Only the NFL would schedule a game at 9:30 in the morning and think it's a good idea. Of course, that's because they decided to have three London games this year, and they decided that they wanted to start one in the afternoon their time and see how the 9:30 a.m. start would go over. I'd imagine the World Series has something to do with it, too. Because FOX usually has a doubleheader on the Sunday of the World Series, but this year they don't. Falcons-Lions from London is their national game instead.
Thursday night: Denver (Win)
Lions (5-2) vs. Falcons (2-5): Detroit-This is technically an Atlanta home game, which doesn't really seem fair because they were away last week and they play two more road games after the bye. The Falcons are a better team at home, but by "home" I mean Atlanta. The trip across the pond might be difficult for them. Especially since the Lions are on a roll. They've won four out of five. Make that five out of six.
Ravens (5-2) at Bengals (3-2-1): Baltimore-The battle for first place in the AFC North (although not really because that stupid tie will leave Cincinnati percentage points behind Baltimore even if the Ravens win). Cincinnati's not the same team it was at the beginning of the season. Of course the schedule has gotten meatier, but the Bengals need to put up a good showing in these games, which is something they haven't done. I just don't have much confidence in them right now, so I think the Ravens go on the road and pick up a division win.
Texans (3-4) at Titans (2-5): Houston-Because the rules say the AFC South teams have to play each other twice a year. Houston was 3-1. Then they lost to Dallas, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. It's not entirely their fault (the Cowboys and Colts are first-place teams after all), but it's certainly put them in a position of badly needing a win to avoid the division getting completely away from them. Fortunately, this week they draw the Titans, who couldn't pull it out in Washington last week.
Rams (2-4) at Chiefs (3-3): Kansas City-Imagine, just for a second, that the Cardinals had won the National League pennant. Had that happened, it'd be quite a sports day in the State of Missouri. As it is, it's still a pretty good day for fans in Kansas City. First the Chiefs, then home to watch the Royals. Regardless of how the baseball game goes, those fans should be able to count on at least one win.
Bears (3-4) at Patriots (5-2): New England-I'm almost at the point of completely giving up on the Chicago Bears. At least that's happening before December this year. The game's not in Chicago, which improves the Bears' chances, but they're just 1-2 against the AFC East this year and the win was over the Jets, so that doesn't really count. It also doesn't help that it looks like the Patriots have found their groove.
Bills (4-3) at Jets (1-6): Buffalo-The traveling circus that is Rex Ryan and the New York Jets heads home to the Meadowlands this week. This actually seems like it's a pretty good chance for them to end this six-game losing streak. Especially since they almost pulled off the upset last week against the Patriots. They didn't, though, and the record says 1-6. The Bills are the better team in this matchup, although I am a little concerned about their running back situation.
Vikings (2-5) at Buccaneers (1-5): Tampa Bay-Another interesting matchup between two bad teams. It's not that either one is Raiders/Jaguars/Jets level of bad, but they've both fallen behind the eight ball in their respective division races. Although, the Bucs aren't in as bad a shape as the Vikings, especially with how mediocre the NFC South has become. Tampa Bay's played some competitive games against good teams this year, so Minnesota should be a win.
Seahawks (3-3) at Panthers (3-3-1): Seattle-CBS took this game away from FOX for some reason, yet they didn't make it the doubleheader. I still don't quite understand why, but I'm willing to go with it if you are. Anyway, it's crazy to think that one of these teams, the top two seeds in the NFC last year, will be below .500 after this game. It's even crazier to think the Seahawks might lose their third in a row. I just don't see that happening. Seattle's the pick.
Dolphins (3-3) at Jaguars (1-6): Miami-This is what I get for actually having belief in Cleveland. They go lay a total egg and push Jacksonville into the win column. All that really does is move the Jaguars past the Raiders into 31st place in the power rankings. They're still not a good team. If the Dolphins do what the Browns failed to do and actually show up for the game, it shouldn't be a problem.
Eagles (5-1) at Cardinals (5-1): Philadelphia-With the Cowboys playing on Monday night, the winner of this one will temporarily share the NFC's best record with Dallas. I bet FOX wishes they did have their usual World Series doubleheader. Because the way this season has gone so far makes this a pretty good national late game. The Cardinals have played some of their best football this season against elite teams, and playing Philadelphia in Phoenix is a definite advantage. I just have a feeling the Eagles are going to win, though.
Raiders (0-6) at Browns (3-3): Cleveland-Jacksonville and Oakland back-to-back. Should be a couple easy wins, right? Tell that to Cleveland. The Browns had 6-2 staring them in the face. Now they don't. But what's the best way to recover from an absolutely miserable performance? Getting the Raiders at home. Back over .500 for Cleveland.
Colts (5-2) at Steelers (4-3): Indianapolis-I'll admit it. I don't get the Pittsburgh Steelers. They look completely hapless one week, then look elite the next. It's not like they play to the level of their opponent, either. The Colts, though, are rolling. Five straight wins after starting 0-2, and a 27-0 thumping of the Bengals last week. Indy's Peyton-era 12-4's might become a regular thing again. They should be halfway to 12-4 after beating the Steelers.
Packers (5-2) at Saints (2-4): Green Bay-Will America watch Bumgarner vs. Shields or Rodgers vs. Brees? That question was rhetorical. I know the answer is the football game. That's why NBC and the NFL picked this matchup to go against the World Series. It should be an entertaining game, I'll say that much. And maybe the baseball game will end early enough for me to watch some of it. The Packers should be comfortably ahead by then. New Orleans is just missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's why a team as talented as many think the Saints are will drop to 2-5.
Redskins (2-5) at Cowboys (6-1): Dallas-Even though Washington sucks and Dallas is good for the first time in a couple years, there's something about a Cowboys-Redskins Monday night game that just seems right. It's just like Packers-Bears. It doesn't matter how good each team is, the rivalry brings out the best in both. For Dallas to stay in the "best team in football" conversation, losing at home to lowly Washington simply isn't an option. Although, a win would make the Redskins' season.
BYE: Giants (3-4), San Francisco (4-3)
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 9-6
Season: 71-35-1
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