If I've learned anything about the NFL this season, it's that I have no idea who's actually good. Every time I think I've got a team figured out, they go and surprise me one way or the other. I don't know if it's injuries or parity or what, but a lot of teams that should be good are struggling and a lot of teams that weren't expected to contend are right smack in the middle of the playoff race.
Maybe it's the fact that so many quarterbacks are injured, but it's crazy how many offenses have had trouble even putting points on the board! Are the defenses just that much better? That would explain why the only remaining undefeated teams are San Francisco and New England. The Patriots are undefeated. Evidently, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Thursday Night: Kansas City (Win)
Rams (3-3) at Falcons (1-5): Rams-Is it too early for the Falcons to throw in the towel and call it a season? Either way, I think Dan Quinn's job is probably in jeopardy. As for the Rams, what happened to them? They've lost three straight and were held to just seven points last week. They look more like the team that played in the Super Bowl than the one that got there. So something's gotta give. I just have no confidence in Atlanta's ability to stop anybody. Not after they gave up a combined 87 points to the Texans and Cardinals.
Jaguars (2-4) at Bengals (0-6): Cincinnati-And then there were two. After the Jets' shocking victory over the Cowboys last week, Cincinnati is Miami's lone winless buddy. The Bengals at least try to win, though. And they're on the verge. Playing Jacksonville at home may just be the recipe to finally get them in the win column.
Vikings (4-2) at Lions (2-2-1): Detroit-Every division game in the NFC North is going to be a battle. It always is. But that's especially the case this season, where all four of them can be seen as legitimate playoff contenders. Minnesota really needs a victory if they want to keep up. They're undefeated outside the division and winless in it. That's a bad trend that can't continue if they plan on playing in January. Sadly, I think it does continue...at least for one more week.
Raiders (3-2) at Packers (5-1): Green Bay-For the Packers, a healthy Aaron Rodgers makes all the difference. He wasn't healthy last year and we saw what happened. He is healthy this season, and he authored one of his signature comebacks last week. The Raiders have proven to be a formidable opponent in year two of Gruden Era 2.0, but they're not on the same level as the teams Green Bay has already beaten this season. And next week, they've got a heavyweight Sunday night matchup with Kansas City.
Texans (4-2) at Colts (3-2): Houston-They're on Cloud 9 in Houston after the Astros' victory last night. Plus, the Rockets' season starts this week, and the Texans are in first place. Their lead is only a half-game, though, and the Colts are always a tough matchup. They both have to be feeling good about themselves, having both beaten Kansas City in their last game. So, this battle for first place should be a good one. I have a feeling the Texans will take it, though.
Cardinals (2-3-1) at Giants (2-4): Giants-Two wins, followed by two losses to start the Daniel Jones Era. Which I think shows that the Giants are still a work in progress. However, they're better than Arizona AND Saquon Barkley is back this week, making the offense much more balanced. And with the Eagles playing the Cowboys, a win here puts them just one game out of first place. They probably won't make the playoffs (or be in contention), but there's definitely a reason for optimism.
49ers (5-0) at Redskins (1-5): San Francisco-It's probably time to start thinking about San Francisco as one of the league's elite teams. Yes, they're undefeated. But they hadn't played any of the top teams until last week...when they went into the LA Coliseum and completely dominated the Rams! This defense is legit! The Redskins certainly won't present them with much of a challenge. They'll stay undefeated at least another week.
Chargers (2-4) at Titans (2-4): Tennessee-We've officially reached must-win territory for a Chargers team that has no more margin for error. Simply put, this isn't the same team that looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender entering the season. The Titans, meanwhile, are trying to inject some life into their moribund offense that has scored a grand total of 24 points in the last four games. Hence the QB switch to Ryan Tannehill. I think that makes a difference and Tennessee actually gets a win.
Saints (5-1) at Bears (3-2): New Orleans-What's the mark of a good team? Even when their offense struggles, they find a way to win. The Saints did it against Dallas, when four field goals were enough for a 12-10 victory, and they did it last week in Jacksonville. One touchdown was enough to win 13-6. Obviously the defense has a lot to do with that, too, but you can't discount that New Orleans is getting it done without Drew Brees. Expect that defense to work its magic again this week, as they win another low-scoring affair.
Ravens (4-2) at Seahawks (5-1): Seattle-In a season where it looked like the AFC North was going to be up for grabs, the Ravens are on the verge of running away with it (which is certainly helped by the fact that the other three are struggling). Seattle, meanwhile, needs to keep winning just to keep pace with San Francisco. I'm not expecting a lot of points with these two defenses going at it. But the Seahawks usually win when they're at home, so why bet against that?
Eagles (3-3) at Cowboys (3-3): Philadelphia-Jerry Jones is blaming everybody BUT Jason Garrett for the Cowboys' three-game losing streak. The simple answer might be that Dallas just isn't as good as that 3-0 start indicated. Either way, they now find themselves tied for first place heading into a Sunday night showdown with Philadelphia. And, for the Eagles, this might be the perfect time for that matchup. Because they're the better team right now.
Patriots (6-0) at Jets (1-4): New England-The Jets are a different team with Sam Darnold under center. That's one of the main reasons why they beat the Cowboys, and it's why they actually have a chance against the Patriots. This is the Jets team that most people were expecting at the start of the season. Problem is, this is also the Patriots team people were expecting at the start of the season. New England will be 7-0.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 6-8
Overall: 51-41-1
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