Well, I was right about one of the undefeated teams going down last week. I just had the wrong one. I'm not sure if it's Peyton or what, but Indy just has Denver's number. There's another undefeated team that runs into an opponent that simply has its number this week. You all know which one I'm talking about. It'll obviously mean a lot more when they meet in the Super Bowl a little less than three months from now, but this is the first time they're playing since their last Super Bowl meeting (they play in the preseason finale every year, but that doesn't count), so there's still a lot going into it.
It might seem like the only two games in the NFL take place at the Meadowlands this week (Rex won in his return on Thursday night as the NFL tried its best to blind America, at least the 92 percent of America that isn't color blind and could tell the teams apart). There are 12 other games, too.
Thursday Night: Buffalo (Win)
Lions (1-7) at Packers (6-2): Green Bay-Good news, Packers fans. You're back at Lambeu, and your opponent isn't undefeated. Next week's matchup with the Vikings is a big one for first place in the NFC North. But they need this one to get back on track. This is Detroit's first game since they cleaned house during their bye week, as well as the beginning of the end of Jim Caldwell's tenure as Lions head coach. After facing Denver and Carolina, the Packers will welcome the break and get ready for the Vikings.
Panthers (8-0) at Titans (2-6): Carolina-Spoiler alert! Next Thursday night, the NFL is going to do it again. The Titans will rock an all-powder blue ensemble while the Jaguars wear all gold. But first they have to take on the Panthers, who, after winning seven games all of last year, have started this season by winning eight straight. And they effectively have a three-game lead in the NFC already. That win over the Packers last week was that huge. People are really taking Carolina seriously as perhaps the second-best team in football. This won't be the week that "1" goes in the right-hand column. It might not come until Thanksgiving in Dallas.
Bears (3-5) at Rams (4-4): St. Louis-Did the Bears save their season on Monday night? Probably not. But 3-5 sure looks a whole lot better than 2-6. The Rams, meanwhile, lost that showdown against Minnesota in overtime, so they need to take this one if they're going to stay in the playoff hunt. Especially with at Baltimore, at Cincinnati, Arizona as their next three games. Jeff Fisher knows what he's doing. The Rams beat the Bears to avenge the Cardinals' NLDS loss to the Cubs (OK, not really).
Dolphins (3-5) at Eagles (4-4): Philadelphia-Chip Kelly and his Eagles are the quiet assassins of the NFC. You don't think about them as a threat, but they keep hanging around, and if they hang around long enough, they're gonna end up in the playoffs. Of course, three of the Eagles' wins are against the same two teams (the Cowboys and Giants), so they'll need to beat somebody else eventually. The last time they played on a Sunday afternoon (which was five! weeks ago), they dominated the Saints. I see them doing something similar to the Dolphins.
Browns (2-7) at Steelers (5-4): Pittsburgh-For all the talk about Cincinnati running away with the AFC North (which they are), don't forget about Pittsburgh. That was a big win for the Steelers over the Raiders last week, and it might be the one that propels them into the playoffs. But in order to keep that position, they can't lose at home to Cleveland. Especially with Seattle, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver coming up after the bye.
Cowboys (2-6) at Buccaneers (3-5): Dallas-Fear not, Cowboys fans! Tony Romo will be back soon. And Dallas has actually been much improved in the last couple games under Matt Cassel. Tampa Bay is also much improved. The Bucs are a much better team than I thought they'd be. Even still, this is a good team for the Cowboys to face. They begin their Florida trip with a win, then head to Miami before getting Romo back on Thanksgiving.
Saints (4-5) at Redskins (3-5): New Orleans-Three in a row for New Orleans and their offense was absolutely on fire. Then they go to Nashville and lose a game most people thought they should've won in overtime. Now they're in a position where they can't afford another letdown. I think Washington will give them a scare, but I do see the Saints prevailing in this one.
Jaguars (2-6) at Ravens (2-6): Baltimore-Who would've thought that when Baltimore played Jacksonville in Week 10, that they'd both have the same record? I got a chuckle when that guy on the Ravens said they were gonna make the playoffs earlier in the week. They won't. But this game gives them a chance to get back on track as they continue their homestand.
Vikings (6-2) at Raiders (4-4): Oakland-We didn't have any Super Bowl rematches last week, but this week we've got two. This is the other one. They met in Super Bowl XI, where John Madden got his only title. The Vikings are sitting in wild card position in the NFC right now, while the Raiders are just on the outside in the AFC. But going to Oakland isn't a fun proposition for anybody, especially now that the Raiders are no longer a pushover. Give me the home team.
Chiefs (3-5) at Broncos (7-1): Denver-Back in Week 2, the Chiefs almost beat the Broncos (and probably should've). Denver, of course, didn't lose until last week, when they played their worst game of the season in Indianapolis. Now, as crazy as it sounds for a 7-1 team, this is almost a must-win. They can't afford to give up anymore ground to New England and Cincinnati. They're a much better team at home, though. I just hope they can avoid looking ahead to facing John Fox next week and the Patriots after that.
Patriots (8-0) at Giants (5-4): Giants-The last time these two played at the Meadowlands, it was Week 17 in 2007. That was the 16-0 game. It was also the last time the Patriots beat the Giants. Two Super Bowls and a regular season game since have gone on Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning's ledger. When they last met in the regular season, the Giants handed the Patriots their second straight loss. They haven't lost two straight since then. But this brings us back to that game eight years ago a little more. Remember, by playing the Patriots tight that Saturday night, the Giants set the stage for the greatest upset in NFL history five weeks later. There's not as much at stake this time, but you know the Patriots finally want to get a win over the Giants under their belts. For all the 16-0 talk, though, they're forgetting who has the upper-hand in this series. Tom Coughlin is Bill Belichick's Kryptonite. And will continue to be until Belichick solves the riddle. But even if he does it here, he's got to do it again in early February.
Cardinals (6-2) at Seahawks (4-4): Seattle-Once again, the Arizona Cardinals go into Seattle for a Sunday night game against the Seahawks needing to prove that they're the best team in the NFC West. Otherwise, the Seahawks are in position to snatch another division title out from under them. And they've both been playing some good football of late. It's the first of back-to-back Sunday night games for the Cardinals, but these are the type of games the 12th Man gets super amped up for. It'll be very difficult for Arizona to go into Seattle and come away with a victory.
Texans (3-5) at Bengals (8-0): Cincinnati-As ridiculous as it sounds, Houston can move into a first-place tie in the AFC South with a win on Monday night. Problem is, they're in Cincinnati. Everyone's still man-crushing on Tom Brady and gushing over the Patriots, but the Bengals are also 8-0, and they're starting to draw more and more converts. Of course, the prime time thing is still Cincinnati's Achilles heel. Well, they'd better get over it, because they've got a prime time game next week, too. Cincinnati is too good a team to let that get in their way, though. The 9-0 Bengals? Believe it!
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 7-6
Season: 89-44
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