Thirteen best games left in 2015 NFL season includes Brady-Manning matchup
As far as the NFL's 2015 regular-season schedule goes, the best might still be ahead.
The final two months include two matchups featuring currently unbeaten teams (New England Patriots at Denver Broncos, and Cincinnati Bengals at Broncos) as well as as a legion of key divisional showdowns.
Here are our picks for the 13 best contests left on the slate:
Week 9
— Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers: Homefield advantage could be the deciding factor in the NFC playoffs, and the road to the No. 1 seed might start here.
Week 10
— Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks: Arizona hosts Seattle in the final week of the season, but this matchup might set the tone for the NFC West race.
Week 11
— Packers at Minnesota Vikings: If the Vikes can pull off the victory at home, Green Bay might be facing a real threat in the NFC North.
— Bengals at Cardinals: Both Cincinnati and Arizona are looking to establish that themselves as postseason threats.
Week 12
— Patriots at Broncos: Forget Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. Brady taking on the league's No. 1 defense is the real reason to tune in to the potential game of the year.
Week 14:
— Pittsburgh Steelers at Bengals: With Cincinnati undefeated and Pittsburgh at .500 right now, this could determine whether the AFC North will be wrapped up early or not.
— Atlanta Falcons at Panthers: The first of two late-season meetings between these NFC South foes should have plenty of playoff implications.
— Oakland Raiders at Broncos: Denver appears to be running away with the AFC West, but Oakland can make a serious move toward the postseason if it can pull off the upset.
Week 16
— Patriots at New York Jets: Will the Patriots still be undefeated in the final weeks? Whether the Jets are still in the hunt in the AFC East or just looking to play spoiler, New York will be ready.
— St. Louis Rams at Seahawks: The Rams already showed they can stand up to Seattle, but grabbing a win on the road will be a tall order.
— Packers at Cardinals: Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay will need to have their issues at wide receiver resolved when they head to the desert to face Arizona's talented secondary.
— Bengals at Broncos: This might be the Bengals' final chance before the postseason to prove that they can take on a top team when it counts, especially if a playoff bye is on the table.
Week 17
— Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants: There's no telling which games will be relevant in the final week, but it's a decent bet that these two teams will put up a fight to the end in the wild NFC East, which often gets decided on the regular season's final weekend.
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Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @mikemschwartz
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