By the time the Week 13 schedule officially comes to an end, the NFC playoff race is likely going to have a completely different look thanks to the fact that we're getting some huge games on Sunday. One of those games is being played in Atlanta, where the suddenly resurgent will be looking to knock off a team that hasn't lost a game in two months. After starting off the season 2-2, the Vikings have now jumped to the No. 2 spot in the NFC playoff race Leonard Williams Jersey thanks to a seven-game winning streak that's included wins over the , and .Of course, the Vikings might not be in the No. 2 spot for long if they can't beat the Falcons on Sunday. The suddenly hot Falcons have won three in a row after a 4-4 start, which has vaulted them into the sixth spot of the NFC playoff race.The one odd thing about the Falcons is that they've been highly succe sful against NFC teams lately. Although they've struggled against the AFC -- going 1-3 this season -- the Falcons have been dominant against teams in their conference over the past year. Including the playoffs, the Falcons have gone 13-1 against NFC opponents dating back to Week 12 of the 2016 season. Although this game matches up two of the top teams in the NFC, it's been relegated to a 1 p.m. kickoff time.Here's what you need to know about the game. How to watch, stream Kickoff:Dec. 3, 1 p.m. ET TV: FOX (Check local listings) Streaming: (Try for free)Can the Vikings stop stop ?The Vikings defense has faced some stiff tests this season, but none will be bigger than Sunday's, when they take on a Falcons offense that's looked nearly unstoppable over the past five weeks of the season. After stumbling out to a 3-3 start on the year, the Falcons now seem to be on the same page as new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, which has allowed the offense to thrive lately.One of the biggest benefactors of the Falcons' suddenly explosive offense is Julio Jones, who's coming off a 253-yard game that he had in Week 12 during a 34-20 win over the . Jones isn't putting up huge numbers every week, but he is doing some major damage when he touches the ball: In four of the Falcons' past five games, Jones has averaged more than 14 yards per catch. When Jones has been able to make big plays this year, that has almost always meant a win for the Falcons. The receiver has averaged 13 or more yards per catch a total of seven time this year and the Falcons have gone 6-1 in those games. On the other hand, when Jones averages under 13 Sterling Shepard Jersey yards per catch, the Falcons have gone 1-3.The man in Minnesota who will be responsible for shutting Jones down this week is Vikings cornerback . Although corners are usually trash-talkers -- just ask a guy like -- Rhodes wasn't about to poke the bear this week. The Vikings' corner didn't have ."Julio is Julio," Rhodes said this week, via Adoree' Jackson Jersey the Falcons' official website. " He's big, fast, physical, can get the ball once it's in the air. I don't think he has a weakne s. He's focused, doesn't talk much on the field, so it's hard to get in his head. It's Julio." So does Rhodes have anything special planned for the week to help him match up with one of the NFL's best receivers?Not exactly."Same regimen. Same thing," Rhodes said. "Don't believe in the hype, don't be afraid of the name. I know he's one of the best receivers in the league and I just have to go out and play with a mindset and have confidence going up against him."As for Jones, he's actually hoping that he gets man coverage this week." Xavier Rhodes is a ," Jones said Thursday, via . "We go out and hopefully we'll get man-to-man. We'll see. I don't know how they are going to play me. They have a little tendency a little bit to cheat the safety to the star. But we'll see Sunday." Not only are the Vikings going to have to deal with Jones this week, but they're also going to have to deal with the return of . Freeman hasn't played since suffering a concu sion in Week 10, but has been cleared for Sunday's game against the Vikings.You can read more . Can Freeman run on one of the NFL's best defenses?Jones might be the star of the Falcons' offense, but Freeman could potentially have the bigger impact on Sunday's game. If the Falcons have proven one thing this year, it's that they're nearly unbeatable when they can move the ball on the ground.The Falcons have rushed for 125 or more yards a total of six times this year and in those Riley Dixon Jersey six games, they've gone 5-1. Unfortunately for Atlanta, that won't be an easy number to hit on Sunday because they'll be going up against a Vikings defense that ranks second in the NFL against the run this season, surrendering just 75.5 yards per game. If the Falcons are going to have succe s on the ground, it's going to be because Freeman is able to gash his way through the Vikings' defense. The Falcons running back, who mi sed the team's past two games with a concu sion and has already suffered two concu sions this season, says he won't be thinking the po sibility of suffering another head injury when he's on the field."It's not something to worry about because I feel like anything that is going to happen will happen," Freeman said this week. "You can't live and dwell on what happens in the past. I'm just moving forward. I'm going to be the same guy when I get back on the field. Still have fun, talk junk a little bit ... just have fun with it."If Freeman can handle it, Falcons coach Dan Quinn would like to make sure he gets a full load on Sunday. "We're hopeful of that, yeah," Quinn said this week. "From a conditioning standpoint, he's in good shape. He's really pushed it in that way, so we're hopeful that we get back to both Tevin Coleman and Free and use them together."Quinn is hoping that Coleman and Freeman will be the 1-2 punch that can help Atlanta knock out the Vikings. Who will win? Despite the fact that the Vikings have won seven games in a row, oddsmakers have still made them a three-point underdog in this game. CBSSports.com Senior NFL writer Pete Prisco actually agrees with the guys in Vegas and says that the Falcons are going to cover with a big win over the visiting Vikings. This is the game of the week. The matchup between the Vikings defense and the Falcons offense will be a treat to watch, but this game will be decided by the Vikings offense against the Atlanta defense and I think the Falcons get the best of that. Atlanta takes this one 26-16.To check out all Julian Love Jersey the Week 13 picks from our NFL team, be .
