Everything you need to know as kickoff approaches...
Key game-time decisions
Harrison: Week 12 predictions
All players questionable unless noted
Larry Fitzgerald (knee) WR, Arizona Cardinals
Bruce Arians said it was "iffy" that Fitzgerald would play this week in Seattle. The receiver missed practice all week while nursing a Grade 2 MCL sprain.
Arian Foster (groin) RB, Houston Texans
The running back didn't practice all week. UPDATE: Foster is not expected to play on Sunday, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. Rookie Alfred Blue would get the start again if Foster can't go.
Julius Thomas (ankle) TE, Denver Broncos
The tight end will be a game-time decision, per Rapoport, after only doing light work on Friday.
Emmanuel Sanders (concussion) WR; DeMarcus Ware (illness) DE; -- BOTH PROBABLE -- Denver Broncos
Sanders cleared protocol and appears in line to play. Ware came down with an illness and was added to the injury report on Saturday.
Lamar Miller (shoulder, knee) RB, Miami Dolphins
Miller was limited on Thursday and Friday in advance of a pivotal showdown with the Broncos.
Reggie Bush (ankle) RB, Detroit Lions
Bush was limited all week after missing last Sunday's game with an ankle injury he's been hobbled by for several weeks this season. UPDATE: He is not expected to play Sunday, according to Rapoport.
Greg Jennings (rib) WR; Jarius Wright (hamstring) WR, Minnesota Vikings
Both wideouts practiced fully on Friday and appear good to go.
Jared Cook (back) TE, St. Louis Rams
The tight end was limited Thursday and Friday.
Doug Martin (ankle) RB; Charles Sims (ankle) RB; Lavonte David (hamstring) LB; Alterraun Verner (hamstring) CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Martin has missed the past three games and was limited in practice Thursday and Friday. Sims was limited as well this week, but appears in line to start. David also was limited Thursday and Friday. Verner, however, missed both the final two practices of the week.
Justin Hunter (knee) WR, Tennessee Titans
Hunter was full-go Thursday and Friday.
Trent Williams (knee, ankle) T, Washington Redskins
Robert Griffin III's blindside blocker missed practice all week.
MONDAY
Pierre Thomas (Rib/Shoulder) RB -- PROBABLE -- New Orleans Saints
The running back is expected to play for the first time since Week 7. Khiry Robinson, on the other hand, was declared out.
Fred Jackson (groin) RB, Buffalo Bills WR
Jackson says he feels good after missing last week's game.
Weather Tracking*
Rain is the precipitation of choice for Mother Nature this Sunday.
Bucs at Bears - 50 degrees / Rain (80 percent; 15 mph winds)
Packers at Vikings -- 40 degrees / Chance of rain (39 percent)
Dolphins at Broncos -- 40 degrees / Winds (20 mph)
Cardinals at Seahawks -- 50 degrees / Slight chance of rain (15 percent)
Cowboys at Giants -- 43 degrees / Chance of rain (5 percent at kickoff, increasing probability as the game wears)
*Forecasts courtesy of Weather Underground
Three matchups to watch
Brooks: Primed to perform
Which players are in position to go off during Week 12's game action? Bucky Brooks provides his scouting eye. **READ**
This game will pit the Seahawks' No. 1 rushing offense against the Cardinals' No. 3 ranked rushing defense. The Seahawks are first in yards per rush (5.5) and second in rushing touchdowns (14). Marshawn Lynch will slam into Todd Bowles' front led by Calais Campbell, who is having an All-Pro-type of season -- the winner of this battle will control the game. The Cards could hold the edge against a Seahawks offensive line that has struggled throughout the season and dealt with injuries. If Arizona consistently collapses Seattle's line, it will be a long day for Lynch, Russell Wilson and the rest of a lopsided offense.
