All eight teams in the two North divisions are above .500. In the NFC, the North would account for all three wild cards if the season ended today. Things are so crazy in those two divisions that the Bengals and Lions dropped into last place because they had their bye (and thus weren't able to win) last week. Will it continue all season? Probably not. But it's still really cool. And it continued on Thursday night with the Bears' win over New England.
Thursday Night: Chicago (Win)
Steelers (4-2) vs Saints (2-4): New Orleans-The NFL's international state stops in Paris for the first time. Not without controversy, though. The Steelers had a fan event at the Bastille cancelled because of civil unrest in the city. Which prompted geniuses to suggest they also cancel the game itself (because the teams aren't both already there and ready to play or anything). Anyway, I just have a feeling New Orleans will win. I'm not sure why. I just do.
49ers (6-0) at Falcons (2-4): San Francisco-San Francisco is the No. 1 team in most of the NFL Power Rankings. Even above Kansas City. And with good reason. The 49ers probably are the best team in football right now. They head into Atlanta looking to hit their bye at 7-0. I'm not sure what kind of a game we're gonna get here. The Falcons finished their three primetime games in a row, then returned to playing at 1:00 last week and had a very competitive showing in a loss to the Bears. Don't be surprised if the same thing happens here.
Browns (4-2) at Titans (1-5): Cleveland-Give Cleveland credit. They're taking full advantage of that schedule. Is the Browns' record a bit of smoke & mirrors because of the teams they've played? You could make that argument. But, with the exception of Week 1 and the game against the Jets played during a nor'easter, they've figured out ways to keep the game close and pull it out in the end. And that defense is legit! The Titans beat the Colts last week for their first win of the season. Don't expect a second this week.
Colts (2-4) at Vikings (5-0): Minnesota-We'll find out how the bye week impacted unbeaten Minnesota, if at all. The Vikings are a very good team (as evidenced by the record), and their defense doesn't give up very many points. That's why they've been able to keep winning all those close games. I'm not sure this one will be that close. The Colts are a confusing bunch that can go to overtime in Kansas City, then also lose to Tennessee. If the first one shows up, they'll give the Vikings a game. Either way, though, Minnesota should still be undefeated heading into a brutal stretch that starts next week in Detroit.
Dolphins (0-5) at Jets (2-4): Jets-As crazy as it sounds, this game is a real test for both of these teams. I think the Jets are less bad than the Dolphins, so the pressure's on them not to be Miami's first win of the season. Although, give the Jets credit, when they're the better team on paper, they play like it. That's what they did in their Week 1 win against the Titans, and they'll do it again here. On the flip side, if the Dolphins don't get their first win here, I'm not sure when they will. It might not be until the second meeting with the Jets on Thanksgiving weekend.
Buccaneers (1-5) at Panthers (3-2): Carolina-Carolina has begun to assert itself as the top team in the NFC South. If Tampa has any prayer of staying in the race, they really need to get a win in this one. Especially after what happened last week against Pittsburgh. What a difference one loss can make! Because 2-4 looks a whole lot better than 1-5. A 1-5 that could very easily turn into a 1-6 and put the Bucs 3.5 games behind the Panthers.
Bengals (3-2) at Ravens (4-2): Baltimore-There's a three-way tie atop the AFC North, with the Browns, Ravens and Steelers all a half game ahead of Baltimore in the standings. Which means the Bengals can flip the division and knock Baltimore into last with a win. Or the Ravens will create a little bit of separation and possibly be the division leader depending on how things go in Paris and Nashville. It's safe to say that at least one AFC North team should be 5-2 at the week's end. And that team will be Baltimore after the Ravens win the division matchup.
Giants (3-2-1) at Texans (2-4): Houston-Maybe the Texans weren't done in by that 0-4 start. They finally got the first one, then went to London and knocked off the Jaguars. Can they make it three in a row against the Giants? The Giants have maintained their hold on first place due to the entire NFC East's aversion to winning, but I'm not sure how long they can keep it. Especially if they can't figure out a way to notch their first road win of the season.
Broncos (4-2) at Cardinals (2-4): Denver-Arizona is 2-0 at SoFi Stadium this season. The Cardinals are 0-4 everywhere else. Unfortunately, the only possible game in LA remaining on their schedule is the Super Bowl, which they don't seem very likely to play in. They need to focus on winning a home game first. It doesn't look like that'll happen this week, though. Not with the Broncos rolling.
Packers (4-2) at Lions (3-2): Detroit-With the World Series taking Sunday off, Wisconsinites can turn their attention back to their football team in a key division matchup. The NFC North is so tight and all four teams are so good that every division game matters that much more. It should be a fun one, too. Green Bay has won three straight. Detroit scores 40 points a game. This is the first of back-to-back division home games for the Lions, who can really leave their mark on the division race over the next two weeks. It seems a little make-or-break for Detroit, too. This week, at least, I think it'll be make.
Rams (2-4) at Raiders (3-3): Las Vegas-OK, we were all wrong about the Rams. The overwhelming preseason Super Bowl favorite lost to Arizona at home last week and is now in the NFC West basement. It'll be a long road back for the Rams to even make the playoffs. Is it impossible for them to get a wild card and ride it all the way to the home Super Bowl? Of course. But they need to start playing like that's a possibility. I'm not even sure they can beat the Raiders, who've been surprisingly competitive with the good teams that come into Las Vegas. Of course, whether the Rams actually qualify as a "good team" is now a matter of debate.
Chiefs (5-0) at Seahawks (3-3): Kansas City-Two of the last three Super Bowl champions meet on Sunday night in Seattle. The Seahawks are really in danger of letting the NFC West slip away. They're already three games behind the 49ers as they begin a three-game homestand where the first two games are the Chiefs and Bears. There's a real chance they'll be under .500 when they host Chicago. Because the Chiefs are back to being the Chiefs after last year's glitch.
Cowboys (2-4) at Eagles (2-4): Dallas-An NFC East team hasn't won a game since the Giants and Cowboys did in Week 4. Which means, incredibly, both Dallas and Philadelphia are still right there in the division mix despite being 2-4. Although, you have to wonder how much the Eagles can stay in it with all their injuries. Especially now that Jalen Hurts is officially out for the year. So, with that in mind, Dallas is the pick on Monday night.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 8-6
Overall: 49-44-1
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