Week 6 and we finally get the first byes of the season. I do like that they pushed the first byes back a little because Week 4 was definitely too early, but I don't like how they extend into December. Because that's way too late. You shouldn't have to wait until after Thanksgiving for your bye week, when you'll only have four or five games left. Also, you've got 32 teams divided into eight divisions of four. So why can't you just do eight weeks of byes with four teams off in each?
Thursday Night: Tampa Bay (Win)
Dolphins (1-4) vs Jaguars (0-5): Jacksonville-Jacksonville has lost 20 consecutive games. All of those have been played in the United States. Now they travel across the pond for their annual "home" game in London (that they, of course, didn't play last year). They always seem to play better in London for some reason. I also feel bad for the poor Londoners whose only experience with American football this season features the Jets, Falcons, Dolphins and Jaguars. (Side note: It looks like there'll also be a game in Germany next season, which I think is awesome!)
Packers (4-1) at Bears (3-2): Green Bay-Remember when everybody was freaking out after the Packers got their butts kicked by the Saints in Week 1? Aaron Rodgers said then that it was just a bad week, and that certainly has proven to be the case. It hasn't been pretty over the past couple of last weeks. The Cincinnati game was downright ugly. But the Packers have won them. Four straight heading into the first matchup of the season with their biggest rivals. Make that five straight.
Bengals (3-2) at Lions (0-5): Cincinnati-If the Bengals played in the NFC North, they'd be in first place. Cincinnati concludes its tour through the division with a trip to Detroit. Hopefully, this one doesn't come down to kicking! That was ridiculous and incredible all at once last week! Fortunately, Ford Field is indoors, so the wind won't be a problem. And, frankly, the game shouldn't come down to a late field goal anyway.
Texans (1-4) at Colts (1-4): Indianapolis-Ah, an AFC South division game! The NFL at its best! I kid, of course, because the AFC South is so bad. But, since the division winner is guaranteed a playoff berth, they're actually the most important games on the schedule. Especially since the first-place Titans are just 3-2 and have a tough matchup this week. So the winner of this one could only be one-game out. That team should be the Colts, who are better than the Texans.
Rams (4-1) at Giants (1-4): Rams-I was skeptical of the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade, but it sure looks like the Rams knew what they were doing. The fact that Stafford has a great supporting cast around him certainly helps, too, but he's given the Rams everything they could've asked for so far. I think it's between them and Dallas for the best team in the NFC. The Giants, meanwhile, are 1-4 and don't have Saquon. Another long season appears to be ahead.
Chiefs (2-3) at Washington (2-3): Kansas City-Two weeks ago, Kansas City went into Philadelphia with a sub-.500 record and put up 42 points on the Eagles. Now they're under .500 again after getting completely outplayed by the Bills last Sunday night. Although, it should be noted that the Chiefs' three losses are to Baltimore, Buffalo and the Chargers, who just might be the three best teams in the AFC. Point is, they're all better than Washington.
Vikings (2-3) at Panthers (3-2): Carolina-The Panthers have come back down to earth, losing two straight after starting 3-0. Last week in particular was a reality check. Because if they really are as good as they want people to believe, beating the Eagles at home shouldn't be a problem. Minnesota, meanwhile, is going in the opposite direction. They started 0-2, but have won two of three since. So a Vikings win isn't out of the question here. But I think a Panthers victory is more likely.
Chargers (4-1) at Ravens (4-1): Chargers-Why is this game at 1:00? Why wasn't it flexed into Sunday night? Or at least into the national window (even if it wasn't gonna replace Cowboys-Patriots)? Isn't that the whole point of flex scheduling? America deserves to see the two best teams in the AFC. Not just the regional audiences in Southern California and Baltimore.
Cardinals (5-0) at Browns (3-2): Cleveland-Arizona's the last undefeated team in the NFL, but maybe not for much longer. I have a feeling the '72 Dolphins will be popping the champagne after this one. Because I really have a feeling the Browns are gonna win this one. Cleveland beat Minnesota 14-7, then almost beat the Chargers in that 47-42 last week. Which means they're perfectly comfortable playing any style of game, which is the mark of a good team.
Raiders (3-2) at Broncos (3-2): Las Vegas-That situation with Jon Gruden's emails sure spiraled out of control fast, didn't it? Not that I'm surprised he resigned, since it sure seemed like it was headed that way. I'm curious to see how the Raiders respond, especially after losing Gruden's final two games as head coach. And they didn't look good last week at all. Things don't look very good in Las Vegas long-term, but things like this have a way of making teams rally, which is what I think will happen this week in Denver.
Cowboys (4-1) at Patriots (2-3): Dallas-Dallas goes into New England as a favorite. I mean, they should, but it's still a weird thing to see. The Cowboys are really good, though. I keep saying it because it's true. As long as Dak and Zeke stay healthy, Dallas has the NFC East in the bag. The Patriots, meanwhile, barely beat Houston last week.
Seahawks (2-3) at Steelers (2-3): Pittsburgh-It's Seattle's first game in a really long time without Russell Wilson, and I'm very curious to see how the Seahawks do without him. Geno Smith was fine last week, but coming into the game is a very different situation than getting the first-team snaps all week. This is also a really big game for Pittsburgh, which has a chance to go into its bye with a .500 record, which is something they absolutely would've signed up for after starting 1-3.
Bills (4-1) at Titans (3-2): Tennessee-Last week, the Bills made a statement. There's really no other way to describe that dominant performance in Kansas City. This week, they'd like to make another one. Especially after all the craziness that happened when these two met last year with the Titans getting COVID and the multiple postponements and the game finally being played on Tuesday. Tennessee won that one handily. For some reason, I think they'll beat Buffalo again. It won't be a blowout this time, but I have a feeling the Titans will win.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 12-4
Overall: 54-27
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