This week I’m trying something a little different. If we see it next week, that means we like it. It’s no coincidence that we never see it again.
A one-stop place to easily check upcoming Sunday and Monday matches. It will show up sometime Friday or Saturday. In addition to the basic information, I’ve included something about each game that caught my eye and might be of interest to you.
This is a good week to try it out, considering the five games through six weeks both include teams above .500.
So, here’s the first (and potentially last) of our weekly game previews.
(If you’re looking for Week 7 picks, you’ll find them here.)
1-5 Patriots vs. 1-5 Jaguars (-5.5), Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network (Chris Rose and Joe Thomas)
The Pats are on a five-game losing streak, the longest in the league. The Jaguars were embarrassed last week against the Bears, with safety Andrew Sisco saying the defense showed “a lot of resignation” and coach Doug Pederson saying the team needs a culture change.
With another loss in Jacksonville, the question becomes whether there will be a coaching change for the Jags.
3-3 Seahawks vs. 4-2 Falcons (-3), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)
Atlanta has won three straight. Seattle has lost three games in a row. Seahawks coach Mike McDonald attended high school and college in the Atlanta area.
All four of the Falcons’ home games were decided by one point, and all four were decided until the final moments of regulation or overtime.
The Seahawks will be adding defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who missed three games (all losses) with a hamstring injury. He has extra motivation considering the Falcons passed on him in the draft.
1-4 Titans vs. 4-2 Bills (-9.5), Sunday 1pm ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty)
Titans quarterback Will Lewis, who is doubtful to play due to a lingering injury to his right shoulder, leads the league in turnovers with 10. He has scored at least one goal in every game this season and has had a turnover in nine straight games dating back to last year. He has had turnovers in 12 of his 14 starts in the NFL.
Last week, he played like he was worried about being benched. Maybe he will.
The Bills added receiver Amari Cooper to play a short week after defeating the Jets on Monday night.
The 4-2 Bills don’t play a team with a current winning record until Week 11. This is a chance for them to improve their record.
2-4 Bengals (-6) vs. 1-5 Browns, Sunday 1pm ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is 1-5 against the Browns. Cleveland has won six straight against the Bengals at home.
Deshaun Watson is the only quarterback without a 200-yard passing game through six weeks. Running back Nick Chubb’s return from a serious knee injury suffered in Week 2 of the 2023 season could give the offense a boost.
It’s the first of three home games in Cleveland, which hasn’t played since Week 3, but if Watson continues to struggle, and the Browns continue to refuse to bench him, the crowd could get quite restless. There is.
5-1 Texans vs. 4-2 Packers (-3), Sunday 1pm ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)
The Packers rank second in the NFL in loves, behind only the Ravens. Quarterback Jordan Love has fully recovered from his Week 1 knee injury and appeared to be fully back in shape in Week 6 against the Cardinals.
Green Bay will wear white helmets, jerseys, and pants to the game.
Houston hasn’t won a notable road win since the Texans’ unexpected comeback in 2023. They suffered a 34-7 loss to Minnesota four weeks ago.
With the win, Houston would improve to 6-1 for the first time since 2012.
2-3 Dolphins vs. 3-3 Colts (-3), Sunday 1pm ET, FOX (Kevin Coogler and Darryl Johnston)
The Dolphins come off a 2-3 bye in what could be the last game without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Will the offense look better without a starting quarterback?
The Colts are 3-3 with quarterback Anthony Richardson expected to return to the starting lineup. However, running back Jonathan Taylor was sidelined again with an ankle injury.
4-1 Lions vs. 5-0 Vikings (-1.5), Sunday 1pm ET, FOX (Adam Amin and Greg Olsen)
The Vikings had an extra week to prepare for their biggest test so far this year. Did the Jets provide a blueprint for slowing down quarterback Sam Darnold, or was London’s sputtering a product of a very good New York defense?
Running back Aaron Jones is questionable with a hamstring injury. The offense will be very different without him. (Even if Jones is hampered, the addition of Cam Akers in a trade with the Texans could help.)
The Lions will score 40 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1962, and with a win they will go 5-1 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1933-34.
The Lions have won three straight and four of five against the Vikings, but the Vikings are 21-5 in series since 1998.
3-2 Eagles (-3) vs. 2-4 Giants, Sunday 1pm ET, FOX (Chris Myers and Mark Sanchez)
The Eagles have one win and one loss all season. They haven’t had a winning streak since last year, when they won five in a row and finished with a record of 10 wins and 1 loss. Despite the win, they are currently 0-4 in their last four games.
