Twelve weeks of the first-ever 18-week National Football League (NFL) regular season have been completed and (so far) this has been the most balanced and unpredictable year that many can remember.

Twenty-five games this season have been decided on the final play, the most through 12 weeks since the 1970 merger of the NFL and American Football League (AFL). Additionally, 35 games have had the winning score come in the final minute of regulation or overtime, the fourth-most through 12 weeks since 1970.

Twelve of the 16 teams in the American Football Conference (AFC) are .500 or better – that’s the most in a single conference through Week 12 in NFL history, while across the league, 21 of the 32 teams are at least within a game of .500, so the intensity of the run over the next six weeks for playoff spots should be unhinged.

By the same token, this season has had more than its usual share of lopsided games with 35 being decided by 22 points or more, the second-highest total through 12 weeks since 1970. And not even the NFL’s better teams are immune from blowout defeats.

The Arizona Cardinals have the league’s best record (9-2), with the Green Bay Packers (9-3) hot on their heels, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3) and Baltimore Ravens (8-3) are the next best. The Cardinals lost a game by 24 points, the Packers lost one by 35, the Ravens suffered a 24-point loss and the defending champion Buccaneers have two double-digit losses on their record.

The stampeding Buffalo Bills lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9 in one of the biggest upsets of the season, where neither team scored a touchdown and the winner scoring one more field goal in the 9-6 score line.

The Cleveland Browns went through a 63-point swing from one week to the next, beating the Cincinnati Bengals by 25 points then losing by 38 to the New England Patriots. The same Browns who nabbed four interceptions last Sunday night against Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson and still found a way to lose.

This type of swing from week to week has resulted in surprising unpredictability and a difficulty in determining where Goliath stops and where David begins.

The most consistent performer at this point of the season has been the Patriots (8-4) who took care of an undermanned Tennessee Titans last weekend en route to six-straight victories. The Patriots limped early in the season, losing four of their first six games but have since found stability and structure in the win streak. They visit the Bills (7-4) on Monday night to close Week 13 in what is expected to be a screamer.

At the start of the season, JustBet offered the Bills at the third-best odds to win the Super Bowl. Three months in, they find themselves in the familiar position of looking up at the Patriots. After they won the AFC East Division for the first time in 25 years last season, with quarterback (QB) Josh Allen emerging as a top-flight contender, a lot was expected this year, but their impressive wins have been blanketed by a few horrendous defeats.

The Patriots are 5-0 on the road this season and will be looking to extend their winning run and maintain their lead in the division over the Bills. They have certainly turned things around since the 2-4 start and the most glaring statistical difference is their turnover ratio. After their first six games, New England were minus 3 in the turnover differential but now they are plus 10 for the season (the second best in the NFL). In addition, QB Michael McCorkle “Mac” Jones has been very efficient during the win streak, joining Dak Prescott and Robert Griffin III as the only rookies with a six-win run since 2007.

If the season ended today, the Patriots would be AFC East champions, ending a barren stretch over the past two years. However, if Buffalo is able to hand New England their first road loss of the year, they would re-establish their claim to be, perhaps, the best team in the AFC. Come what may on Monday night, they will meet again on December 26 when one team will be seeking revenge but first, one team has to win this encounter.

Brace for impact.

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Super Bowl LVITampa Bay Buccaneers 6.00

Champion

Team Odds

Kansas City Chiefs 7.60

Green Bay Packers 8.40

Buffalo Bills 8.80

Arizona Cardinals 9.00

Baltimore Ravens 11.00

New England Patriots 11.00

Dallas Cowboys 13.00

Los Angeles Rams 13.00

Tennessee Titans 23.00

*Only top 10 odds shown (see website for full list)