We've reached the halfway point in the National Football League. And we know this much: Denver's the best team and Oakland's the worst team. That's really about it. We know what teams we think are good and what teams we think are bad. But every time we think there's a team that might challenge Denver for the top spot, they go and lose at home to a team they should beat easily (I'm talking to you, Cowboys).
But with every team playing either its eighth or ninth game this weekend, things will hopefully start to become a little more clear. And with the Saints' win on Thursday night, we now finally have all the first place teams with a record of at least .500. Speaking of the Saints, they finally won a road game, which is bad for me, because it made me 0-1 this week.
Thursday night: Carolina (Loss)
Jaguars (1-7) at Bengals (4-2-1): Cincinnati-Just when we were ready to give up on Cincinnati, they complete a season sweep of the Ravens to move back into first place in the AFC North. And, with the Ravens and Steelers meeting on Sunday night, they'll need another win to maintain their hold on the top spot. Losing at home to Jacksonville isn't an option.
Buccaneers (1-6) at Browns (4-3): Cleveland-This is the end of that three-week stretch where the Browns took on teams that came into the game with a combined total of one win. They somehow managed to slip up against Jacksonville, but recovered last week against the Raiders. Next up is the Bucs. Cleveland should've been 6-2 heading into that Thursday night matchup with the Bengals. They'll have to settle for 5-3 instead.
Cardinals (6-1) at Cowboys (6-2): Dallas-If not for Manning vs. Brady, this would easily be the game of the week. We've got arguably the two best teams in the NFC, and the winner's in the driver's seat to be the 1-seed in the playoffs. Of course, Dallas should be 7-1. I think one of the reasons they're not is because they took the Redskins for granted and looked past them towards this showdown. You know Dallas isn't going to take Arizona lightly, though. After all, the Cardinals have already beaten San Diego, San Francisco and Philadelphia last year, and that Eagles game was just last week. Tony Romo's back is an obvious concern, but I like Dallas at home.
Jets (1-7) at Chiefs (4-3): Kansas City-It was so nice of John Idzik to go out and say that the Jets won't be firing Rex Ryan until the end of the season. We'd only have two more games with Rex if they were going to do it at the bye, but instead we've got a full half-season. This is one of the few remaining games I think the Jets might actually have a chance at winning the rest of the season, but they'll find a way not to like they usually do.
Chargers (5-3) at Dolphins (4-3): San Diego-San Diego is the one West Coast team that seems immune to East Coast Early Game Syndrome. They went into Buffalo in Week 3, played a 1:00 game, and had one of their strongest efforts of the season in a 22-10 win. It'll be a little hotter in Miami than it was in Buffalo, but at least they're not going in September. They've had plenty of time to recover from those back-to-back division losses, and they should get back on track against the Dolphins.
Redskins (3-5) at Vikings (3-5): Washington-The University of Minnesota put their two cents into the Redskins' name controversy over the summer when they sent the Redskins a letter asking them to wear their alternate uniforms this week so that their Indian head logo wouldn't be shown. Never mind that that's their only actual logo, and that they have an old version of it on their throwback jerseys. And, unlike college teams, which seem to have a different uniform combination every week, the NFL doesn't allow its teams to wear more than one helmet during the season. So, sorry U of M, it ain't happenin'. I don't think I've ever wanted the Redskins to win a game more.
Eagles (5-2) at Texans (4-4): Philadelphia-No team stands to benefit from the fact that the Cardinals are playing the Cowboys this week more than Philadelphia. Seeing as they lost to Arizona last week, I'd imagine the Eagles probably want Dallas to win that one. They've, of course, got to worry about their own business first, though. Since they're a better team than Houston, that shouldn't be a problem.
Rams (2-5) at 49ers (4-3): San Francisco-The Rams have traditionally given the 49ers all kinds of trouble. Yet San Francisco usually finds a way to come out on top. Take that Monday night game three weeks ago. With back-to-back road games coming up, give me the 49ers at home.
Broncos (6-1) at Patriots (6-2): Denver-Manning vs. Brady. It's the NFL's marquee rivalry, and it's always special when their teams meet. This, of course, is their first meeting since the Broncos won last year's AFC Championship Game. New England has the benefit of playing at home this time. The Patriots are also riding high after winning four in a row, including last week's demolition of the Bears. Except Denver is far and away the best team in the NFL. The Broncos' only loss this season came in overtime in Seattle, so seeing them lose to the Patriots in a similar fashion wouldn't be a shock. But Denver's better than New England and, right now, Peyton is better than Brady, last week notwithstanding.
Raiders (0-7) at Seahawks (4-3): Seattle-I just realized that the NFL has both Bay Area teams playing at the same time this week. It's not a rule, but it's something they usually try to avoid, even though it's much harder for the Raiders and 49ers than the Giants and Jets. Anyway, the only winless team at the defending Super Bowl champs? We all know how we expect this to go. (Although we did see Washington win in Dallas last week.)
Ravens (5-3) at Steelers (5-3): Pittsburgh-Two of the NFL's biggest rivals meet on Sunday night. Fitting that they meet on Sunday night the first week after the Thursday night game moves off CBS. Because it was these two that met in the first CBS Thursday night game. Now the rematch with Pittsburgh looking for revenge for that 26-6 loss in Baltimore. That was a historic performance by Ben Roethlisberger last week. That had to be mentioned. He'll be ready for the Ravens. Besides, the Steelers always play well on Sunday night.
Colts (5-3) at Giants (3-4): Indianapolis-For the first time since 2002, Giants-Colts ISN'T Peyton vs. Eli. Instead we've got the first meeting between Eli Manning and Andrew Luck. Eli never beat his big brother. Beating Peyton's successor will be just as tall a challenge. They both need a win. The Giants lost a pair of division road games before their bye, while the Colts were just completely manhandled in Pittsburgh. This is a game the Giants feel like they need, but I'm not sure they get it. (Sidebar: Doesn't it seem like forever since the Giants played? I hate it when a team plays the Monday night game after their bye.)
BYE: Atlanta (2-6), Buffalo (5-3), Chicago (3-5), Detroit (6-2), Green Bay (5-3), Tennessee (2-6)
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 9-6
Season: 79-42-1
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