Last May’s NFL schedule release likely didn’t have Sunday’s meeting between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams as a Game of the Year candidate.

That’s changed six months later, with each side at 7-2 and on a four-game win streak. Both are tussling for the NFC West lead and a No. 1 seed. Something has to give.

Advertisement

The same could be said when the Denver Broncos host the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos have won 10 straight games at home. The Chiefs — currently outside the playoff picture — can’t afford many more losses.

Meanwhile, there have been plenty years where a Green Bay Packers-New York Giants game meant two of the league’s elite were about to clash. Instead, on Sunday, it’s two teams at interesting crossroads.

The Athletic’s NFL writers Mike Sando, Jeff Howe and Zak Keefer discuss Week 11.

The Packers and Giants meet on Sunday, with both teams at an interesting crossroads. Brian Daboll is out. How attractive is the Giants’ head coaching job? The Packers are coming off another embarrassing loss. Should Matt LaFleur’s seat really be getting warm in Green Bay?

Keefer: I’m not ready to go that far on Matt LaFleur in Green Bay — he’s 72-36-1 in seven seasons, has made the playoffs every year but one, and deftly positioned this team to succeed in the post-Aaron Rodgers era. Still, there’s something about this Packers’ season that feels underwhelming, and an early playoff exit — if Green Bay makes the postseason —