will go on without wide receiver Antonio Brown.The perennial Pro Bowler will sit out the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals with a knee injury. Pittsburgh will also be without starting inside linebacker Vince Williams (toe) and safety Sean Davis Julian Edelman Jerseys Stitched , who is dealing with a quadriceps injury.Kicker Matt McCrane will make his debut for Pittsburgh after Chris Boswell was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.The Steelers need to win and hope the Ravens lose to Cleveland to capture the AFC North. Pittsburgh clinches a playoff spot with a victory over the Bengals and a tie between Indianapolis and Tennessee on Sunday night.Cincinnati will play without linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who was diagnosed with a concussion last week. Hardy Nickerson will start in place of Burfict.Cody Core will start at wide receiver for the Bengals, with linebacker Vincent Rey at outside linebacker and Darqueze Dennard at cornerback.The Ravens will face the Browns without offensive lineman Alex Lewis, who will miss a fourth straight game with a shoulder injury.Lewis has been placed in the inactive list in a game the Ravens likely need to win to clinch the AFC North title.Lewis last started on Dec. 2 against Atlanta, when he helped the Ravens compiled 207 yards rushing in a 26-16 victory.Baltimore also placed running back Javorius Allen and quarterback Robert Griffin III on the inactive list.Cleveland’s inactives include quarterback Drew Stanton and defensive linemen Chad Thomas and Carl Davis.The Chiefs are missing running back Spencer Ware because of a hamstring injury and star safety Eric Berry because of a recurrence of his heel problem as they try to clinch the AFC West and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs against Oakland.Damien Williams will get the start at running back for Kansas City. Darrel Williams, who also has been dealing with a hamstring issue, will back him up along with Charcandrick West.Top cornerback Kendall Fuller returned after missing the Chiefs’ previous game with a broken hand. He was still wearing a cast, but planned to start opposite Steven Nelson against the Raiders.Todd Gurley is skipping the Los Angeles Rams‘ last game of the regular season to rest his sore knee for the playoffs.Gurley entered the finale leading the NFL with 21 touchdowns, but he will miss the Rams’ final two games of the regular season. The Rams also faced San Francisco without starting safety Lamarcus Joyner.The 49ers wrapped up their fifth straight non-winning season without running back Matt Breida and receivers Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin. Breida and Pettis were placed on injured reserve.The Seahawks will be without starting safety Tedric Thompson for the second straight game because of a chest injury. The Seahawks are also down starting left guard J.R. Sweezy because of a sprained foot. Sweezy was injured last week against Kansas City, but is hoping to play in the opening round of the playoffs.Newly acquired safety D.J. Swearinger is inactive for Arizona Youth Rob Gronkowski Jerseys , along with starting defensive end Markus Golden and backup Benson Mayowa. Swearinger was claimed off waivers this week after his release by Washington.With rookie running back Phillip Lindsay on IR after injuring his right wrist last week, eight Broncos who started multiple games on offense aren’t in uniform for the finale against the Chargers.For the third straight week, safety Su’a Cravens and outside linebacker Shane Ray are healthy scratches for Denver.Here are the inactives for Sunday’s games:CINCINNATI-PITTSBURGHBengals: WR Hunter Sharp, CB Tony McRae, LB Vontaze Burfict, OT Cedric Ogbuehi, TE Jordan Franks, RB Quinton Flowers, OT Kent PerkinsSteelers:WR Antonio Brown (knee), LB Vince Williams (toe) Rob Gronkowski Jerseys Stitched , S Sean Davis (quadriceps), QB Mason Rudolph, OT Zach Banner, DE L.T. Walton, OLB Ola Adeniyi (edited) Coming off a hard-fought victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots need a quick turnaround as another big challenge awaits: the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears, who not only bring a 3-2 record to the table but also own top-10 units on both sides of the football. Safe to say, that this will be an interesting road contest for the Patriots.Let’s analyze it by taking a look at some of the advanced stats heading into the game (courtesy of SB Nation’s Bill Connelly; for his methodology please click here).Patriots offense vs Bears defenseNormal down and distance in the open fieldThe Patriots offense continues to improve its open field statistics and despite a bad start to the year, now ranks among the top-10 in three of the categories. On Sunday, though Color Rush