JO_75
Hall of Famer
Thursday Night Football
Bears @ Commanders: If the season were to end today, the Chicago Bears would own the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. If I'm Caleb Williams, I'm leaning toward returning in order to avoid the mess that is Chicago. Even when things went right, for at least one half last week, things quickly went south as the Broncos came back and won. The team is currently telling Chase Claypool, who they gave a second round pick for, to stay home. The Commanders meanwhile have found something in Sam Howell who scored a last second touchdown to take the Eagles to overtime last week. Chicago is looking to be down at least two players in their secondary ruling out Eddie Jackson and Jaylon Johnson, so expect big things from Scary Terry on Thursday Night.
Da Bears have never fired a Head Coach during the season and unfortunately for Matt Eberflus, there's a first time for everything. Without a defensive coordinator already, will Chicago keep Matt on to complete the tank or will they fire him to try to spark something and make the most of this season?
Sunday Early Games
Jaguars @ Bills: Since losing to the Jets in week one, the Bills have been on a winning streak and look to bring said winning streak to London as they play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville righted the ship last week against the Atlanta Falcons but will have a tougher time dealing with a Buffalo defense that humbled a Miami offense that put up 70 points the week prior. Losing Tre'Davious White in that secondary will hurt and will be something to monitor as the season goes on, but I fully expect the Bills momentum to keep rolling. Is Jacksonville ready to take that next step? We'll have our answer on Sunday as they once again take on a Super Bowl favorite.
Ravens @ Steelers: The Schedule makers gave the Ravens three road divisional games in the first five weeks, and the Ravens have won two of those games heading into Pittsburgh where they look to make a statement in the AFC North. Lamar Jackson put on a show last week in Cleveland as he ran for two touchdowns AND threw for two touchdowns in the same game as the Ravens dominated the Browns. Was it his best game of his career? Perhaps, but you realize he did that without two of his top receivers in OBJ and Rashod Bateman, what will Lamar be capable of with them back on the field? Despite the injuries, the Ravens have found success and found ways to limit the damage while getting healthy. Both OBJ & Rashod Bateman returned to practice, along with Pro Bowl Left Tackle Ronnie Stanley and Safety Marcus Williams. The Ravens are getting healthy ahead of a key divisional game against the Steelers, who are 2-1 against Lamar Jackson.
As for the Steelers, questions surround Kenny Pickett's availability for Sunday but much like last week when Watson was a game time decision, I fully expect the same for Pickett. Regardless, Steelers fans are sick of Matt Canada as the team's offensive coordinator and are calling for change. Mike Tomlin said there would be changes, but Canada is still employed with the Steelers, probably still using that Twitter burner account to defend his play calling. Already down their left tackle for this game, this now puts pressure on rookie Broderick Jones going against a Baltimore defense who has double digit sacks already this season. Will Matt Canada survive another poor offensive performance or can the Steelers find a way to get it going against their division rival?
Panthers @ Lions: The Lions secured their fourth straight win over the Green Bay Packers and sit firmly atop the NFC North. Dan Campbell has done a tremendous job turning the Lions around and has to be one of, if not the top candidate for Coach of The Year. The Lions defense is one of the reasons for their success as they have allowed only 26 points and have 12 sacks in the past two games. That does not bode well for Bryce Young who has struggled behind a Panthers offensive line who allowed him to be sacked five times last week against Minnesota. Carolina went all in on Bryce Young giving up a ton of draft capital to do so, but you wonder as we are five weeks into the season. Did Carolina draft the wrong Quarterback?
Texans @ Falcons: Unlike his rookie counterpart in Carolina, CJ Stroud is proving that Houston made the right choice in drafting him. Sure, Stroud has had to deal with offensive line issues and the constant shuffling of lineman including not having Pro Bowl Left Tackle Laremy Tunsil but he still hasn't been sacked in the past two games. That includes last week's win over the Steelers where they prevented TJ Watt from getting to Stroud, that's impressive.
The Texans already have a key divisional win over Jacksonville, now look to win three straight games for the first time since 2018 against a struggling Falcons team heading in the wrong direction. If the Falcons offense struggles again with Desmond Ridder, one has to wonder when will Atlanta consider benching him. Will Arthur Smith be on the hot seat if the offense can not turn it around? After spending picks on Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijon Robinson, the offense is simply not performing up to it's expectations. Could we see Atlanta turn to veteran Taylor Heinicke to spark the offense if Ridder continues to struggle this season?
