A powerful weather system might bring tornadoes to portions of the Midwest and impact several NFL games.
The National Weather Service issued a high-risk alert Sunday for eastern Illinois, Indiana and far southwest lower Michigan.
A map on Weather.com illustrates the wide-ranging areas that might be affected, including Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Cincinnati, Louisville, Cleveland and Indianapolis.
A Weather.com expert believes there is a 70 percent chance of tornadoes touching down in portions of Illinois and Indiana.
The matchups that could be directly affected include Baltimore Ravens at Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals, although the Ravens-Bears game did start on time. The fate of the AFC North also might be tied to sloppy, weather-altered games.
The severe warning isn't the only potential weather trouble.
The playoff picture
How would your team's prospects look if the season ended today? See where each team stands in the playoff picture midway through the season. **More ...**
A high wind warning was issued for western New York, which might get gusts of up to 60 mph. The weather warning won't go into affect until 7 p.m. ET Sunday night, but winds and rain will influence the play as the New York Jets visit the Buffalo Bills. Rookie quarterbacks Geno Smith and EJ Manuel might be especially influenced.
Just on the outskirts of the severe weather system sits Pittsburgh. There reportedly is a 70 percent chance of rain when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
There is rain in the forecast of every day game Sunday. (The Sunday night matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos is expected to be clear and 43 degrees.)
You can check out the weather forecast for every NFL game here.
* The latest "Around The League Podcast" previewed every Week 11 game. *
