NFL | The duels on the agenda

Every week, The Press suggests three duels to follow in the NFL. The match sealed in advance, where a team's victory is almost assured. The most surprising duel, where a team could beat a seemingly more powerful rival. Then the part not to be missed, where popcorn and cold drink will be necessary to accompany the action.

The certainty

New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills (Sunday 4:25 p.m.)

The majority of duels in this 16^e week of activity promise to be hotly contested, except the one between the Patriots and the Bills. Even if this meeting should be one-sided, it must be recognized that unlike other lower-ranked teams, the Patriots remain on the right track. Drake Maye is impressive. In his first season in the NFL, he's taking responsibility in his pocket, he's moving well and already making a ton of good decisions. The Patriots have a young group of receivers and with their good positioning in the next draft, they could select an impact player. But this season, it's complicated. And the Bills are on a roll. They have scored 90 points in their last two games. And the Pats allow an average of 24 per game, at 23^e NFL rank. New England simply doesn't have what it takes to bother the Bills and compete with their offense, the second most productive in the league.

Prediction: Bills 31, Patriots 18

The surprise

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday 1 p.m.)

You should never underestimate a team that has nothing to lose. Even though the Browns have no chance of making the playoffs, they are trying new things. Dorian Thompson-Robinson will take over for Jameis Winston at quarterback. The Browns are 3-11, but remember that they still beat the Steelers and Ravens earlier this season. And currently, the Bengals, the other team in the American North division, are fragile. Their last victory against the Titans was nothing convincing, so Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor had a little spat on the sidelines. The Bengals have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Jerry Jeudy, with the Browns, has finally found his comfort. He was his team's best receiver in the last five games with an average haul of 126.8 yards. He will be one to watch.

Prediction: Browns 28, Bengals 24

The unmissable

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens (Saturday 4:30 p.m.)

Both rivals suffered a drop in power at the same time. The Steelers have won two of their last four games. Same for the Ravens. Except that Baltimore showed more bite. Let's take their respective matchups against the Eagles as an example, for comparison. The Steelers lost 27-13. They struggled to generate offense with only 163 net yards. Conversely, the Eagles did just about everything they wanted. For their part, the Ravens lost 24-19. Lamar Jackson threw for 237 yards and involved all of his receivers in one way or another. The Steelers have benefited from a much milder schedule than the Ravens this season. Half of their wins came against teams with a negative record. The Ravens are better built and better prepared for this type of confrontation. We must also remember that during their face-to-face at the 11^e week, Pittsburgh won without even scoring a touchdown. If Jackson is even the slightest bit more accurate this weekend, the Ravens should win.

Prediction: Ravens 24, Steelers 21