Titans @ Colts: The AFC South has a four-way log-jam as all teams sit 2-2, meaning this game is going to be crucial to who wins the division at the end of the season. On one side, you have the Titans who one week will lose 27-3 and the next week they win 27-3. If Tennessee is to win, their defense must limit the amount of explosive plays by Anthony Richardson, who leads the league in that statistic. Titans are a mixed bag and even though they have won five in a row against the Colts, I do like the chances of that streak being snapped.
The Colts will have Center Ryan Kelly back after he cleared concussion protocol giving boost to Richardson's protection and perhaps a boost in the run game with Jonathan Taylor? It remains to be seen if Taylor will play or if he will continue to hold out until he is traded. First year Head Coach Shane Steichen has the Colts playing well, will he be able to outcoach Mike Vrabel on the way to a win or will the Titans defense hold and bring home another win for Tennessee?
Giants @ Dolphins: Last week was the Dolphins' chance to show they were ready to take the next step, Buffalo dared Miami to take the division from them and Miami couldn't get the job done. A stout defensive effort by Buffalo held the Dolphins high flying attack to just 20 points after scoring 70 on the Broncos the week before. Miami looks to rebound against a Giants team that is seemingly falling apart, allowing 11 sacks to the Seahawks defense, you have Evan Neal ripping into fans for booing and it's likely they regret that Daniel Jones contract. Hit them while they are down they say, well Miami is seemingly going to do just that. New York sports in 2023 have been a disaster and it's only going to get worse as the season progresses.
Saints @ Patriots:
Sunday Late Games
Bengals @ Cardinals: What do you do after paying your quarterback $275M? Risk your quarterback's health by playing him when clearly there is something wrong? Apparently that's what the Bengals decided to do and now they are sitting 1-3 and are seeing their playoff hopes fading away. In a must win situation, they travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals who have played every team close this season despite everyone thinking they would be the worst team in the league.
In a must win game, there's a chance the Bengals won't have Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase is growing frustrated with not being given the ball, things seem to be taking a turn for the worse for a team that many pegged as Super Bowl favorites. Arizona has a shot if they allow James Conner to eat away at a Bengals run defense that has had trouble stopping the run this season. Limiting Joe Burrow's opportunities will give them the best shot but this has the makings of a get right game for Cincinnati at the right time, when they need it most.
Eagles @ Rams:
Jets @ Broncos:
Chiefs @ Vikings:
Sunday Night Football
Cowboys @ 49ers
Monday Night Football
Packers @ Raiders:
Bears @ Commanders: If the season were to end today, the Chicago Bears would own the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. If I'm Caleb Williams, I'm leaning toward returning in order to avoid the mess that is Chicago. Even when things went right, for at least one half last week, things quickly went south as the Broncos came back and won. The team is currently telling Chase Claypool, who they gave a second round pick for, to stay home. The Commanders meanwhile have found something in Sam Howell who scored a last second touchdown to take the Eagles to overtime last week. Chicago is looking to be down at least two players in their secondary ruling out Eddie Jackson and Jaylon Johnson, so expect big things from Scary Terry on Thursday Night.
Da Bears have never fired a Head Coach during the season and unfortunately for Matt Eberflus, there's a first time for everything. Without a defensive coordinator already, will Chicago keep Matt on to complete the tank or will they fire him to try to spark something and make the most of this season?
Sunday Early Games
Jaguars @ Bills: Since losing to the Jets in week one, the Bills have been on a winning streak and look to bring said winning streak to London as they play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville righted the ship last week against the Atlanta Falcons but will have a tougher time dealing with a Buffalo defense that humbled a Miami offense that put up 70 points the week prior. Losing Tre'Davious White in that secondary will hurt and will be something to monitor as the season goes on, but I fully expect the Bills momentum to keep rolling. Is Jacksonville ready to take that next step? We'll have our answer on Sunday as they once again take on a Super Bowl favorite.
Ravens @ Steelers: The Schedule makers gave the Ravens three road divisional games in the first five weeks, and the Ravens have won two of those games heading into Pittsburgh where they look to make a statement in the AFC North. Lamar Jackson put on a show last week in Cleveland as he ran for two touchdowns AND threw for two touchdowns in the same game as the Ravens dominated the Browns. Was it his best game of his career? Perhaps, but you realize he did that without two of his top receivers in OBJ and Rashod Bateman, what will Lamar be capable of with them back on the field? Despite the injuries, the Ravens have found success and found ways to limit the damage while getting healthy. Both OBJ & Rashod Bateman returned to practice, along with Pro Bowl Left Tackle Ronnie Stanley and Safety Marcus Williams. The Ravens are getting healthy ahead of a key divisional game against the Steelers, who are 2-1 against Lamar Jackson.
