NBC Sports Philadelphia's Derrick Gunn gives predictions for his top-four Week 12 games of the NFL season.
Broncos at Benglas (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS)
The Broncos kept their playoff hopes alive by making a goal-line stand against the Steelers. In back-to-back weeks, Denver has beaten the Chargers on the West Coast and Pittsburgh at home. Meanwhile, the Bengals are sliding away. They've been playing without wide receiver AJ Green for weeks (he's expected to return this week), and now, quarterback Andy Dalton is done for the year with a right thumb injury. Jeff Driskel takes over as the quarterback for Cincy. He doesn't have much experience, but he will get plenty of it now. The Bengals are currently the ninth seed in the playoff picture. Denver is 10th. The Broncos will take care of business in the jungle and move up the pecking order in the AFC.
Browns at Texans (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS)
The Browns have won as many games this season as they won the previous three seasons. They are no longer the laughingstock of the AFC. Rookie QB Baker Mayfield has been exactly what the Browns have been missing for decades - a bona fide leader. He has seven touchdown passes, zero interceptions, and has been sacked zero times in his last two games. The Texans' vicious defense, with 34 sacks and led by JJ Watt (11.5 sacks) and Jadeveon Clowney (seven sacks) will keep Mayfield on his toes. The Texans have been one of the surprises in the AFC, winners of a franchise record eight in a row, after starting the season 0-3. Cleveland will prove to be a worthy opponent, but things are going just too well right now for Houston to lose. The Texans will win for a ninth straight time.
Vikings at Patriots (Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX)
The Vikings still have hopes of catching the Bears in the NFC North, but the task won't be easy. Venturing into Tom Brady's house usually is an unpleasant experience for visitors. Brady and the Pats are 5-0 at Gillette Stadium this season and Brady has 106 regular-season wins in his house. The Vikings' defensive front is tough to handle and will attempt to force Brady into making mistakes. Minnesota's top cover cornerback, Xavier Rhodes, may miss this one because of a hamstring injury. For more than a decade, New England has been the standard all other teams measure themselves by. This is the 18th straight season they will have a .500 record or better. The Vikings will give it their best shot but you've got to be better than that to beat Brady on his home turf.
Chargers at Steelers (Sunday, 8:20 p.m., NBC)
The Steelers are still stinging after letting one get away from them in Denver, but they must regroup in a hurry because the Chargers are on the horizon. Philip Rivers is in a zone completing, 69.5 percent of his passes. Since taking over in 2006 as the Chargers' starting QB, Rivers is 39-19 in December and January. Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger were draft classmates in 2004, and Big Ben holds a 3-2 head-to-head advantage. The temperature at kickoff in the 'Burgh is expected to be 40 degrees, with possible showers. The Chargers think they can sneak up on the Chiefs in the AFC West, but can they survive the frigid environment away from home? I think they can.
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