4th & Monday: NFL's playoff picture packed with possibilities

While it appears as if the Patriots and Steelers are running away with the top two playoff seeds in the AFC, the NFC playoff race is really heating up as the calendar gets ready to move to December. 

After the events of Week 12, there's a lot to look forward to in Week 13. The Saints' loss to the Rams, coupled with the Panthers' win over the Jets, sets up a matchup for the NFC South lead next Sunday. After beating the Buccaneers, the Falcons are just a game behind the division leaders, but have a home game against the Vikings up next. The Vikings are just a game behind the Eagles — who manhandled the Bears — for the best record in the conference.

CHECK OUT THE PLAYOFF PICTURE AS IT STANDS NOW. 

Meanwhile, the Patriots are steamrolling toward another deep playoff run, with the AFC's road toward Super Bowl LII potentially running through Foxborough -- again. The Steelers, who earned a last-second win over the Packers on Sunday night, sport an identical 9-2 record as New England and seem to be the only other legitimate threat to preventing yet another Patriots appearance on Super Sunday.

MORE: 40 things we learned in Week 12 | Playoff picture

THE MUST-SEE MOMENTS YOU MISSED

- FIGHT! The Raiders and Broncos don't like each other -- and Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib especially don't like each other. Is anyone surprised at all the extracurricular activity that included gold chains being ripped off and punches being thrown? 

- The Patriots' Rob Gronkowski and Brandin Cooks had a fun TD celebration. But Gronkowski's response when asked about it after the game might have been even better. 

- Aaron Rodgers appears to be recovering just fine from his collarbone injury. 

- A Dolphins CB was also ejected for throwing a punch at the Patriots' Danny Amendola.

- You know Matt Ryan can sling it, but what if he's not even the best QB on the Falcons? Mohamed Sanu could give him a run for his money after this TD toss.

- When coaches say QBs shouldn't throw into quadruple coverage, they're talking to everyone except Marcus Mariota. 

- Have you ever wondered what it would look like if Pacman Jones gave birth to a baby football? Send our congratulations to the Mrs. 

- Just like your parents used to say, Jerry Jones isn't mad about the Cowboys three-game skid, he's just "disappointed."

- While Eagles players played Tic-Tac-Toe during a blowout win over the Bears, a fan called for the firing of Chicago coach John Fox in a most creative way.

- Alex Smith, make way for the rookie. Your time as the Chiefs QB may be over. 

- Jets WR Robby Anderson lobbying for Pro Bowl votes didn't go over well with his coach.

- Cowboys fans really wanted Tony Romo under center during an embarrassing Thanksgiving Day loss.

- Dish Network, CBS reached a deal - but not until after millions missed the Chargers-Cowboys game.

TOP GALLERIES: Best of Week 12 | NFL Cheerleaders

THE RUNDOWN

Falcons 34, Buccaneers 20: Julio Jones was virtually unstoppable on Sunday, racking up 253 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 12 receptions.

Bengals 30, Browns 16: The Browns continued to look like the Browns, making this an easy win for the Bengals.

Titans 20, Colts 16: DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry came through in the fourth quarter as the Titans ran past the Colts.

Bills 16, Chiefs 10: What is going on in Kansas City? The Chiefs look like a completely different team, one that's playing its way out of the playoffs.

Patriots 35, Dolphins 17: The Patriots are really good at football-related activities; just ask the Dolphins.

Panthers 35, Jets 27: The Panthers struggled, but a found a way to win thanks to a fumble recovery and punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Eagles 31, Bears 3: Fly, Eagles Fly! Philly danced their way to yet another easy win.

Rams 26, Saints 20: The Rams snapped the Saints' win streak at eight games, and had the look of a legit contender in the process.

Raiders 21, Broncos 14: Fights, ejections and a Raiders win spoiled Paxton Lynch's first start. 

Seahawks 24, 49ers 13: Sure, the Niners lost, but the minute of play from Jimmy Garoppolo had to be encouraging. 

Cardinals 27, Jaguars 24: Ageless wonder Phil Dawson provided the Cardinals with their first win of the season over a team with a winning record.

Steelers 31, Packers 28: Antonio Brown saved the Steelers after the Brett Hundley-led Packers pushed Pittsburgh to the brink in a surprisingly exciting Sunday nighter.

Vikings 30, Lions 23 (Thanksgiving): Case Keenum was unstoppable in the first half and Detroit just couldn't close the gap.

Chargers 28, Cowboys 6 (Thanksgiving): Dallas, you've got a problem. Phillip Rivers feasted on the Cowboys' secondary for 434 yards and three touchdowns in the rout.

Redskins 20, Giants 10 (Thanksgiving): Both teams flopped in prime time, making this one real turkey of a game to end Thanksgiving Day.

EYES ON THE (FANTASY) PRIZE

With one week remaining in the fantasy regular season, owners are more concerned about backing up their stars for the playoffs than finding a starter for Week 13. 

With that in mind, Aaron Rodgers was spotted launching 50-yard throws Sunday night -- less than six weeks after surgery on his broken collarbone. He's eligible to be activated in Week 15 ...

If there's any doubt about the running back to own in New England, Rex Burkhead scored a touchdown rushing and another receiving. 

Skeptics likely scoffed at Ricky Seals-Jones scoring twice last week in his NFL debut. However, the Cardinals tight end followed it up with four catches for 72 yards and another TD. 

MORE: Fantasy takeaways from Week 12

INJURY UPDATE

- Denver Broncos QB Paxton Lynch suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter against the Oakland Raiders and didn't return.

- San Francisco 49ers QB C.J. Beathard suffered a lower left leg injury against the Seattle Seahawks. It is unclear if he will play in Week 13. If not, Jimmy Garoppolo will make his first start for the 49ers.

- Oakland Raiders WR Amari Cooper left the game against the Denver Broncos with a concussion. 

- Carolina Panthers TE Greg Olsen suffered a foot injury and didn't return for the second half against the New York Jets.

- Atlanta Falcons CB Desmond Trufant suffered a concussion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

COMING THIS WEEK

Monday: Week 12 concludes Monday night when the Baltimore Ravens play host to the Houston Texans (8:30 ET, ESPN).

Tuesday: Paste BN Sports' NFL experts offer their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 12. Don't agree with our rankings? Speak up! Submit your own rankings to tell us where our experts got it wrong with our NFL Fan Power Rankings.

Thursday: Week 13 kicks off Thursday with an NFC East rivalry game between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys (8:25 p.m. ET, NBC).