As for the Steelers, questions surround Kenny Pickett's availability for Sunday but much like last week when Watson was a game time decision, I fully expect the same for Pickett. Regardless, Steelers fans are sick of Matt Canada as the team's offensive coordinator and are calling for change. Mike Tomlin said there would be changes, but Canada is still employed with the Steelers, probably still using that Twitter burner account to defend his play calling. Already down their left tackle for this game, this now puts pressure on rookie Broderick Jones going against a Baltimore defense who has double digit sacks already this season. Will Matt Canada survive another poor offensive performance or can the Steelers find a way to get it going against their division rival?
Panthers @ Lions: The Lions secured their fourth straight win over the Green Bay Packers and sit firmly atop the NFC North. Dan Campbell has done a tremendous job turning the Lions around and has to be one of, if not the top candidate for Coach of The Year. The Lions defense is one of the reasons for their success as they have allowed only 26 points and have 12 sacks in the past two games. That does not bode well for Bryce Young who has struggled behind a Panthers offensive line who allowed him to be sacked five times last week against Minnesota. Carolina went all in on Bryce Young giving up a ton of draft capital to do so, but you wonder as we are five weeks into the season. Did Carolina draft the wrong Quarterback?
Texans @ Falcons: Unlike his rookie counterpart in Carolina, CJ Stroud is proving that Houston made the right choice in drafting him. Sure, Stroud has had to deal with offensive line issues and the constant shuffling of lineman including not having Pro Bowl Left Tackle Laremy Tunsil but he still hasn't been sacked in the past two games. That includes last week's win over the Steelers where they prevented TJ Watt from getting to Stroud, that's impressive.
The Texans already have a key divisional win over Jacksonville, now look to win three straight games for the first time since 2018 against a struggling Falcons team heading in the wrong direction. If the Falcons offense struggles again with Desmond Ridder, one has to wonder when will Atlanta consider benching him. Will Arthur Smith be on the hot seat if the offense can not turn it around? After spending picks on Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijon Robinson, the offense is simply not performing up to it's expectations. Could we see Atlanta turn to veteran Taylor Heinicke to spark the offense if Ridder continues to struggle this season?
Titans @ Colts: The AFC South has a four-way log-jam as all teams sit 2-2, meaning this game is going to be crucial to who wins the division at the end of the season. On one side, you have the Titans who one week will lose 27-3 and the next week they win 27-3. If Tennessee is to win, their defense must limit the amount of explosive plays by Anthony Richardson, who leads the league in that statistic. Titans are a mixed bag and even though they have won five in a row against the Colts, I do like the chances of that streak being snapped.
The Colts will have Center Ryan Kelly back after he cleared concussion protocol giving boost to Richardson's protection and perhaps a boost in the run game with Jonathan Taylor? It remains to be seen if Taylor will play or if he will continue to hold out until he is traded. First year Head Coach Shane Steichen has the Colts playing well, will he be able to outcoach Mike Vrabel on the way to a win or will the Titans defense hold and bring home another win for Tennessee?
Giants @ Dolphins: Last week was the Dolphins' chance to show they were ready to take the next step, Buffalo dared Miami to take the division from them and Miami couldn't get the job done. A stout defensive effort by Buffalo held the Dolphins high flying attack to just 20 points after scoring 70 on the Broncos the week before. Miami looks to rebound against a Giants team that is seemingly falling apart, allowing 11 sacks to the Seahawks defense, you have Evan Neal ripping into fans for booing and it's likely they regret that Daniel Jones contract. Hit them while they are down they say, well Miami is seemingly going to do just that. New York sports in 2023 have been a disaster and it's only going to get worse as the season progresses.
Saints @ Patriots:
Sunday Late Games
Bengals @ Cardinals: What do you do after paying your quarterback $275M? Risk your quarterback's health by playing him when clearly there is something wrong? Apparently that's what the Bengals decided to do and now they are sitting 1-3 and are seeing their playoff hopes fading away. In a must win situation, they travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals who have played every team close this season despite everyone thinking they would be the worst team in the league.
In a must win game, there's a chance the Bengals won't have Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase is growing frustrated with not being given the ball, things seem to be taking a turn for the worse for a team that many pegged as Super Bowl favorites. Arizona has a shot if they allow James Conner to eat away at a Bengals run defense that has had trouble stopping the run this season. Limiting Joe Burrow's opportunities will give them the best shot but this has the makings of a get right game for Cincinnati at the right time, when they need it most.
Eagles @ Rams:
Jets @ Broncos:
Chiefs @ Vikings:
Sunday Night Football
Cowboys @ 49ers
Monday Night Football
Packers @ Raiders:
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