Let's not slow-play it: The Browns get back their best playmaker and a game-changer on offense. His presence completely changes what the Browns can do offensively and how defenses dispense personnel. The wideout led the NFL last year with 30 receptions of 20-plus yards. Even without an obvious deep threat, the Browns have the third-most plays from scrimmage of 20-plus yards (49). Brian Hoyer is going to take his shots deep. Trufant has been the lone stalwart in Atlanta's secondary this season. He has been stellar at closing on passes and can play the ball in the air (Pro Football Focus ranks him their fourth-rated corner for the season). Our "Making the Leap" candidate will have a size disadvantage, but with Robert Alford out for the Falcons, he'll be the only cornerback who can come close to matching up with Gordon.
Aaron Donald vs. Chargers interior
The Chargers' playoff hopes are on the ropes as we hit Week 12. San Diego's offensive line has allowed Philip Rivers to be punished. With a running attack that hasn't given him much help, it'll be on Rivers' shoulders to carry the load against a Rams defensive line that has swarmed the quarterback recently. Watch the middle, where Rams rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald hasn't gotten nearly enough attention for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He's been dominant at pushing the pocket and getting off blocks. With Chargers center Rich Ohrnberger not expected to play, rookie Chris Watt appears set to make his first career start at center. If Rivers is pressured up the middle, it could be another rough day for the quarterback and his injured ribs.
Did You Know?
How much will Josh Gordon's return help? The Browns rank last in completion percentage (55.5), 28th in passing touchdowns (11), 21st in passer rating (85.7) and 14th in passing yards per game (244.3).
Where is Atlanta's explosive offense? Outside of their 56-point explosion in Week 3, the Falcons are only averaging 20.2 points per game (which would be only 23rd in the NFL).
Lovie Smith, who coached the Bears from 2004-2012, will be the seventh coach since 2000 to coach against a team for which he spent at least nine seasons. The other coaches are 2-4 in their first game versus their former team. Andy Reid and John Fox recorded victories; Jeff Fisher, Mike Shanahan, Dennis Green and Marty Schottenheimer recorded losses.
The Legend of Mike Evans: Last Sunday, on a single drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters, Evans had four catches for a total of 104 yards. How is that possible, given that the drive started at the Tampa 20-yard line? The Bucs committed two penalties on the drive and had one rush for -4 yards, which translated to -24 yards. No other NFL player in the past 30 years has gained as many as 100 yards -- rushing and/or receiving -- on one drive.
Bears' opponents have reached the red zone 44 times, most in the NFL and are averaging 6.04 yards per play, second most in the NFL. Chicago is also giving up 29.0 points per game, most in the NFL.
Andy Dalton has not thrown an interception on the road this season (six TDs, zero INTs).
The Bengals' D has allowed 24-plus points in six of their last seven games after allowing a total of 33 points in first three games this season.
The Texans have rushed for 115-plus yards in nine of 10 games this season and have 300-plus yards of total offense in all 10 games this season.
J.J. Watt is the second player in NFL history with two receiving TDs, an interception return TD and a fumble return TD in the same season (Jay Arnold, 1938 Philadelphia Eagles).
The Jags have allowed 39 QB sacks this season (most in NFL) and could come close to breaking the franchise record (63) set in 2001 with Mark Brunell and Jonathan Quinn.
Trent Richardson has 391 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the season. He has two rushes of 10-plus yards in his last four games, which matches the total of Andrew Luck over that span.
Aaron Rodgers' third-down passer rating of 126.7 is the highest in the NFL. How do you get an offense off the field when the quarterback is tossing for 11 touchdowns and 732 yards on 77 third-down attempts? HOW???
The Packers scored 50-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time in franchise history. No team has ever scored 50-plus points in three straight games. Your move, Rodgers.
The Vikings' seven passing TDs this season are fewest in NFL. The fewest in a 16-game season in franchise history: 12 (2007, quarterbacked primarily by Tarvaris Jackson).
Bill Belichick on NFL Network
Watch Melissa Stark's sit-down with Bill Belichick on Sunday's NFL GameDay First (7 a.m. ET) and NFL GameDay Morning (9 a.m.).
