FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

This game had the makings of a classic and a possible AFC Championship game preview until Ben Roethlisberger sustained an injury that will prevent him from playing. The New England Patriots have their quarterback and look like the best in the AFC once again. Without Big Ben, the Pittsburgh Steelers are just another team. The game was a pick em until Roethlisberger went in for surgery. Without him the Steelers are a touchdown dog in this Week 7 tilt.... 

Ryan Fitzpatrick is doing a masterful job of making sure his streak of never appearing in a postseason game gets extended another year. Blame the offseason contract squabble with the New York Jets, but it’s likely Fitz just had a season beyond what he’s actually capable of last year. Todd Bowles benched Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter Monday night, but said he’s sticking with the veteran. If things don’t improve in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens, it could be permanent.... 

The planets are back in alignment and everything has returned to normal in the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks enter their Week 7 Sunday night showdown with the Arizona Cardinals riding a three-game winning streak and atop the division. After a shaky start and some rumblings in the desert, the Cards have won two straight and appear to be headed in the right direction. The teams have combined for 10 of the past 12 division titles and once again appear headed on a collision course in 2016.... 

Gary Kubiak is back at work and he’s hoping his Denver Broncos follow him. After four straight wins to start the year, the Broncos stumbled with back-to-back losses and the quarterback play has been questionable. The guy who was drafted to take over the reins from Peyton Manning makes his first appearance against his former team when Brock Osweiler leads the Houston Texans into the Mile High City for a Monday Night Football matchup in Week 7.... 

During the preseason Sam Bradford was the projected starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. That changed when he was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings a week before the regular season began. Now, Bradford is the starter for the Vikings, the only unbeaten team in the NFL, and he gets a crack against his former team and the guy he was dumped in favor of when the clubs hook up in Week 7. The Eagles have lost two straight and Carson Wentz doesn’t look like the golden boy any longer.... 

Contrasting styles will be on display in this Week 7 interconference matchup when the pass-happy New Orleans Saints visit the Kansas City Chiefs. The Saints have shown signs of life with two straight wins following a three-game skid to open the season. They’ve topped the 30-point mark four times and have cashed the over each time with the total at or above 50. The Saints need all that offense because the defense continues to have problems stopping teams. Even the Chiefs could be in for a big day.... 

Don’t tell the Washington Redskins they aren’t the class of the NFC East. Competing in a division that has turned things around in 2016 and is likely the toughest in the NFL, the Skins aren’t ready to relinquish their division crown to anyone just yet. The only division team with a winning record last season, Washington has regrouped following a tough start to rattle off four straight wins. To get a fifth, Washington will have to knock off the Detroit Lions on the road in Week 7.... 

Just when we’re ready to heap all kinds of praise on the Oakland Raiders as they fight to stay at the top of the AFC West and put together their first winning season in over a decade, they play one of their worst games this season, crumbling all the good feelings that have built up over the organization. The Raiders had a chance to gain control of the division but dropped a pivotal battle to Kansas City. They must start the building process over and it won’t be easy on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7.... 

As part of their relocation agreement, the Los Angeles Rams will play one “home” game across the pond every season until their new stadium is ready for operation. So the Rams will travel the roughly 5,000 miles to host the New York Giants in Week 7 in the first NFL game at London’s Twickenham Stadium as the league expands its International Series to different venues. The Rams leave the States after suffering consecutive losses, wiping out all the good stuff that happened during their win streak that propelled them to the top of the NFC West.... 

Have the Tennessee Titans returned to being relevant in the AFC? It’s probably too early to tell, but for the first time since 2013 they’ve won consecutive games and they are nipping at the heels of first place in the South Division. They had the benefit of Cleveland on the schedule last week, and took advantage to match last season’s win total by finally winning at home. And that’s huge with their next two games on their own turf against division opponents. The run starts against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7.... 

We’re not quite sure who has the better of this matchup. The Cleveland Browns are the only winless team in the NFL and continue to deal with problems at the most important position on the football field. That should be good news for the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Bengals haven’t been that much better, losing four of their past five games and they find themselves in unfamiliar territory at 2-4 and ahead of only the Browns in the AFC North standings entering their Week 7 matchup.... 

With such a rich and storied history, you can throw the records out the window when these teams meet. And the Chicago Bears are hoping to do just that. Not where they expected to be once the year began, the Bears have seen their season unravel with the help of numerous injuries. The postseason looks like a long shot for the Bears and their Thursday night matchup with the Green Bay Packers has become their own playoff game. Chicago has regressed in Year 2 of the Jim Fox era, but a win at Lambeau in Week 6 would be sweet.... 

After a week where home teams really had a tremendous time in Week 6, Week 7 has a lot of teams that are perceived to be lesser teams playing at home against greater teams. Some of those are short favorites, while others are short dogs, and that could lead to some interesting results over the course of the next seven days.... 

What a difference a year makes. After losing just once during the regular season last year, the Carolina Panthers are trying to match that total in the win column this year. They’re on their way after a lackluster effort on Monday night. The Panthers’ Super Bowl hangover continues and worsens each week. At 1-4, the odds of Carolina reaching the playoffs have plummeted to six percent. There is work to be done and the first game of the rest of the season takes places against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6.This matchup in Week 6 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.... 

