The Chiefs have the fewest three-and-outs in the league but they've just had another one to start the game with the Bengals stuffing the run play attempted to convert the third down.

Joe Burrow gets the ball nice and early.

We're under way in the early kick-offs!

ICYMI... the NFL lost a legend last week as former coach and commentator John Madden died at the age of 85. The league said he died unexpectedly and did not give a cause.

Madden led the then-Oakland Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory in 1977 and became a hugely popular television analyst after retiring from coaching.

He later became the face of Madden NFL Football, one of the most successful sports video games ever, and today the NFL pays tribute.

It's a win-and-in game for the Colts, and the way they've been playing they're one of those fast-finishing sides that nobody will want to face in the play-offs.

They've got a stingy defence, they've got the almost unstoppable leading rusher in the league in Jonathan Taylor, and today they've got QB Carson Wentz back off the Covid list and capable of making plays through the air.

Surprisingly, the Las Vegas Raiders also still have a chance of making it to the post-season for just the second time in two decades, but they'll need to win tonight and against the Los Angeles Chargers next week.

Before they can consider what might even be a winner-takes-all battle with the Bolts, though, stopping Taylor is priority number one - as the MVP candidate has piled up 1,626 yards and 17 TDs this season.

Indy's defence has allowed just 17 points or less five times in the last six games, with only Tom Brady able to really carve them open, while Vegas haven’t scored more than 17 points in their last four games.

At 12-3, the Green Bay Packers have the NFL's best record and the defending MVP in Aaron Rodgers.

Does the 38-year-old deserve to become the first man since Peyton Manning in 2009 to be named the NFL's MVP in back-to-back seasons?

There are just two games left for his rivals to reinforce their claim. They include fellow QBs Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, the Dallas Cowboys' defensive rookie Micah Parsons, or should Jonathan Taylor be the first running back named MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012?

Who would get your vote? Let us know who - and why - by using #bbcnfl on Twitter., external

It's now four defeats in a row for the banged-up Baltimore Ravens as they've tumbled out of the play-off spots, and now they face the high-flying Los Angeles Rams, who are just a game behind Green Bay at the top of the NFC.

It's even more heart-breaking for Baltimore when you consider that before last week's loss against the Bengals they'd lost three games by a grand total of four points!

And even worse, head coach John Harbaugh could've taken two of those games to overtime and taken his chances there, but went for a two-point conversion rather than kicking an extra point and came up empty handed.

They now look costly decisions as defeat here likely ends their play-off chances.

Matthew Stafford comes to Baltimore and is bringing record-chasing receiver Cooper Kupp with him, and after Joe Burrow torched this secondary last week, it could be another tough night at the office for Baltimore's stand-in defensive backs.

Osi Umenyiora
Two-time Super Bowl winner on The NFL Show

Only the Kansas City Chiefs (eight) are on a longer winning run than the Miami Dolphins, whose seven straight victories have transformed their season after a 1-7 start.

Jason Bell is going for another Miami win today but fellow BBC pundit Osi Umenyiora said: "They're still pretty bad.

"Those seven games that they've won have been against nobodies. This is going to be a test for them against Tennessee."

The Miami Dolphins have made history this season by becoming the first team to lose seven games in a row but then reel off seven straight wins. And that remarkable run has put them into the play-offs!

They're on 8-7 and have a host of teams on the same mark lining up behind them though, and today they face the 10-5 Tennessee Titans, who are chasing down the Chiefs for the AFC's top seed.

And here's another nice stat for you, it's just the third time since October that Miami are facing a team with a better record than them - and just their second game since then against a team with a winning record.

So is a kind schedule behind their run? We'll find out tonight....

In recent years the NFC West has been the most competitive division in the NFL. Not so this year, with a poor season by the Seattle Seahawks having already put them out of play-off contention.

Instead, the AFC North is this season's closest division as all four teams can still reach the post-season, with the Cincinnati Bengals now top after the Baltimore Ravens' slide due to personnel problems, which the Cleveland Browns failed to take advantage of with quarterback Baker Mayfield struggling.

A Bengals win today would see them clinch the AFC North title, just two years after picking up the NFL's wooden spoon, but BBC pundit Osi Umenyiora reckons they'll have to rely on some other scenarios.

"This is not the game to do it in," he said. "Going up against that Kansas City Chiefs defence is going to be very tough for them and Patrick Mahomes is on fire right now."

