Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys Highlight NFL Week 14 Prime Time

The NFL Week 14 primetime slate features a pair potential Super Bowl teams in division leaders Detroit and Kansas City.

The Lions and Chiefs are the only 11-1 teams in the league as the stretch run begins, and both have a chance to extend their division leads against challengers Green Bay and the Los Angeles Chargers, respectively.

The Lions are off to the best start in the 95-year history of the franchise, but they still do not have much breathing room. Minnesota (10-2) and and Green Bay (9-3) are right behind in the NFC North, which is playing like the best in the league.

The Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills (10-2) are the only teams to have clinched playoff spots, and the Chiefs are motivated by the fact that if they finish tied with Buffalo, the Bills would have home field advantage through the AFC playoffs by virtue of their 30-21 victory over Kansas City three weeks ago.

Detroit will play its second consecutive Thursday game when if it plays host to Green Bay. The Lions beat the Packers 24-14 in the first meeting this season and enter after holding off the Chicago Bears 23-20 on Thanksgiving, a loss that led to the dismissal of Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus the following day.

Kansas City and San Diego (8-4) will play the second game of their season series Sunday night. The Chiefs won the initial meeting 17-10 in the fourth week of the season.

The Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) and Dallas Cowboys (5-7) will meet on Monday night, each holding a slim chance at a playoff spot.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Green Bay Packers (9-3) at Detroit Lions (11-1)

How to watch: Prime Video, 8:15 pm ET

Key matchup: Josh Jacobs vs Lions D

Early line: Lions -3.5

This has the makings of a high-scoring game. Detroit and Green Bay rank 2-3 in the league in total offense, both averaging more than 382 yards per game, and the uber-balanced Lions’ attack is scoring a league-high 31.9 points per game. At the same time, both rank in the middle of the pack in total defense.

Detroit has won 10 in a row, its only loss 20-16 to Tampa Bay in the second week of the season. The Lions have scored 99 points the last three games and have been over 40 four times this season

Quarterback Jared Goff, protected by the consensus No. 1 offensive line in the league, has completed 72 percent of his passes and thrown for 22 scores. His passer rating is second in the league behind Lamar Jackson. Tight end Sam LaPorta has two touchdown passes against Chicago and has five this season.

The Packers have won three in a row and seven of their last eight, the only defeat in the home loses to Detroit despite outgunning the Lions 411-261 in total offense.

Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love has 20 touchdowns but 11 interceptions, and the Packers recently have relied on a running game led by Jacobs (987 yards rushing), who has five touchdowns during the three-game winning streak.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)

How to watch: NBC/Peacock, 8:20 pm ET

Key matchup: Patrick Mahomes vs Chargers D

Early line: Chiefs -3.5

The Chiefs have won nine games by seven points or less, and they found another escape hatch in a 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last Friday when the Raiders muffed a snap on their final play of the game while in field goal range. Kansas City recovered, and the win clinched their 10th consecutive playoff berth, the second-longest streak in league history.

Quarterback Mahomes’s numbers are down — he has 19 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions, nine in the last seven games. It is the third-most in the league and three short of a career high. The offensive line has not helped. Mahomes has been sacked a career-high 32 times. The defense

The Chargers bring the NFL’s top defense statistically into the match. Jim Harbaugh’s bend-don’t-break group has limited opponents to a league-low 15.7 points, although they are in the middle of the pack in yards allowed. They have plus-11 turnover margin, third in the league behind Buffalo and Baltimore, after intercepting Kirk Cousins four times in a 17-13 victory at Atlanta last week.

Quarterback Justin Herbert has played well since recovering from a high ankle sprain that bothered him the first month of the season, when the Chargers opened with losses to the Chiefs and Pittsburgh. The Chargers’ only loss in their last six games was to Baltimore, although they are again will be without injured leading rusher J.K. Dobbins.

MONDAY NIGHT

Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) at Dallas Cowboys (5-7)

How to watch: ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, 8:15 pm ET

Key matchup: Joe Burrow vs Cowboys D

Early line: Bengals -5.5

Cincinnati brings the most prolific passing combination into a game that both teams must win to remain in contention for a playoff berth, although both have much more work to do.

Burrow leads the league with 3,347 yards passing and has thrown 30 touchdowns against only interceptions. He has 15 touchdowns in his last four games, although the Bengals enter on a three-game losing streak in which they scored 99 points but allowed 113.

Ja’Marr Chase has a league-high 1,142 yards and 13 touchdowns on 79 receptions.

The Cowboys have won two in a row behind Cooper Rush and with Carolina and Tampa Bay in the next two weeks could find themselves in the mix for the final NFC wild card spot, although their 26th-ranked defense needs to tighten up.