There’s an abundance of notable games as we head towards the second half of the NFL season.
October usually doesn’t feature hot weather, but I scorched my way through the football season’s second month. I’ve posted a 49-24 over the last five weeks, a .671 win percentage–thanks in part to a 10-4 log in Week Eight. That brings my year-to-date record to 73-46-2 (.612).
But, really, all that means is that there are nine weeks to go. It’s no time to get complacent. This week marks one of only two times the schedule has only 13 games – byes go to Arizona, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, New York Giants and Philadelphia.
(All games on Sunday afternoon unless otherwise noted.)
San Francisco 15, Oakland 12 (Thursday night): When the baseball teams representing these cities met in the 1989 World Series, a deadly earthquake interrupted the event for a week and a half. The Raiders, who lead this series (7-6), can’t be helped by such an occurrence now, for even though both teams are struggling, the host ‘Niners, who have won three of their last four meetings with Oakland, are a bit better.
Baltimore 26, Pittsburgh 23: It doesn’t seem possible, but these two bitter rivals are meeting for the 50th time (including playoffs). Last time they played, Baltimore went into Pittsburgh with more momentum and won. Now, the Ravens are hosting and the Steelers seem to be playing better, having taken over the AFC North lead, while Baltimore has lost three of its last four. The Ravens make a last stand here before their bye.
Kansas City 42, Cleveland 17: Years ago, the Chiefs won an improbable victory in Cleveland when then-Browns linebacker Dwayne Rudd took off his helmet while celebrating, a penalty that gave the Chiefs a chance at a last-second field goal. Kansas City won’t need such a freak play to win this time, as the same old Browns are looking like their last-place selves again.
Chicago 27, Buffalo 6: This is a game that ought to be broadcast in black and white, what with two blue-collar cities meeting in what could be a run-dominated slugfest. But the Bears have the ability to punch harder and more often than the host Bills, who played admirably tough last week against New England.
Carolina 33, Tampa Bay 23: After a great comeback and narrow loss in Cincinnati, the Buccaneers probably think they have a good chance to get a road win against their division rivals in Charlotte. But Baltimore probably thought it had a crack at a win over the Panthers, and they were surprisingly blown out. Carolina has won nine straight home games.
Miami 19, New York Jets 16: In the 80s, these two teams met in Miami in a game that featured no television announcers. The experiment didn’t work too well, and lately, neither have these teams. But Miami, which gets to host this game, can at least win against bad teams, and the Jets aren’t just bad, they are mind-numbingly dull.
Minnesota 30, Detroit 17: The Vikings are headed for their bye week as a solid contender again in the NFC North, and they get to host a division rival in this game. Detroit is its usual unpredictable self, but with last week’s home loss to Seattle, the Lions’ identity may not be coming into the kind of focus they would prefer.
Atlanta 23, Washington 16: The Falcons come off their bye to take a field trip to the nation’s capital with a defense that should be healthier than its been at any time this season. If they are to make a dent in a rugged NFC South race, they need this game. Washington is getting surprising production from Adrian Peterson, but it won’t be enough.
Houston 31, Denver 23: Might as well call this the “Gary Kubiak Bowl”, as the former Ravens offensive coordinator has had a long association with both franchises. Their fortunes have flipped, with Houston having recovered from a slow start and the Broncos slumping after winning their first two. Both are heading for their byes after this game.
Seattle 24, Los Angeles Chargers 21: The Chargers are coming off their bye and must travel to one of the toughest places to play in the league. It’s a hunch pick, but I’ll go with the Seahawks to put a dent in Los Angeles’ chances to win the AFC West, which looks like Kansas City’s race to lose anyway.
Los Angeles Rams 34, New Orleans 27: The Saints and Rams used to be NFC West rivals long ago, and this game still holds a lot of weight towards head-to-head playoff tiebreakers. New Orleans has seen its defense put to the test the last two weeks against Baltimore and Minnesota, but even though the Saints won both games, the unbeaten Rams have the kind of weapons to exploit it, even under the dome.
New England 29, Green Bay 22 (Sunday night): Many fans may not recall that the Patriots went to two Super Bowls before the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era began. One of them was a loss to Green Bay in Super Bowl 31, but this game won’t have that kind of drama. The Packers are coming cross-country after a loss in Los Angeles, and the resurgent Pats, winners of five straight, are always tough at home.
Dallas 30, Tennessee 16 (Monday night): Both teams are coming off byes, with the Titans wondering what happened to their offense and the Cowboys smarting from a surprising loss at Washington. Dallas gets back on track here, but it remains to be seen whether trading a first-round pick for receiver Amari Cooper was worth it.