Jason Bell added on The NFL Show: "Let's see what the Chiefs can do against Joe Burrow. But Cincinnati's defence, I think they're going to struggle against Kansas City."

And here's what the Bengals are up against today - Patrick Mahomes, who has won 26 straight games played in the months of November, December and January - the business end of the season.

That's what will get you to back-to-back Super Bowls, will they make it three in a row?

What a game this is! And what we really want to see here is a shootout between Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes - with both teams loaded with offensive talent.

These two especially are big-play merchants, although many defences try to limit that with the Chiefs now, but it's not stopped them stringing eight straight wins together as they zero in on top spot in the AFC.

Cincy will claim the AFC North with a home victory, though, and they've got just the kind of attack that could trouble a Chiefs defence that was garbage at the start of the season but has performed an incredible turnaround.

The Chiefs have actually allowed 10 points or less in five of their last eight wins, with only the Los Angeles Chargers getting over 17, with takeaways being a huge factor as they’ve forced 20 and given away just six turnovers in the last seven games.

This one could get tasty...

Remarkably, with just two games of the regular season left, the Kansas City Chiefs are the only team in the AFC Conference to have already booked a play-off place. And their opponents today, the Cincinnati Bengals, could join them - just two years after finishing with the league's worst record.

That ensures that a few months later that team has the first pick from the best college talent in the NFL draft, one of the measures the league has in place to balance out its competitiveness. With their pick in 2020, the Bengals selected Joe Burrow and now look at them - last week the former LSU quarterback threw for a whopping 525 yards as Cincy moved to a 9-6 record, putting them right among the traditional AFC powerhouses and atop the AFC North.

BBC pundit Osi Umenyiora said on The NFL Show: "It's absolutely incredible. There's complete parity in the NFL. This is something they've been trying to achieve for however long the NFL has been in existence. This year it's all fallen together perfectly. It's a fantastic season."

Incredibly, just six of the 14 play-off spots have been booked with just two games to go in the regular season, and the top spot in the AFC and NFC are still up for grabs.

The top seeds get the one and only bye on offer and will play at home throughout the play-offs and in this sport that's a huge advantage.

Right now here's how it's looking, but so much can - and will - change over the course of the evening.

AFC

1. Chiefs (11-4) - Won AFC West
2. Titans (10-5)
3. Bengals (9-6)
4. Bills (9-6)
5. Colts (9-6)
6. Patriots (9-6)
7. Dolphins (8-7)

In the hunt: Ravens (8-7), Chargers (8-7), Raiders (8-7), Steelers (7-7-1), Browns (7-8)

NFC

1. Packers (12-3) - Won NFC North
2. Cowboys (11-4) - Won NFC East
3. Rams (11-4) - Clinched play-off spot
4. Buccaneers (11-4) - Won NFC South
5. Cardinals (10-5) - Clinched play-off spot
6. 49ers (8-7)
7. Eagles (8-7)

In the hunt: Vikings (7-8), Falcons (7-8), Saints (7-8)

• Atlanta Falcons v Buffalo Bills
• New York Giants v Chicago Bears
• Kansas City Chiefs v Cincinnati Bengals
• Miami Dolphins v Tennessee Titans
• Las Vegas Raiders v Indianapolis Colts
• Jacksonville Jaguars v New England Patriots
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers v New York Jets
• Philadelphia Eagles v Washington Football Team
• Los Angeles Rams v Baltimore Ravens
• Denver Broncos v Los Angeles Chargers (21:05)
• Houston Texans v San Francisco 49ers (21:05)
• Arizona Cardinals v Dallas Cowboys (21:25)
• Carolina Panthers v New Orleans Saints (21:25)
• Detroit Lions v Seattle Seahawks (21:25)
• Minnesota Vikings v Green Bay Packers (01:20)
• Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh Steelers (Monday Night Football 01:15)

As always, let's get you started by looking at the best plays from last week's action...

Welcome along NFL fans to the penultimate week of regular season action, when play-off places get won and lost - and there are plenty of them up for grabs.

It's been a thrilling season and with no real dominant teams, so much is still to be decided, and not all of it this week. We should be seeing a few things settled tonight, though, in a bumper night of action.

We've got nine early games and then five in the later window and we'll bring you all of the best action as it happens right here.

Buckle up!