Damien Harris Jersey , a big challenge awaits in a Bears defense that has found plenty of success between its own 10 and the opposing 30: New England and Chicago are matched up evenly from a statistic perspective. That being said, the Patriots’ numbers over the last three games look much improved when compared to their first three – so one could give the edge to Tom Brady and company.Backed Up Situations Near the Goal LineNew England’s success rate while being backed up inside its own 10-yard line continues to be rather average with an interception in week one still hurting the turnover rate. The Bears, on the other hand, have also not been world beaters when having their opponent pinned deep in its own territory.Red ZoneThe Patriots continue to be one of the NFL’s better red zone teams, even though their success inside the 10-yard line has taken a slight hit when compared to last week’s advanced stats. This week, New England’s offense will face a defense that ranks well in exactly that part of the field – so now would be the right time to show some improvements from the Patriots’ perspective. Maybe Rob Gronkowski, who has only received one target inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, will help.Third DownsWhile their third-and-medium success rate is below average, the Patriots have one of the best overall third down offenses in football. Being able to extend drives has been a key for the team as of late – just watch the last two drives against Kansas City – and it will now try to do the same versus a defense that has been quite productive in this area as well. Talk about a classic battle of strength versus strength.Blitz SituationsNew England’s offense and Chicago’s defense are both faring relatively well in blitz situations – obvious passing downs specified as first-and-18 or more, second-and-14 or more Youth Damien Harris Jersey , and third-and-3 or more – with the noticeable outlier being big plays: the Patriots have failed to produce them when playing behind the sticks, while the Bears have failed to stop them in the same kind of situations.Patriots defense vs Bears offenseNormal down and distance in the open fieldNew England’s defensive inconsistency is reflected in the open field statistics. Luckily, it still matches up well against second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears. The only stat clearly working in the home team’s favor is third down success rate: New England has struggled getting off the field on third downs between their own 30 and the opponent’s 10, while the Bears have had no issues converting in such situations.Backed Up Situations Near the Goal LineNew England’s defense and Chicago’s offense match up rather evenly when it comes to backed-up situations: both teams have had some success in this area of the field – inside the offense’s own 10-yard line – which could make for an interesting battle if situations like these come along.Red ZoneThe Patriots like to use a bend-don’t-break approach when it comes to defense, which is built on strong red zone performances. This year, however, the team has had its fair share of struggles in this part of the field – although it has shown some improvement last week against the Chiefs. Now, the unit will face another one of the NFL’s better red zone offenses and being up to the task once again will be one of the keys to the game.Third DownsWhile the red area statistics clearly favor Chicago, the two teams are matched up rather evenly when it comes to third down situations: both units have their ups and downs depending on the situation. One would clearly favor the Bears, though: third-and-short. New England has been atrocious in stopping opponents with less than one yard to go.Blitz SituationsEven though the Bears have an explosive set of offensive weapons in Taylor Gabriel Womens Damien Harris Jersey , Allen Robinson II and Tarik Cohen, the team has struggled when playing from behind the sticks. Getting Chicago in such situations would be big for the Patriots therefore, despite them having their own problems as well. However, this matchup still favors New England from a statistical perspective.If the advanced statistics are an indication, the Patriots and Bears are in for what could be a close game of strength versus strength (New England’s offense versus Chicago’s defense), and weakness versus weakness (New England’s defense versus Chicago’s offense). For the visitors, the following questions will need to be answered to decide both battles in their favor:Can the Patriots improve in the red zone on both sides of the ball?Can the Patriots defense force Chicago to play from behind the sticks?Can the Patriots win on third down?If New England is able to accomplish most of those things, it could very well sway the outcome in its favor.