This game will see running back Saquon Barkley return to MetLife Stadium. After scoring five touchdowns in the first three games of the season, he had zero touchdowns for the second straight game.
Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabors returned after missing two games with a concussion. That could help quarterback Daniel Jones reverse the trend of zero passing touchdowns and four interceptions at home, but six touchdown passes and zero picks on the road.
2-4 Raiders vs. 1-4 Rams (-6.5), Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)
Receiver Cooper Kupp’s return after an extended absence is questionable for the Rams, who are off to a dismal start under head coach Sean McVay. A loss on Sunday would drop LA to 1-5, its worst six-game record since 0-6 in 2011.
The Rams are 2-0 against the Raiders since returning to Los Angeles. The Raiders will be without receiver Davante Adams for the first time since trading him in 2022. Defensive end Maxx Crosby made comments this week that led to speculation that he might be looking for a change of pace.
1-5 Panthers vs. 4-2 Commanders (-8), Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
In all of their losses, the Panthers, who are 1-5, have finished with a lead of 10 points or more. This is 35 points higher than the league’s worst margin of 100 points.
Andy Dalton remains Carolina’s starting quarterback. Inevitably, it seems like they will pivot back to Bryce Young.
Rookie phenom Jaden Daniels will try to push the Managers to 5-2. The winning team’s total record was 7 wins and 17 losses. Washington’s loss was to a team with a combined record of 8-4.
With the win, Washington would improve to 3-0 at home for the first time since 2005. This was the last time the team won in the playoffs.
5-0 Chiefs vs. 3-3 49ers (-1.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)
This will be the 10th time in history that Super Bowl teams will meet again in the following regular season. The winner of the Super Bowl is 6-3.
Here are the more important trends for the Chiefs: Coach Andy Reid is 21-4 after a bye, and Patrick Mahomes is 11-1-1 as an underdog.
Rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall, who was shot during an attempted robbery over Labor Day weekend, will make his NFL debut with the 49ers. The 49ers are without receiver Jauan Jennings, who is out with a hip injury.
2-4 Jets (-2) vs. 4-2 Steelers, Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth)
Russell Wilson is expected to make his first start as a Steeler. If that happens, he will be reunited with Aaron Rodgers. The duo was on either team in the epic 2014 NFC Championship, with the Packers winning by a huge margin and Seattle winning in overtime.
The Jets will try to move into contention with the arrival of receiver Davante Adams, who is expected to play after missing three games in Las Vegas with a hamstring (or “hamstring”) injury.
Some say the Jets signed Adams to help owner Woody Johnson justify the immediate firing of manager Robert Saleh. Will Johnson make more moves if he loses Sunday night?
The Steelers will play two prime-time games at home against New York/New Jersey before a Week 9 bye.
If Wilson starts, keep an eye out for a possible Justin Fields package. It was thought the Steelers would include Fields in Week 1 against the Falcons before Wilson aggravated his calf injury during training camp.
4-2 Ravens (-3.5) vs. 4-2 Buccaneers, Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
The Ravens are averaging 205.3 rushing yards per game, nearly 40 more than the Packers’ 167.2. Running back Derrick Henry has 704 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in six games.
The Bucks may have found a powerful boost in Sean Tucker. The undrafted second-year player out of Syracuse had 136 rushing yards, 56 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 51-27 win over the Saints.
The game pits Baker Mayfield, the first player taken in the first round of the 2018 draft, against Lamar Jackson, the last player taken in the first round of that year. Jackson is a two-time MVP and is already being talked about winning a third MVP award. He is the youngest player in NFL history to be named league MVP three times.
Mayfield gets to take the first shot. He’ll definitely get votes if the Bucks finish as the top seed in the NFC.
By the way, Jackson improved his record against NFC teams to an incredible 22-1 last week. A win on Monday night would improve their overall record to 23-1 in interconference play.
3-2 Chargers (-2.5) 2-4 Cardinals, Monday 9pm ET, ESPN+ (Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky)
The subscription service’s follow-up episode begins 45 minutes after the Ravens vs. Bucks game and features the Cardinals chasing their third win of the season. He has scored 14 points or less in three of the past four games.
In the first game after the bye, the Chargers led the Broncos 23-0 and held on for the win, 23-16. The results were overshadowed by coach Jim Harbaugh’s atrial flutter, which sent him to the medical tent and then to the locker room for IV fluids and medication. He has been wearing a heart monitor for two weeks.
Harbaugh underwent surgery in 2012 after a similar incident. He declared after the 2-0 win against the Broncos that he was suffering from an arrhythmia.
That means, as we’ve observed once or twice this week, he knows how to attack the day with an arrhythmia unknown to humanity.
