A quick glance at items of interest as Week 12 rolls on:

Who’s hot: Antonio Brown. As Pittsburgh’s eccentric wideout might put it, business is booming. The Steelers (7-2-1) head to Denver with a six-game winning streak and Brown, aka “Tony Toe Tap,” keeps proving that he is still arguably the best in the NFL at his craft. He’s caught a touchdown pass in eight consecutive games, four shy of Jerry Rice’s NFL-record streak from 1987, while his 11 receiving TDs on the season ties Tyreek Hill for the league lead. Last weekend, Brown had a tough enough time matched against a personal nemesis in Jalen Ramsey, but he still ignited the comeback at Jacksonville with a 78-yard score and helped finish it with a 25-yard catch on third-and-10 that set up the game-winning touchdown. Funny, Brown is the NFL’s third most-targeted receiver (110), but with 62 receptions for 807 yards doesn’t even lead Pittsburgh in receiving. That says something about the phenomenal receiving tandem Ben Roethlisberger works with in Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster (64-866-3). No need, though, to remind the Broncos and cornerback Chris Harris, Jr., of the threat Brown poses, given bad memories from the last time they saw him, in December 2015: He torched them for 16 catches, 189 yards and 2 TDs.

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Pressure’s on: Todd Bowles. Maybe no NFL coach is sitting on a seat as hot as Bowles, whose Jets (3-7) seem destined for a third consecutive losing season while speculation of an expected departure runs rampant in the Big Apple. Like the other four hired to coach the Jets since Woody Johnson bought the franchise in 2000 – Al Groh, Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini and Rex Ryan – Bowles came with defensive expertise. Including the Bill Parcells era (1997-99), the Jets haven’t had an “offensive-minded” coach since the Rich Kotite failure (4-26, 1995-96). But with rookie quarterback Sam Darnold needing to be developed, it’s a good bet that if Bowles goes, the search will end with the hope of landing an offensive whiz. Yet Bowles isn’t the only key figure who could get the ax. GM Mike Maccagnan’s status is considered shaky, too. But first things first: New York tries to snap a four-game losing streak on Sunday against the Patriots, who had a bye week to stew over a Week 10 loss at Tennessee.

Key matchup: Green Bay’s secondary vs. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The Packers head into Sunday night’s critical rematch at Minnesota (5-4-1) ranked fifth in the NFL against the pass. But clearly that respectable marker wasn’t built on the Week 2 experience at Lambeau Field, when Kirk Cousins threw for 425 yards and the Vikings rallied from a 20-7 fourth-quarter deficit to scratch out a 29-29 tie. Thielen, who led the NFL with 85 receptions through Week 11, burned Green Bay for 12 catches and 131 yards in Week 2, including a 22-yard TD with 31 seconds left. Diggs (sixth in the NFL with 71 catches) posted 3- and 75-yard fourth-quarter TDs in Week 2, plus the game-tying 2-point conversion as part of a 9-catch, 128-yard effort. Now the Packers (4-5-1) are forced to try matching up inside the Vikings’ home dome with a battered secondary (cornerbacks Kevin King and Bashaud Breeland, and safety Raven Greene missed practice time this week with injuries).

Next man up: Blaine Gabbert? That Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has been a limited participant in practice this week is probably a signal that with an extra day of recovery and prep, he could start the crucial game at Houston on Monday night. Mariota was knocked out of last weekend’s loss at Indianapolis with a stinger that left his arm strength a question mark and put Gabbert in position again as Plan B. Mariota has insisted that the current elbow issues are unrelated to a similar problem that sidelined him earlier this season, yet the net effect may be the same. That the Titans (5-5) won both games Gabbert started in September surely fuels optimism they can manage again without Mariota. The bad news: Houston (7-3), with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney rushing the passer, is riding a seven-game winning streak that is longest in the AFC.

Rookie watch: Denzel Ward. Look who’s the top vote-getter among AFC cornerbacks after the first wave of results from Pro Bowl balloting? The Browns’ “other” first-round pick, drafted fourth overall from Ohio State, is worthy of the love. He’s had a significant role in the turnaround of Cleveland’s defense under Gregg Williams, which ranks third in the NFL in opposing passer rating (84.3) after finishing last in that category (102.2) in 2017. Ward (three INTs, 10 pass-breakups, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble) could draw the matchup assignment of A.J. Green on Sunday at Cincinnati, if the Bengals’ all-pro wideout returns from a two-game injury layoff as projected. In any event, he’ll get to see Hue Jackson, the recently fired Browns coach who has rejoined Marvin Lewis’ staff on the Bengals.

If the playoffs were today: The Ravens would be in. The who? For all of its recent struggles, Baltimore (5-5) heads into Sunday’s game against the Raiders holding the second AFC wild-card slot on the basis of a tiebreaker edge on Cincinnati, Miami, Indianapolis and Tennessee. In the name of parity, it’s that crowded. What gives? Indianapolis has head-to-head matchups against Miami on Sunday, then Tennessee in Week 17. Baltimore and Cincinnati both play four games against teams carrying losing records, yet both also face the Chargers in L.A., on top of tough road games at Kansas City and Pittsburgh, respectively. Bottom line: This won’t get settled until Week 17.

Stomach for an upset: Giants at Eagles. Since a Week 9 bye, the Giants (3-7) have won back-to-back games with Eli Manning firing five TD passes – three to Odell Beckham, Jr. -- without a pick. The newfound passing-game rhythm represents the best chance for New York, a 5 ½-point underdog, to hang one on the desperate Eagles (4-6). Philadelphia’s secondary, ravaged by injuries, will be hard-pressed to match up. Even so, the Eagles’ deep defensive line has a favorable matchup, too, against a spotty offensive line. This could all hinge on whether Eli has time to operate.

Did you notice? The Seahawks have a franchise-record streak of seven consecutive games with at least 150 rushing yards. No, this never happened during the “Beast Mode” years, but it clearly reflects how Seattle’s offense, heading into Sunday’s game at Carolina, has reinvented its identity as a run-first operation after flirting with pass-happy ideas following Marshawn Lynch’s departure. And it’s striking that despite a heavy dose of RPOs, the NFL’s No. 1-ranked rushing attack is not fueled by Russell Wilson’s legs. The mobile quarterback has averaged just 3.8 rush attempts a game. It’s the three-headed backfield committee of Chris Carson (past six outings, three 100-yard games), Mike Davis and first-round rookie Rashaad Penny. Over the past 40 years, just two teams – the ’85 Bears and ’84 Raiders -- have hit the 150-yard mark in eight consecutive games, and both were driven by Hall of Fame runners in Walter Payton and Marcus Allen, respectively.

Stat’s the fact: During the first 70 games of his NFL career, Andrew Luck was sacked 156 times. In 10 games this season, just 10 sacks – and none lately. The Colts face Miami on Sunday seeking to become the first team since Washington in 1991 (Mark Rypien) to go six consecutive games without allowing a sack.