Calvin Johnson and Darrelle Revis were selected 12 picks apart in the 2007 draft and have faced each other twice. When covered by Revis, Johnson has nine targets, five completions, 75 yards, and no scores. When covering Megatron, Revis has two passes defensed and zero picks.
The Patriots' success this season has coincided with Rob Gronkowski's increased usage and productivity. In the last six games, he's averaging 3.4 more catches and 61 more yards than the first four games of the season. The Pats are scoring 20.5 more points in those contests.
Mark Sanchez is coming off consecutive 300-yard games for the first time in his career. The 678 yards in the last two games is Sanchez's highest two-game total of his career.
Zach Mettenberger: career-high 110.2 passer rating last game. The Eagles have allowed a 100-plus passer rating in just three games this season.
Philadelphia has 100-plus rushing yards in five of last six games. Tennessee has allowed 100-plus rushing yards in eight of its last nine games.
Last time the Cardinals owned the best record in the NFL after Week 11 or later was at the end of the 1948 season (11-1).
The Cardinals' offense has leaned on two key attributes: not turning the ball over (only nine giveaways this season, tied for third fewest in the NFL) and converting third downs (45.9 percent rate, fifth best).
Twelve of the Cardinals' 20 takeaways have come in the fourth quarter.
Seahawks are 19-2 at home since 2012 (Russell Wilson era), which is tied for best home record in NFL in that span (Broncos, Patriots).
Seattle boasts the NFL's best rushing offense (174.2 YPG) but the 30th ranked passing offense (191.8 YPG).
The Seahawks are 5-0 when they hold opponent to 20 points or fewer this season -- 1-4 when opponents score more than 20 points.
Just 32.1 percent of the Chargers' rush attempts have gone for 4 or more yards (lowest percent in the NFL).
Over the last four games, Philip Rivers' completion percentage has dropped 6.5 percent; he has 95.7 fewer yards per game; has four more interceptions (6) than Weeks 1-6; and his passer rating has fallen from 117.6 to 76.0.
Forty-nine Dolphins drives have reached the red zone this season, most in NFL. They have scored on 37 red-zone drives (22 TD, 15 FG) but have three red-zone picks (T-most in NFL with TB, PIT and NYG).
The Dolphins' defense is ranked fourth in points per game, second in total yards per game allowed, eighth in rushing yards allowed, second in pass yards and sixth in takeaways (all better than last season). The Dolphins are also allowing just 19.0 percent of 20-plus air yard passes to be completed (lowest in the NFL).
The Broncos rank fifth in points per game (29.3), third in yards per game (412.9), second in passing yards per game (323.0) and first in yards per play (6.2).
Washington has allowed seven drives of 10-plus plays, fewest in NFL. San Francisco has 21 drives of 10-plus plays, T-eighth in NFL.
Colin Kaepernick has thrown zero interceptions in three straight games, his longest streak of season. The Redskins have just three INTs this season, T-fewest in NFL.
San Francisco has 100-plus rushing yards in three of four home games. Washington has allowed 100-plus rushing yards in three of five road games.
The Niners have 10 takeaways in last three games. Redskins have 11 giveaways in last five games.
This season, Michael Vick has completed just 22.6 percent of 10-plus air yard passes (seven of 31 -- lowest in the NFL among QBs with at least 20 such attempts).
During Week 8's game at the Jets, Kyle Orton went 10 of 17, 238 yards, four touchdowns with a 142.8 passer rating. Orton became the first player with four-plus TD passes and 10 or fewer completions in a game since the Steelers' Bubby Brister vs CLE in 1990.
The Ravens are the only team Drew Breeshas never defeated (0-3). With a victory Monday night, Brees will become the third QB in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams, joining Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. Brees, Tom Brady and Kerry Collins have all defeated 31 teams.
Baltimore's offense has allowed 14 sacks this season (T-fourth best in NFL). New Orleans' defense has 16 sacks in their last five games.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps the Raiders' shocking win over the Chiefs and previews every other Week 12 game. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
