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New York Jets (4-3) at Buffalo Bills (5-2) - 9.3The Jets are coming off a bye and the Bills shutout the Redskins last week as both teams should be ready for a the AFC east showdown that will give the winner an edge in the race for the division title. The Buffalo defense recorded nine sacks and two interceptions as the Bills harassed from the beginning. Fred Jackson has rushed for 1,000 yards already this season and the Bills tout the leagues fifth best rushing offense. New York's offense hasn't lived up to expectations this year but still has plenty of explosive playmakers that are dangerous on every down. The Jets defense continues to be tough and Darrelle Revis has four interceptions and one touchdown for the year. This game is as important as any with the Bills tied for first in the division and the Jets just a game back. A win for Buffalo creates some space but a Jets victory tightens things up even more.
Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) - 9.2
The Ravens trailed heading into the fourth quarter last week but managed to squeak out a win thanks to a Billy Cundiff field goal as time expired, while the Steelers handled the Patriots giving the team some extra confidence for the second half of the season. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Pittsburgh offense, which now sits at first play in the AFC north division. Although Baltimore won, its performance was unimpressive. That coupled with their nightmare game against Jacksonville the week before gives Ravens fans reason for concern. Joe Flacco threw for 336 yards but no touchdowns. The Baltimore offense needs to get things together if they want to make a post season run this year. Both team's defenses are among the best in the league and you can expect a dogfight Sunday night.
New York Giants (5-2) at New England Patriots (5-3) - 9.1
People insist that New England is still haunted by the Super Bowl XLII loss nearly four years ago, but the Patriots say they've moved on. Tom Brady is looking to recover from a dismal performance last week where he threw for under 200 yards for the first time this season. Wes Welker had only six catches for 39 yards but Rob Gronkowski made up the difference with seven catches for 94 yards to lead the Patriot receivers. The Giants have the leagues fourth best passing offense averaging 287 yards per game, but that is because of necessity. The New York rushing defense is averaging only 85 yards per game and only totaled 58 yards last week against Miami. The Giants can make a statement that they're a contender with a victory as the Patriots look to avoid a two-game skid.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) at New Orleans Saints (5-3) - 8.7
Both teams are coming off of hard loses the only difference is Tampa Bay had an extra week to recover. The Buccaneers are coming off of a bye but lost to Chicago in London the week before. Josh Freeman threw two fourth quarter touchdowns to lead a fourth quarter comeback that feel short. Freeman played well but also threw four interceptions. Meanwhile, the Saints played terrible in the loss and trailed 24-0 before getting on the board. New Orleans still has the leagues best passing offense and look to get back on track. These two teams met only three weeks ago and the Bucs came out on top, but there is more at stake this time around as both teams are at the top of the division.
Chicago Bears (4-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) - 8.4
The Eagles are riding a two-game winning streak and could pull their record even with a win at home against the Bears on Monday night. Chicago beat up Tampa Bay in London behind Matt Forte's 145 yards rushing and touchdown. The Bears are looking to extend their win streak to three games but have to face an Eagles team that is trying to do the same. Philadelphia tromped over Dallas last week shutting the Cowboys out for three quarters of the game. The Eagle's rushing attack is first in the league thanks to, LeSean McCoy who had 185 yards last week, and Michael Vick with mobility from quarterback. The loser of this game has to start wondering about their playoff hopes.
Denver Broncos (2-5) at Oakland Raiders (4-3) - 8.0
Tim Tebow leads the Broncos into the Black Hole to take on the Raiders in his second start of the year. Denver's offense looked abysmal as Tebow was sacked seven times and turned the ball over three times against Detroit. The Raiders are coming off a bye but hoping for a better showing than they had in their last game against Kansas City where they were held scoreless. Oakland is still dealing with quarterback issues with Jason Campbell out and new acquisition Carson Palmer trying to fit in. Terrelle Pryor may be giving a chance too if things don't work out with Palmer or incumbent backup Kyle Boller. The Raiders are currently tied for first in the division and need this win to keep playoff hopes alive.
Green Bay Packers (7-0) at San Diego Chargers (4-3) - 7.9
Phillip Rivers' fumble late in the game against the Chiefs gave away a win that would've put San Diego alone in first place in the AFC west. Rivers threw for 369 yards and two interceptions last week and continues to have one of his worst statistical years of his career. The Chargers started out 4-1 but are 0-2 since their bye week. Things don't get easier as they prepare to host the undefeated and defending champion Packers. Green Bay is coming off a bye week and boasts the leagues third best passing offense. Aaron Rodger has thrown for 20 touchdowns and looks to be the favorite for MVP this season.
