the Raiders in a trade has certainly helped open up the offense.
The Rams (11-1) continue to look in imperious form, with their only loss of the season coming against Drew Brees' Saints in Week Nine. Los Angeles have since returned to winning ways, picking up three victories on the spin against the Seattle Seahawks, the Chiefs and the Detroit Lions. Overcoming the Bears on Sunday evening would ensure Sean McVay's side earn a first-round playoff bye for the first time since 2003.
However, Chicago (8-4) will not be an easy side to roll over at Soldier Field, despite the Bears falling to an overtime defeat by the New York Giants last week. Matt Nagy's side look on course to reach the playoffs in their head coach's first season in charge.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff is 4-0 in his career in primetime games, throwing 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions. However, here he faces the Bears' No 4 defense... In his five career games against top-five ranked defenses, Goff is only 2-3, averaging just 192.6 passing yards and 16.6 points per game.
When it comes to Los Angeles, you need not look too much further than running back Todd Gurley, who has a striking 1,649 yards from scrimmage and a total of 19 touchdowns over 12 games so far this season. Quarterback Jared Goff cannot be ignored either, with his relationship with Gurley undoubtedly key to the pair's success.
The Bears could welcome back quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who missed the last two weeks with a shoulder injury, having passed for 2,469 yards and 20 touchdowns across 10 games. Along with all of their offensive prowess, these teams have defensive playmakers too. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is leading the NFL with 16.5 sacks, while Khalil Mack has nine sacks and five forced fumbles, plus an interception over 10 matches for the Bears after being acquired from the Raiders.
@PFF will provide a host of in-depth analysis throughout the season across Sky Sports platforms including our live coverage on Sunday and throughout our weekly build-up and reaction on www.skysports.com/NFL
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