Carson Wentz is human after all. The rookie threw his first career interception and the Philadelphia Eagles fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a loss in Detroit. With that, the NFC East just got a whole lot tighter. After having just one team finish with a winning record last season, the division could be one of the strongest in the NFL with three clubs having winning records through five weeks. The Washington Redskins look to keep their win streak alive when they host the Eagles in a key Week 6 battle.This contest in Week 6 of the regular season will go down Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at FedEx Field.... 

Welcome back Tom Brady. The New England Patriots quarterback showed no effects of his long layoff due to the Deflategate scandal, carving up the Browns in his first meaningful game since last season’s AFC Championship. And it looked like Brady was dialed in to getting his team back to that game this season. Sure, it was against the lowly Browns, but Brady looked sharp and the Cincinnati Bengals could be in for a workout trying to slow him down in Week 6.This contest in Week 6 of the regular season will go down Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.... 

If playing quarterback for the Cleveland Browns isn’t the worst job in sports, it has to rank right up there. Not only because the team stinks, but playing the position is an obvious health risk. Already down to their No. 3 guy, the Browns lost Cody Kessler for the game with an injury and his backup also was hurt. The position has been a carousel and the Browns could always turn to Johnny Manziel if they get really desperate. They won’t sink that low against the Tennessee Titans in a Week 6 matchup.Watch this regular season Week 6 matchup live on Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium.... 

If nothing else, the Oakland Raiders sure make their games fun to watch. The league’s worst defense coupled with a group of emerging young stars on offense has made the Raiders a fancy pick on the total. Oakland has cashed the over four times in five games, but they may have a difficult time denting the scoreboard against the plodding Kansas City Chiefs when the old American Football League rivals hook up in Week 6.This matchup in Week 6 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 4:05 p.m. ET at Oakland Coliseum.... 

The rookie duo of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott has brought back memories of Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, the pair that helped transform the Dallas Cowboys into the team of the 90s. It’ll be several years before we can make the comparison, but right now Dallas fans are pretty happy with the results. It wasn’t supposed to be this easy for Prescott and his play has many asking, Tony who? The Boys look to continue their winning ways with a visit to the Green Bay Packers in Week 6.Kickoff for this regular season Week 6 game is set for Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field.... 

Rolling through a stretch of games that had the Atlanta Falcons playing both Super Bowl participants from last season in back-to-back weeks, the gauntlet continues and the Falcons are going for a clean sweep. On the strength of wins over Carolina and Denver, Atlanta has built a cushy lead over the rest of the NFC South entering its Week 6 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. It was about this time last year the Falcons began to stumble but they could have some staying power this time around.Watch this regular season Week 6 matchup live on Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 4:25 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field.... 

The Pittsburgh Steelers got a wake-up call a few weeks back when they were humbled by the Eagles. The Black and Gold has responded by whipping its past two opponents and looks to be back on the Super Bowl path many predicted they would take. With a home game against New England and a bye following this one, it’s possible the Steelers could overlook the Miami Dolphins, but even that might not make a difference in the Week 6 matchup.Kickoff for this regular season Week 6 game is set for Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.... 

Their promising start to the season has been doused by three straight losses and the New York Giants find themselves in the cellar of the NFC East after a fruitless trip through the top of the NFC North. Now, the Giants return home to face another struggling team. Following consecutive home losses, the Baltimore Ravens will welcome a trip to the Meadowlands and one of the clubs will end its slide in this Week 6 matchup.This matchup in Week 6 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, October 16, 2016, at MetLife Stadium.... 

The Detroit Lions did something no other team was able to do this season: they beat the Eagles and forced a turnover from them. It was a performance that saved their season, at least for this week. Instead of falling to 1-4 and becoming an afterthought, the Lions knocked off one of the three unbeatens and gained some traction in the NFC. With a Week 6 home contest against the Los Angeles Rams, the Lions are in a position to be at .500, something many thought unlikely after a loss to the Bears just two weeks ago.Watch this regular season Week 6 matchup live on Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Ford Field.... 

Two years ago, Todd Bowles was named the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year for his effort as defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. He returns to the desert in Week 6 for the first time riding a three-game losing streak as head coach of the New York Jets. Don’t blame the entire mess of the Jets season on Ryan Fitzpatrick, who actually went a whole game without throwing pick. Rather, it’s been a complete team effort and the Jets are staring at another playoff-less season unless things turnaround quickly.This contest in Week 6 of the regular season will go down Monday, October 17, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium.... 

The Jacksonville Jaguars saved Gus Bradley’s job for another week by claiming their first win of the season two weeks ago. They got a chance to savor that victory during the bye and hit a favorable part of the schedule that could get them back into the thick of the race in the AFC South. If the Jags are to make a run and save Bradley’s position for the long term, a win over the Chicago Bears is a necessity. They’ll get a chance to do that on the road in Week 6.Kickoff for this regular season Week 6 game is set for Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field....