San Francisco 49ers (6-1) at Washington Redskins (3-4) - 7.0
The Redskins were shutout last week as John Beck was sacked nine times and threw two interceptions for Washington. Beck's offense tallied only 61 yards in the first half and 178 for the game as he continues to try solidify his position as starting quarterback. San Francisco is riding a five-game winning streak and clearly leads the NFC west despite having one of the leagues worst passing offenses. Last week Frank Gore rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown to lead the 49ers to victory over the Browns. Old college rivals Alex Smith and John Beck face off in the NFL for the first time when he
Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) at Tennessee Titans (4-3) - 6.5
The season is half over and Cincinnati is still in the hunt for the AFC north division title and Tennessee is in second in the AFC south division looking to make the post season. The Bengals have won four straight games and Andy Dalton was rewarded with the NFL's Rookie of the Month award for his performance. Fellow rookie AJ Green has played well this season too, leading the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. The Titans broke a two game skid with a win over the Colts last week. Tennessee led by as much as 20 points against Indianapolis as the Titans were led by Nate Washington's two touchdowns, one receiving, one rushing, and the play of their special teams. Chris Johnson continued his impressive season rushing for only 34 yards and even received some boos from the home crowd. Both teams need a win in order to keep up with the top teams in their division.
Cleveland Browns (3-4) at Houston Texans (5-3) - 6.3
Houston sits a top the AFC south but has Tennessee close behind them in a race for the division lead. The Texans are winners of two straight beating division rivals Tennessee and Jacksonville the past two weeks. Arian Foster is beginning to find his rhythm and looks to be almost back to full strength after an early season injury. Foster, along with Ben Tate, lead Houston's rushing attack that is ranked fourth in the league. Cleveland is hoping for more production out of their offense this week as the Browns have scored only 13 points in the last two games combined. After starting the season 2-1 Cleveland has dropped three of their last four and are scrambling to stay relevant in the AFC north.
Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (0-8) - 5.1
The only reason the Colts game is rated so high is because they're playing the Falcons. Atlanta is riding a two-game win streak and is coming off a bye week prepared to face Indianapolis. In the past two games Atlanta has been focusing on playing ‘Falcons football' meaning concentrating on the running game and allowing Matt Ryan to hit his tight ends. Michael Turner has played well running for a combined 261 yards in his last two outings. Meanwhile the wheels look to be falling off the Colts wagon as the season goes from bad to worse almost every week. Indianapolis dropped their eighth straight game of the season last week. The Colts trailed by 20 points before getting on the board in the third quarter. Curtis Painter threw for 250 yards but also threw two interceptions on completed just over 50 percent of his passes. Peyton Manning wants to return this year and Colt fans hope that's soon.
Seattle Seahawks (2-6) at Dallas Cowboys (3-4) - 4.7
Seattle has lost two in a row after its bye week and travel to big D to take on the Cowboys. Dallas continues to drop games to elite teams in the league and beat the doormats that they should. Last week the Cowboy offense was ineffective as they weren't able to get on the board until the fourth quarter and only had possession of the ball for 18 minutes. This is a must win game for Dallas who need to make sure they keep up with the other teams in the NFC east. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have been held to less than 15 points three times this season and currently have the leagues second worst offense. Good news is they're in second place in their division. Bad new is they're four games behind one of the leagues best teams.
Miami Dolphins (0-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) - 3.9
The Dolphins lost their third game of the season by less than five points last week but hope to get their first win of the year on the road in Kansas City this week. Miami lead heading into the fourth quarter against the Giants but gave up 10 points allowing New York to claim the win. The Chiefs survived last week's game on Monday night escaping with a big division victory. Matt Cassel and the rest of the Chiefs are looking to extend their four-game winning streak and have a good chance assuming they play with the same grit and determination that they did last week. The Dolphins need to lose this game in order to stay in contention for the No. 1 draft pick next year.
St. Louis Rams (1-6) at Arizona Cardinals (1-6) - 3.7
Surprisingly, the winner of this game could possibly claim second place in the NFC west if Seattle loses. St. Louis must've been inspired by the Cardinals last week as they went out and got their first win of the season. Stephen Jackson ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns and Jay Feeley managed the game like a pro. On the other hand, Arizona blew a 21-point halftime lead losing on the road in Baltimore. Kevin Kolb was just 10-of-21 for 153 yards but is expected to miss the week's game with turf toe. A bright spot for the Cardinals, Patrick Peterson returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter for his second punt return touchdown of the year.
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