3) Pittsburgh Steelers: This team just delivered a dud in the first of a grueling three-game stretch. It wasn’t merely that the Steelers lost to Philadelphia on Sunday. It was the way the Eagles thoroughly outplayed them that should’ve turned heads. Head coach Mike Tomlin prides himself on the way his squad can muck up games and drag opponents into cage matches. They never came anywhere close to creating such problems for the Eagles, who threw the ball all over the place after playing conservative offense for weeks. The Steelers offense also displayed no ability to keep up with wide receiver George Pickens missing the game with a hamstring injury. The big takeaway here: He better be healthy if the Steelers want to win some games in the postseason. It also had to be deflating to see edge rusher T.J. Watt knocked out of the game with an ankle injury. The Steelers see the Ravens next and the Chiefs on Christmas Day. They could easily lose their current spot atop the AFC North if they can’t get healthy and right quick.

4) Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons once looked like they were going to run away with the NFC South. You know — back when they were 6-3 and the rest of the division was in disarray. Now you have to wonder how they ever catch the Buccaneers after Tampa Bay beat up on the Chargers. The Falcons go into their Monday night game with Las Vegas needing a victory just to stay one game behind the Bucs in the race for the division crown. Atlanta would’ve been in better shape had the Bucs lost to Los Angeles but so much for that. The Chargers were the last winning team Tampa Bay will play this season, as the Bucs finish with Dallas, Carolina and New Orleans. Atlanta could still win the division if it comes down to tiebreakers (it did beat Tampa Bay twice already) but that’s a lot to ask at this point. The Falcons are riding a four-game losing streak heading into Monday night, while the Bucs have won four straight contests. This is the epitome of two teams going in different directions.

5) Anybody who doesn’t call Los Angeles home in the NFC West: The wonkiest division in football this season feels like it’s about to be won by a team that started the season 1-4. The Rams should’ve been left for dead when they were decimated by injuries so early in the season. Instead, they’ve endured and the rest of the division has faced their challenges. The Seattle Seahawks had a one-game lead when the weekend began, but the Green Bay Packers thumped them on Sunday Night Football. The San Francisco 49ers have fallen so far that they only managed two field goals in a Thursday night loss to the Rams and watched linebacker De’Vondre Campbell refuse to enter the game. The Arizona Cardinals did have a positive weekend — earning a 30-17 win over New England — but they had lost three in a row before that. The Rams are playing the best football of anybody in the division. They’re also healthy and in control of their destiny, since they’ll finish the year with home games against the Cardinals and Seahawks. You don’t want to bet against that.