9. How strong of a possibility is 0-16 for Cleveland?
The Browns have been competitive in several games in recent weeks, but they let another slip away against the Jaguars last Sunday. There have been stretches during each game where it feels like Hue Jackson’s team may finally get its first win, but Cleveland always comes up short for one reason or another. With the way the schedule looks over the final six weeks, Browns fans should brace themselves for a winless season.
On Sunday, the Browns travel to Cincinnati to face an inconsistent Bengals team. That’s a winnable game, but it’s tough to envision DeShone Kizer doing enough on the road to get a victory. Cleveland then has road games against the Chargers, Bears and Steelers wrapped around two home games vs. the Packers and Ravens. The whole “any given Sunday” thing has proven to be true many times in the NFL, but the Browns are facing an uphill battle.
10. Will Matt Moore grab a hold of the Dolphins’ starting job?
Matt Moore will start against the Patriots in place of Jay Cutler, who is recovering from a concussion. We wondered when he got the start against the Ravens a few weeks back if he would keep the job, but the Dolphins ended up losing 40-0 to the Ravens. Moore threw two interceptions in the game and had a passer rating of 47.2
As awful as Cutler has been all season, Miami head coach Adam Gase continues to stand behind him. Gase is the one who lured Cutler away from the broadcast booth after Ryan Tannehill went down, so he probably feels the need to be loyal to him. But if Moore plays well against the Patriots on Sunday, Cutler may find himself behind Moore.
11. Can Derek Carr find a way to get on track?
At one point last season, it looked like the Raiders were poised to have one of the NFL’s best offenses for years to come. With a wide receiving corps that features Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, why wouldn’t they? Unfortunately, Carr and his pass-catchers have not been on the same page this year, and Oakland ranks towards the bottom of the NFL in offensive production.
Carr has thrown six interceptions over the past five games, which is part of the reason the Raiders have been so inconsistent. They’re almost out of playoff contention at 4-6. Will Carr ever start to look like the guy we saw last season?
12. What type of boost will Greg Olsen give the Panthers?
It took Cam Newton a while to adjust to life without his favorite target after Olsen went down with a foot injury, so the Panthers quarterback must be relieved to have the tight end back in Week 12. Olsen was activated off of injured reserve on Friday and is going to play on Sunday against the New York Jets. Assuming he’s healthy, that should provide Newton and Carolina’s offense with a major boost.
Newton has been inconsistent this season, and a lot of that has to do with his lack of weapons. Olsen missed several weeks, and then Kelvin Benjamin was traded to Buffalo. No one will be happier to have their starting tight end to throw to in Week 12 than Newton.
13. Can Ben Roethlisberger build off of his best game of the season?
Roethlisberger has not played all that well in 2017, with the lowlight being his five-interception performance in a blowout loss to the Jaguars last month. With his critics starting to raise their voices, Big Ben responded in a big way by completing 30-of-45 passes for 299 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in a win over the Titans last week.
On Sunday, the Steelers host a Packers team that has been decent against the pass, allowing 234.4 yards per game. Look for Roethlisberger to try to establish a rhythm early on and make it two quality performances in a row.
14. Will Blaine Gabbert be eaten alive by his former team?
Gabbert was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 draft by the team he is facing this Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars. That team happens to have the best defense in the league and has been terrorizing opposing quarterbacks all season long. The Jags will look to make Gabbert their next victim in Arizona.
Gabbert got the start last weekend at Houston with both Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton injured. He made some plays and threw three touchdown passes, but the Texans intercepted him two times. If Gabbert doesn’t protect the ball against Jacksonville, things will get ugly in a hurry.
15. Does Martavis Bryant have a chance to play a big role in Pittsburgh?
It wasn’t long ago that Bryant was publicly demanding a trade and complaining about his role in the Steelers’ offense. The wide receiver has since been suspended by the team for making comments about rookie teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster. Ironically, Pittsburgh may have to lean on Bryant against the Packers on Sunday with Smith-Schuster out because of a hamstring injury.
Ben Roethlisberger has tried to get Bryant involved in recent weeks with some deep shots, but Bryant has three or fewer catches in each of the last four games he has played in. If the Packers try to take Antonio Brown away, Bryant could be called upon to handle a lot of targets.
