Hey, the Giants can't lose this week! And the Raiders already did. (How bad does a team have to be to get slaughtered by the 49ers?) We've made it halfway through the season, and we've determined that those two are really bad. We've also established that the Rams, Saints and Chiefs are really good. There are plenty of other teams that are just below the level of those three, and we're starting to see matchups between legitimate contenders.
We're also finally done with London games, as all remaining contests will take place on this side of The Pond. However, this is also one of the weeks where there are six teams with byes (seriously why is four byes each week from Weeks 4-11 so difficult to figure out?), which means we're light on the total number of games in store.
Thursday Night: San Francisco (Win)
Bears (4-3) at Bills (2-6): Chicago-Do we have to accept the Chicago Bears as legitimate contenders in the NFC North? I'm still not completely sold, but here we are at midseason and they're just a half-game out of first (and ahead of the Packers in the standings). The Bills, meanwhile, look completely lost against good teams. I guess that's what happens when you don't have a quarterback. Chicago should go in there and come away with a victory.
Chiefs (7-1) at Browns (2-5-1): Kansas City-So, let me see if I've got this straight? Hue Jackson goes 1-31 over two seasons and manages to keep his job, then gets fired in the middle of the year when they already have two wins and have been competitive in all but their last two games? Definitely much more in play here (probably regarding Baker Mayfield). The timing just feels odd. Especially since they haven't had their bye yet. Kansas City, meanwhile, should just keep on rolling.
Jets (3-5) at Dolphins (4-4): Miami-After they won the first meeting against the Jets, we thought the Dolphins might be actual contenders. But it's sure looking like that was actually a mirage. Because, as it turns out, the Titans aren't really that good, and Miami's only win after that 3-0 start (against three bad teams) came in overtime (albeit against a good Bears team). And they sure got smacked around last week. They're better than the Jets, though. That should get them over .500.
Lions (3-4) at Vikings (4-3-1): Minnesota-Thanks to that Packers-Vikings tie, everybody in the NFC North is within a game and a half of each other. Which makes division games that much more important. And Minnesota's got a lot of them left. This is actually the first of three straight for the Vikings, who play the Patriots right after. So, yeah, losing to the Lions would be bad. Especially since it would leave them only a half-game ahead of Detroit.
Falcons (3-4) at Redskins (5-2): Washington-It hasn't always been pretty, but the Redskins have gotten the job done week after week. And Alex Smith has them in first place with a chance to hit the midway point at 6-2. The Falcons, meanwhile, desperately need a win if they have any shot at the other wild card spot (assuming Carolina and New Orleans both make the playoffs). I'm not sure they get it, though. Especially if the Redskins get out to an early lead.
Buccaneers (3-4) at Panthers (5-2): Carolina-Tampa Bay finally got sick of Jamies Winston struggling and went back to Ryan Fitzpatrick. And it almost paid off with a win in Cincinnati. Can the switch reignite an offense that was so dynamic in the first two weeks? Speaking of dynamic offenses, Carolina put up 36 points last week! And they know they'd better keep winning. Because those pesky Saints just don't lose.
Steelers (4-2-1) at Ravens (4-4): Pittsburgh-One of Pittsburgh's two losses this season was in its annual Sunday night game against the Ravens. That seems to be where the Steelers figured things out, though. They haven't lost since. Three in a row, all of them impressive, to move into first place. (By the way, the rest of the AFC North really needs to have their byes so it doesn't require math to work the Steelers' tie into those convoluted standings.) Anyway, a loss here drops Pittsburgh behind Baltimore (I think) and gives the Ravens the season series. If the Steelers win, though, they'll be in complete control of the division, especially since they'll have already played five of their division games.
Texans (5-3) at Broncos (3-5): Houston-Remember when the Texans started 0-3? Yeah, I don't either. Five consecutive wins later, they're in full control of the AFC South. It's been the opposite story for Denver. After starting 2-0, they're 1-5 since, with the only win coming against the Cardinals, which barely counts. So, yeah, teams going in two completely different directions. Can the Texans make it six in a row?
Chargers (5-2) at Seahawks (4-3): Chargers-Seattle's trip to London sure ignited something in them. Because they looked like a completely different team last week, and I'd even say they looked better than they did against a not-good Oakland team. We'll see how the Chargers respond after their one-point win in London. You know they've gotta be travel weary, going from LA to Cleveland to London before their bye week. Now they're in Seattle. Things are at least starting to get a little easier, though, as it's their first of four straight back on the West Coast. I'm curios to see how much of an impact the travel has had. If there's any, Seattle could take this one.
Rams (8-0) at Saints (6-1): New Orleans-This isn't just the best game of the week. It might be the best game in the NFL so far this season. At least until the Rams play the Chiefs in Mexico City. This also might be the one where we see the Rams suffer their first loss. That was quite an escape act last week against the Packers. (I have no idea how the Saints-Vikings game went since I was watching the World Series instead.) I'm not sure they do it again in New Orleans. And this game is doubly important for both teams, since it could end up determining which one will have home field in the NFC playoffs.
Packers (3-3-1) at Patriots (6-2): New England-How is it possible that Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have only faced each other once previously?! They've both been in the NFL for like 30 years and the Packers play the Patriots once every four years! Anyway, we should enjoy this matchup of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, especially since we might not see it again. (Unless they meet in a Super Bowl, Green Bay and New England aren't scheduled to play again until 2022, when Brady will be 85 and probably still playing.) The Packers are still winless on the road this season and had to fly cross country after playing in LA last week. Advantage Patriots.
Titans (3-4) at Cowboys (3-4): Dallas-Apparently Dallas and Tennessee are both still in the league. It's been forever since they've both played. Especially the Titans, who had that early London start before their bye. At least it's given them plenty of time to figure out what's gone wrong during their three-game losing streak. Dallas has had plenty of time off, too, but they didn't need it as much. The Cowboys may be 3-4, but they're winless on the road and undefeated at home. And they're at home on Monday night.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 12-2
Overall: 76-44-2
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