NFL Week 16 is in full swing, with three games already scheduled after the action on Thursday and Saturday. Another 13 hotly contested matchups will take place on Sunday and Monday as teams continue to fight to secure tickets to the postseason or gain some respect after disappointing campaigns.

Three AFC teams – Kansas City, Buffalo and Houston – won their divisions. Five other teams – Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the AFC; Detroit, Philadelphia and Minnesota in the NFC have also secured playoff spots. The number of division champions or playoff qualifiers could increase by Monday evening.

Here’s a rundown of five of the week’s most compelling storylines. (Find the full schedule here.)

1. Can the Eagles keep winning?

The Eagles have won 10 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest in team history. On Sunday they put their winning streak on the line and there is a lot at stake. They travel down Interstate 95 to take on the Washington Commanders (9-5), who are in second place in the NFC East and secured their first playoff berth in 2020 with a win over Philadelphia and some help from their Atlanta Falcons opponents Can secure 2020 and Seattle Seahawks.

However, the Eagles have plenty of motivation of their own. With a win on Sunday, they can not only clinch the NFC East, but also move one step closer to first place in the NFC. The Eagles, Lions and Vikings enter Sunday with identical 12-2 records. Philadelphia wants to use its momentum and overtake Detroit, which is suffering from injuries, while trying to fend off Minnesota, which has rattled off seven straight wins and covets the Lions’ spot atop the NFC North.

Philadelphia defeated Washington 26-18 in Week 11. The Commanders hope improved health can help change their fate this time. However, the Eagles are playing their best ball of the season and had their best passing game last week. They have the best rushing attack in the league and an effective defense. Philadelphia has won six of the last seven meetings with Washington. (Eagles at Commanders, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)

2. Detroit Lions: Fluctuating or resilient?

For much of the season, the Lions appeared to be the best team in football. But injuries may already be taking their toll, and Dan Campbell’s team is in danger of losing not only its place at the top of the NFC standings, but also in the NFC North.

After losing 48-42 to Buffalo last week, the Lions will look to bounce back on Sunday in Chicago. Missed opportunities on defense, in the red zone and in the turnover department derailed the Lions last week. “We couldn’t get out of each other’s way,” Campbell said. But he expects his players to learn from last week’s mistakes and use the loss to Chicago as a motivating factor.

“This is not the time to panic and freak out and act as if things are worse than they are,” Campbell stressed this week, adding: “It’s all fixable and we will get it corrected .”

The host Bears are hoping to end their eight-game losing streak and have yet to find a solution despite firing coach Matt Eberflus three weeks ago. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has taken better care of the football, not throwing an interception for eight straight weeks. But it is still not always accurate. Williams hasn’t passed for more than 200 yards in two straight games, and the Bears have been outscored 68-25 in two games since Eberflus’ firing. Chicago needs to support its quarterback more and also stop Jared Goff. The Lions quarterback ranks second in the NFL with 3,759 passing yards and only needs three touchdown passes to surpass his career high (32). (Lions at Bears, 1 p.m., Sunday).

3. Penix’s Falcons make their debut

After leading the NFC South for a while, the Falcons slipped, losing four straight. They managed to end the slide last week, but at 7-7 and in danger of missing the playoffs, the Falcons made a change at quarterback.

Rookie Michael Penix Jr. makes his first start Sunday because coach Raheem Morris ran out of patience with veteran Kirk Cousins, who threw just one touchdown pass and nine interceptions in the last five games. Penix, the eighth pick of the draft, faces a Giants defense that is giving up just 200.4 passing yards per game and yet has just two interceptions. New York’s defense ranks 31st in the league against the run, averaging 143.7 yards per game. So look for the Falcons to rely heavily on running back Bijan Robinson, who has 1,102 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season.

For the Giants, who have lost nine straight, the quarterback carousel continues. Brian Daboll has rejoined Drew Lock, who was inactive last week but had no touchdown passes and two interceptions as a starter in Weeks 13 and 14. The Giants are last in the NFL in scoring at 14.9 points per game, so Atlanta has a chance to get back on track in the playoff race with a win and a loss from the Commanders and Seahawks to come. (Giants at Falcons, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)

4. The NFC West race remains tight

Speaking of Seattle, things remain pretty muddled in the NFC West, where the Rams overtook the Seahawks for first place. Just 1-4 after an injury-plagued start to the season, the Rams have won seven of their last nine and three straight to improve to 8-6. Seattle fell to Green Bay 30-13 last week, ending the Seahawks’ four-game winning streak.

The Seahawks now face the big challenge of slowing down the 12-2 Vikings. The Rams face the struggling New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals (7-7) face the struggling Carolina Panthers. So it’s possible that the Rams could extend their lead in the division if Seattle slips further and is overtaken by Arizona. The pressure has certainly reached a boiling point. Positions fluctuate almost weekly in this highly competitive division, but time is running out. (Rams at Jets and Cardinals at Panthers, Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET; Vikings at Seahawks, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET.)

5. AFC last minute effort

Things will largely be decided in the AFC playoff picture. The Chiefs, Bills and Texans all won division crowns. The Steelers and Ravens are both 10-5 after Baltimore beat Pittsburgh 34-17 on Saturday to clinch a playoff spot. They will be fighting for the AFC North title in the home stretch. However, the final two AFC spots could be tight.

The Chargers and Broncos (both 9-6) are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, after their win Thursday night against Los Angeles. The Colts, Dolphins and Bengals, meanwhile, are all staying alive with identical 6-8 records. To reach the postseason, Indianapolis, Miami and Cincinnati all need to win and hope for rebounds from the teams ahead of them. They all have winnable games on Sunday. The Bengals host the downtrodden Browns, the Colts face the hapless Titans and the Dolphins play the disappointing 49ers.

Who will stay alive for another week? The Bengals, who have won two straight with an electric offense but a poor defense? (They’ve averaged about 32 points scored and given up over the last five games.) The wildly inconsistent Colts, who had an up-and-down streak, beating the Jets and Patriots but losing to the Lions and Broncos? Or the suddenly sputtering Dolphins, who have now lost two of their last three after three midseason games? (Browns at Bengals and Titans at Colts, Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET; 49ers at Dolphins, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET.)

(Top photo of Darius Slay and CJ Gardner-Johnson: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)